The Straight Dope Tells All [Paperback]

Cecil Adams (Author), Slug Signorino (Illustrator), Ed Zotti (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 24, 1998

IF KNOWLEDGE WAS POWER, CECIL ADAMS WOULD RULE THE WORLD!

It's true! For the past twenty-five years, in his books and weekly newspaper column, world-history genius Cecil Adams has been patiently explaining to the Teeming Millions how the world works. He answered questions such as how do porcupines mate, what exactly does Barney Rubble do for a living, and where is Einstein's brain? His answers changed your life. Or at least settled a bet with a loved one. But surely, you are thinking, all the salient facts of the universe have been ascertained by now. Ha! Get a load of the mysteries The Master explores in this landmark volume:

¸  If Teflon is such a nonsticky substance, how do they get it to stick to the pan?
¸  Is the Great Cabal implanting microchips in our brains?
¸  Do fluorescent lights cause cataracts?
¸  What do Scotsmen wear under those kilts?
¸  Can some people extinguish street lamps by force of their bodily emanations?
¸  Is the U.S. Government really hiding alien spaceships?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Cecil Adams has been giving the straight dope to thousands of bizarre and inane questions, in his books and weekly newspaper column, for 25 years now. His most recent opus, The Straight Dope Tells All, is as addictively fascinating, sarcastic, and informative as his previous efforts. If you're a Straight Dope enthusiast from way back, you know how joyous an occasion a new Straight Dope is. And if you're a Straight Dope virgin, it's time to be initiated into Adams's scholarly yet snide approach to the trivia questions that torment his readership into seeking his help. Where else are questions like "Does 'kimosabe' actually mean 'chicken guano?'" and "Must the pet rabbit chew one's t-shirt to keep from dying of overgrown teeth?" actually see the light of newsprint and receive an answer. Just perusing the index is good entertainment. A quick glance at "S" shows "Sabbath, why Christians celebrate on Sunday rather than Saturday," sex: anal, and "gay bowel syndrome," "shivering, following urination," "singing nun, fate of," "smiley face, inventor of," "smoking, whether more WWII veterans were killed by that than combat," and "sound of tree, if falls in woods." How one could resist a line-up like that, is a question even Cecil would be unable to resolve satisfactorily. --Stephanie Gold

From the Publisher

I've been the elusive Cecil Adam's editor for the last few years--and one thing I know for sure: Cecil truly IS the world's smartest human being. He knows everything! Working with Cecil makes me learn more and more each day. For example, I never knew what to make of the word 'pompatus' (as in 'The Pompatus of Love,' used in Steve Miller's 1973 hit "The Joker" ). And I've never known anything about the origin of ice cream headaches...and I get those all the time! But Cecil hasn't just opened me up to things I've wondered about; through him, I've encountered a whole universe of I never KNEW I should be wondering about--for example, it seems that in bars you often find ice in the urinals (??). And as to hermaphrodites...well, let's just say you need to take a look at p. 168--because the thought never crossed my mind!

So all this means is: I'm always delighted when we have a new book from Cecil--and this book is the most recent of Cecil's collections from us. This book commemorates a whopping TWENTY-FIVE YEARS since the first "Straight Dope" column was published. "The Straight Dope" has been around that time--because it's that good!

---E. Zack, Senior Editor

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (February 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345420071
• ISBN-13: 978-0345420077
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,156,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Cecil sells out?, April 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Straight Dope Tells All (Paperback)

I was as excited as the next Straight Dope fan when this book came in the mail, but was quickly disappointed. Much of the book is taken up by reprintings of newsgroup witticisms or reader comments, and Cecil's answers seem to lack that familiar "zing". Still an interesting resource, and slightly entertaining, but there's too much other junk to sort through to get to it.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe there's a limit...., October 14, 1999

By 

Damfino ([e-mail]) (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Straight Dope Tells All (Paperback)

I've always enjoyed Cecil and have, over the years, purchased his first four books. And it's true--each volume is a bit less fascinating than the previous. It really seems that the most familiar, universal, and entertaining imponderables were addressed in the earlier volumes. Odd, but seemingly true. Still, keep going Cecil!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars more Cecil, less fanmail please, May 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Straight Dope Tells All (Paperback)

Cecil Adams' work rarely fails to satisfy, but this fourth compilation by him contains too much email garbage from AOL users. it's obvious these are online junkies who have far too much time on their hands. so in short: Cecil is great but the junkmail sucks.