|
 (4.5 / 5.0) Guinness World Records 2010 continues to build on the intriguing, informative, inspiring and instructional records and superlatives that have made Guinness World Records one of the most famous brands and an annual best-seller around the world. Over 100 million copies have sold since the first edition was published in 1955. Nearly 4 million copies are sold every year in more than 100 countries and in 25 languages.
What's new in GWR10?... - Free downloadable content, including videos, photographs, screensavers and interviews - 100% new photographs and fully updated records - Brilliant new "steampunk" graphic novel design - New sections and record threads celebrating the first decade of the 21st century - Top 50 Records of the Decade - Record of the Day - one for every day of the year - Unbreakable Records (those that will seemingly never be broken) - Lasts (records such as the last living survivor of the Titanic disaster, or the last known dodo) - The Name's Bond (celebrating the James Bond phenomenon) - Culture Shock (unusual rituals and festivals around the globe) - Gold (the commodity that never loses its luster) - Updated gazetteer sections covering records in all major regions of the world - Fully updated regular sections, including Space, Planet Earth, The Animal Planet, The Body, Human Achievements, Engineering and Technology, The Modern World, Arts and the Media and, of course, Sports. 
|
$16.90 |
|
|
 (5.0 / 5.0) Get answers to virtually any question with this impressive compendium of information. The World Almanac and Book of Facts is America's top-selling reference book of all time, with more than 80 million copies sold. Published annually since 1868, this compendium of information is the source for all your entertainment, reference, and learning needs. Labeled a "treasure trove of political, economic, scientific and educational statistics and information" by the Wall Street Journal, the almanac contains thousands of facts that are unavailable publicly elsewhere, making it a must-have for students, teachers, and anyone with a thirst for knowledge-in fact, it has been featured as a category on Jeopardy and is routinely used as a go-to general study guide for aspiring game show contestants. Coming soon in a 2010 edition and boasting full-color and black-and-white photographs, The World Almanac and Book of Facts will answer all your trivia questions-spanning a wide range of categories, including history, sports, geography, pop culture, and much more. Notable features include: 2009 Time Capsule, The Bush Legacy, Swine Flu Coverage, Decade in Review U.S. Colleges and Universities Population Statistics for Cities over 10,000 People ,The World at a Glance, Offbeat News Stories, World Series Results, Year in Pictures.
|
$7.85 |
|
|
 (3.5 / 5.0) The Visual Miscellaneum is a unique, groundbreaking look at the modern information age, helping readers make sense of the countless statistics and random facts that constantly bombard us. Using cutting edge graphs, charts, and illustrations, David McCandless creatively visualizes the world's surprising relationships and compelling data, covering everything from the most pleasurable guilty pleasures to how long it takes different condiments to spoil to world maps of Internet search terms.
|
$16.86 |
|
|
(5.0 / 5.0) It Can't Be . . . Can It? A real-life Transformer? A glow-in-the-dark tattoo? And tiny parasites living on your eyelashes? It's all weird, and it's all inside--Believe It or Not!
|
$6.49 |
|
|
(5.0 / 5.0) The all-new 22nd edition in the ever-absorbing Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader series is sure to satisfy readers with more than 500 pages of humor, history, science, pop culture, and more. Flush with facts, the book is divided into short, medium, and long sections, making it ideal for brief visits or extended stays. History junkies can get their fix with the stories of the world’s first detective (he was a criminal turned cop), the great social experiments of the 20th century—Prohibition and the New Deal—and the Lost Cloud People of Peru. And cooks can astound their friends and frighten their families with hillbilly recipes like Doctored Back-of-Pig, ’Nebriated Catfish, and Scorched Yellerbelly. Covering everything from super trains and water wars to 3-D television and the history of surfing, Uncle John’s Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader is sure to make every visit to the throne room more memorable.
|
$11.88 |
|
|
(4.5 / 5.0) New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon has captured the hearts of millions with her critically acclaimed novels, Outlander. Dragonfly In Amber, Voyager, and Drums Of Autumn. From the moment Claire Randall accidentally steps through a magical stone that transports her back in time more than 200 years to 1743, and into the arms of Scottish soldier Jamie Fraser, readers have been enthralled with this epic saga of time travel, adventure, and love everlasting.
Now Diana Gabaldon has written the ultimate companion guide to her bestselling series, the book only she could write - a beautifully illustrated compendium of all things Outlandish. As a special bonus for those who are eagerly awaiting the next appearance of Jamie and Claire, she includes never - before - published excerpts from upcoming works in the series. And there's lots more in this lavish keepsake volume for the many devoted fans who yearn to learn the stories behind the stories: Full synopses of Oulander, Dragonfly In Amber, Voyager, and Drums Of Autumn A complete listing of the characters in all four novels, including extensively researched family trees and genealogical notes Professionally cast horoscopes for Jamie and Claire A comprehensive glossary and pronunciation guide to Gaelic terms and usage The fully explicated Gabaldon Theory of Time Travel Frequently asked questions to the author and her (sometimes surprising) answers An annotated bibliography Tips, personal stories - even a recipe or two Essays about medicine and magic in the eighteenth century, researching historical fiction, and more With the insight, humor, and eye for detail that has made her novels such an outstanding success story. Diana Gabaldon here gives her readers the best gift of all - The Outlandish Companion
|
$16.45 |
|
|
 (4.0 / 5.0) Think Magellan was the first man to circumnavigate the globe, baseball was invented in America, Henry VIII had six wives, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain? Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong again.
