mental floss presents Forbidden Knowledge: A Wickedly Smart Guide to History's Naughtiest Bits (Paperback)

by Editors Of Mental Floss (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Concept trumps execution in this hit and (mostly) miss compendium of "the worst history has to offer." Editor Hunt and Mental Floss cofounders Pearson and Hattikudur (Condensed Knowledge) group their material into chapters based on the seven deadlies and purport to present "every bawdy story and dirty secret your history teacher wanted to tell you, but couldn't for fear of losing his or her job." More often than not, the "dirty secrets" are recounted in matter-of-fact prose, peppered with uninspired juvenile humor ("sometimes you have to get a head to get ahead" when introducing leaders who killed family members, or exclaiming "Eeeeuuuuw!" in response to sibling marriages among the ancient Egyptians), but the book makes a passable bathroom read. When compared to other recent works of historic satire, (John Stewart's America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction or The Onion's Our Dumb Century) this collection, with its dependency on camp humor, fails to satisfy. Readers seeking lighter fare may find the book appealing, but those in search of intelligent satire will do better to look elsewhere.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"A delightfully eccentric and eclectic new magazine." -- Washington Post

"A lot like that professor of yours who peppered his tests with raunchy jokes: it makes learning fun." -- Newsweek

"For the discerning intellect, Mental Floss cleans out the cobwebs." -- Chicago Tribune

"Part scholarly journal, part Spy magazine protégé." -- Charlotte Observer

"The titans of trivia." -- Newsweek

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006078475X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060784751
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #133,997 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wickedly Smart Indeed..., January 30, 2006

By	R. E. Bentley "Marauder Lover" (OH, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mental_Floss Presents Forbidden Knowledge: A Wickedly Smart Guide to History's Naughtiest Bits. Wow, what a great book. This is a must have for history buffs (especially the ones who think they already know everything there is to know about history) and trivia mavens alike. Ever wondered which President was the laziest? Thought Madame Curie was as pure as the driven snow? Called Meat Loaf anything besides 'international superstar'? Forbidden Knowledge will take care of that for you. Never let anyone say "History isn't interesting!" Downside to this book: While some will be impressed with your knowledge of band frontmen who sold their souls to the devil and rulers who died of syphillis, some will find it just annoying. Don't let that keep you from reading it, just consider covering your mouth with duct tape for a few days afterwards.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars mental_floss keeps me sharp, December 13, 2005

By	John Woodson (Hamilton, OH) - See all my reviews

I've been a mental_floss magazine subscriber from "the early days" and picked up "Condensed Knowledge" as well. So when I saw in a recent issue that a new book was coming, I knew I had to get it. I wasn't disappointed.

Where "Condensed Knowledge" added humor and interesting twists to what might otherwise have been mundane information, "Forbidden Knowledge" is perhaps even better because of the subject matter. There are seven chapters, one concerning each of the seven deadly sins. The material is (like the first book) both funny and informative, and the "evil" nature of the subject matter makes it all the more readable. Fortunately, even though the material is more "dark," it never gets mean-spirited or nasty.

Seems like most of the history/reference/nonfiction books I see today get a kick out of annihilating specific ideas, or persons, or companies. I'm glad "Forbidden Knowledge" covers the evil side of life without having to put a political or moral judgment on things. It's just plain facts, mixed with fun comments that makes it easier to absorb the material.

And with different writers throughout the book, the reading never gets boring. It's almost like an extended version of the magazine, which makes it well worth the price. It's great, though, that it's all-new material and not just reprints of stuff that already appeared in previous issues.

Bravo, mental_floss. Never change (unless you want to go monthly, that is). Here's my idea for a third book in the series: "Knowledge Flakes" -- with a cover like a cereal box, filled with stuff about some of the flakiest persons in history. You'd have no shortage of material there!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History's best gossip, January 5, 2006

By	Shannon (Chicago) - See all my reviews

I bought this book for something light and fun... My roomates spotted it on the coffee table and I've had to wait in line to read it. You will find yourself laughing out loud and feeling thankful that there are people who went down in history that are more vain, greedy, jealous, and lazy than you! Skim it over if you don't believe me, you won't put it down.