Return of the Straight Dope (Paperback)

by Cecil Adams (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Cecil (as he refers to himself) is clearly a man with access to many databases; he's an entertaining know-it-all, full of peculiar and often fascinating information. In his latest volume (after The Straight Dope and More of the Straight Dope ), a collection of his syndicated Q & A columns, Cecil discourses snappily on a wide range of subjects, among them cow tipping, the significance of Star Dates, the odds of contracting HIV from heterosexual intercourse, what happens if you're driving at the speed of light and turn your headlights on. His lively columns frequently provoke corrections, amplifications and hostility from his readers. Fans of Jan Brunvand's (an oft-quoted pal of Cecil's) Urban Legends books will love this one.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA-Chicago columnist Cecil Adams once again answers offbeat questions raised by his readers, throwing in his personal brand of vitriolic sarcasm. He answers questions about everything from why there is a "for single slices" slot in the toaster to aspects of "weird science," transportation, the human body, and technology.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (April 12, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345381114
• ISBN-13: 978-0345381118
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #462,698 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Irreverent and hysterical, I love Cecil!, July 6, 2002

By	John Rummel (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Cecil Adams is a hoot. It's that simple. I'm the first to admit that his style may not be for everyone. If you don't enjoy the smart-alec humor of David Letterman, the irreverence of Saturday Night Live, and the take-no-prisoners approach of James Randi, than maybe the "Straight Dope" isn't for you.

For the uninitiated, The Straight Dope is a weekly newspaper column (appearing mostly in local "freebie" papers such as Madison's Isthmus) wherein Cecil (the smartest human alive) answers all manner of questions put to him by the "teeming millions." Do fish breathe? Do birds pee? Are there really 57 varieties of Heinz Ketchup? No question is too trivial for Cecil, and he applies a surprising degree of scholarship to all queries, mixing it all with a sharp-tongued wit and repartee with his correspondents that will leave you laughing out loud, guaranteed.

The books, numbering 5, collect the best of his columns into loosely organized chapters and include occasional updated information since the questions and answers were originally printed.

A few examples from 3rd book (Return of the Straight Dope, 1994), which is the one I happen to have from the library right now:

p. 338: Why do stars twinkle? Cecil supplies the correct answer, embedded as always, firmly within his razor sharp wit: "Ben, you amateur, stars don't 'twinkle.' They exhibit 'stellar scintillation.' The Pentagon isn't going to fund a damn twinkle study."

p. 63-64: A straight-down-the-pipe debunking of Uri Geller, as only Cecil can do. James Randi (whom Cecil sites as a source) has nothing on Adams. This is also a good example of Cecil's "dialog" with his readers. A reader wrote in to tell of his first hand encounter with Geller years before, and why Geller couldn't possibly have faked the spoon bending (or whatever) because this reader never took his eyes off the spoon, yada yada. Adam's reply shows his appropriately skeptical approach to such situations, where he stresses how many supposed "experts" were completely bamboozled by Geller's slight of hand and misdirection.

p. 349: The inertia of air, as seen in the helium balloon in a car experiment; p. 146 if you toss a ball in the air while inside the cabin of a flying airplane, does the total weight of the craft decrease by the amount of the ball's weight? (no, and he does a great job handling the physics involved).

The "Straight Dope" collections are a skeptical reader's delight, and totally entertaining to boot. I highly recommend them for casual reading, but don't be surprised if you learn something along the way.

By the way, there's apparently some debate about whether Cecil's a real person or not. I don't have an answer ... but it doesn't matter to me. The books are well written and right on target scientifically.

One more tidbit (this one from the straightdope.com web site), to a reader who asked what the deal is with Nostradamus, Cecil replied: "There are two schools of thought on Nostradamus: either (1) he had supernatural powers which enabled him to prophesy the future with uncanny accuracy, or (2) he did for ... what Stonehenge did for rocks. I incline to the latter view."

Cecil goes on to give a more detailed (and very accurate) response re: the whole Nostradamus thing, showing again his serious attempt to combat the epidemic of silly pseudoscience that so many of the "teeming millions" seem inclined to accept at face value.

And that really seems to be the bottom line for Cecil, and the best reason to read the column and the books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of "The Straight Dope" books, August 25, 1998

By	Robert Miller ([e-mail]) (Irvine, California, USA) - See all my reviews

Cecil Adams is a hoot. Accept no substitutes! And this, in my opinion, is the best of his four books (as of this writing). In this book, he takes on the favorite subjects of his readers, including food, sex, popular culture, and science, with fascinating, well researched answers. Although he is sometimes condescending, and often hasty (read his answers to Marilyn Vos Savant's puzzles), you would be too, if you were the world's smartest human... AND on a deadline. Highly enjoyable.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Fine Collection, March 18, 2001

By	Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you don't know who Cecil Adams is, its unlikely that you will find yourself purchasing this book. As the lucky initiated know, Adams has been writing his weekly column, "The Straight Dope" for alternative newpapers for nearly thirty years now. Adams is a good-natured arrogant know-it-all who uses reader questions both to show off his knowledge and flex his keen sense of humor. He is at the same time both hilareous and informative. He also tackles plenty of subjects that mainstream journalists will not touch. For example, in this book he discusses the little known practice of eating the human placenta. There is no one quite like Cecil. And for that we must be thankful.