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Drunken Goldfish and Other Irrelevant Scientific Research Paperback – February 28, 1990

4.7 out of 5 stars 4

Looks at examples of unusual research in the areas of alcohol, animals, sexual behavior, courtship, body image, music, and parapsychology

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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fawcett (February 28, 1990)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 044921804X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0449218044
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 4

About the author

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William Roland Hartston
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After reading maths at Jesus College, Cambridge, William Hartston played too much chess to complete his PhD, which led to his twice winning the British Chess Championship. While writing far too many chess books, he worked as an industrial psychologist on the development and interpretation of personality tests. He has also written books about Puzzles, Sloths, Numeracy, Sex, Useless Information, The Things Nobody Knows and - the latest book - Knock, Knock which is a history of humour and the long hunt for a psychological/philosophic theory of humour. He is also an opera critic but still does not know what he wants to be when he grows up.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
4 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2022
Both witty and incredibly intelligent, William Hartston -- journalist, columnist, and an impressive Chess player with a consistent ELO/FIDE rating of 2430+ -- wrote this wonderfully humourous book back in 1987; it was gifted to me in 1989 and, since then (tho I retain my original copy), I have been purchasing and gifting this book to friends and students of mine for years. I can honestly say that, when I first read it (as a sophomore in high school), it left a huge impression on me and actually turned my interests toward the natural sciences... an interest which ultimately manifested itself in the form of a PhD in Physics and, since then, a wholly unremarkable career in the natural sciences. But, don't let that dissuade you: I don't care what your life experiences have been or what you want to be when you "grow up" -- this book will make you smile AND make you more fun at parties!!! Learn actual scientific facts like, Pigeons can be taught to discern the difference between Beethoven and Bach with well over 80% accuracy, and that marijuana will actually affect how well a spider spins a web. Yes, the trophy fish on your wall, the ones in your tank AND the one that got away will ALL wait patiently as the alcohol distills... this book will not disappoint!!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2014
This book was recommended by my professor as a fun book. Interesting science without any possible use other than to keep you wondering whats next.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2005
The author has done a great job.He has written two other books of a similar nature, one more recently in 2005. I can best summarize this one with a quote from the Section entitled 'Knowledge in Depth': "The second potentially serious aspect of this work is just to drop a gentle hint that there might be too much research going on, and much of that is taken far too seriously. I have nothing but admiration for dedicated researchers ,and I have no wish to criticize their work as useless. No doubt great value has come out of apparently inconsequential research. But it must be admitted that a great deal of space on shelves is occupied by dissertations and theses which add very little to worthwhile knowledge. A post-graduate project may be excellent training in the methodology of research, but thereafter, destined to be read by an average 1.6 people, can seem little more than a waste of paper."
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