Misconceptions, misunderstandings, and flawed facts finally get the heave-ho in this humorous, downright humiliating book of reeducation based on the phenomenal British bestseller. Challenging what most of us assume to be verifiable truths in areas like history, literature, science, nature, and more, The Book of General Ignorance is a witty “gotcha” compendium of how little we actually know about anything. It’ll have you scratching your head wondering why we even bother to go to school. Revealing the truth behind all the things we think we know but don’t, this book leaves you dumbfounded about all the misinformation you’ve managed to collect during your life, and sets you up to win big should you ever be a contestant on Jeopardy! or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Besides righting the record on common (but wrong) myths like Captain Cook discovering Australia or Alexander Graham Bell inventing the telephone, The Book of General Ignorance also gives us the skinny on silly slipups to trot out at dinner parties (Cinderella wore fur, not glass, slippers and chicken tikka masala was invented in Scotland, not India). Thomas Edison said that we know less than one millionth of one percent about anything: this book makes us wonder if we know even that much. You’ll be surprised at how much you don’t know! Check out THE BOOK OF GENERAL IGNORANCE for more fun entries and complete answers to the following: How long can a chicken live without its head? About two years. What do chameleons do? They don’t change color to match the background. Never have; never will. Complete myth. Utter fabrication. Total Lie. They change color as a result of different emotional states. Who invented champagne? Not the French. How many legs does a centipede have? Not a hundred. How many toes has a two-toed sloth? It’s either six or eight. How many penises does a European earwig have? a)Fourteen b)None at all c)Two (one for special occasions) d)Mind your own business Which animals are the best-endowed of all? Barnacles. These unassuming modest beasts have the longest penis relative to their size of any creature. They can be seven times longer than their body. What is a rhino’s horn made from? A rhinoceros horn is not, as some people think, made out of hair. Who was the first American president? Peyton Randolph. What were George Washington’s false teeth made from? Mostly hippopotamus. What was James Bond’s favorite drink? Not the vodka martini.
|
$9.92 |
|
|
(4.0 / 5.0) When it was originally published in 1987, An Incomplete Education became a surprise bestseller. Now this instant classic has been completely updated, outfitted with a whole new arsenal of indispensable knowledge on global affairs, popular culture, economic trends, scientific principles, and modern arts. Here’s your chance to brush up on all those subjects you slept through in school, reacquaint yourself with all the facts you once knew (then promptly forgot), catch up on major developments in the world today, and become the Renaissance man or woman you always knew you could be!
How do you tell the Balkans from the Caucasus? What’s the difference between fission and fusion? Whigs and Tories? Shiites and Sunnis? Deduction and induction? Why aren’t all Shakespearean comedies necessarily thigh-slappers? What are transcendental numbers and what are they good for? What really happened in Plato’s cave? Is postmodernism dead or just having a bad hair day? And for extra credit, when should you use the adjective continual and when should you use continuous? An Incomplete Education answers these and thousands of other questions with incomparable wit, style, and clarity. American Studies, Art History, Economics, Film, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Science, and World History: Here’s the bottom line on each of these major disciplines, distilled to its essence and served up with consummate flair. In this revised edition you’ll find a vitally expanded treatment of international issues, reflecting the seismic geopolitical upheavals of the past decade, from economic free-fall in South America to Central Africa’s world war, and from violent radicalization in the Muslim world to the crucial trade agreements that are defining globalization for the twenty-first century. And don’t forget to read the section A Nervous American’s Guide to Living and Loving on Five Continents before you answer a personal ad in the International Herald Tribune. As delightful as it is illuminating, An Incomplete Education packs ten thousand years of culture into a single superbly readable volume. This is a book to celebrate, to share, to give and receive, to pore over and browse through, and to return to again and again.
|
$19.00 |
|
|
(4.5 / 5.0) New for 2009—The World Almanac and Book of Facts includes the most comprehensive 2008 U.S. election results, tallied through November 7th, and World Series statistics. Every family needs this New York Times best-selling reference book.
The World Almanac is the #1 best-selling American reference book of all time. It is the source for essential and authoritative facts for entertainment, reference and learning. The book contains thousands of facts and statistics that aren’t publicly available which are sourced and double-checked by the staff of World Almanac experts. The 2008 Edition spent 12 weeks on the NYT Bestseller list reaching #2; 10 weeks on the USA Today Bestseller List reaching #51; and 9 weeks on the Book Sense List reaching a high of #11.
Features in The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2009: · The World at a Glance: The most fascinating facts of the past year in science, economics, sports, arts and media, and more · Election 2008 Coverage and Results: Twenty-four pages dedicated to the complete coverage of key issues, pivotal primaries, memorable moments, and election results from the presidential campaign. · Beijing Olympics Recap: faces, Places and records from the Summer 2008 games. · World Series: For the first time in 5 years, the World Almanac will contain facts covering the World Series. · Year in Pictures: 16 page color photo section of the top stories of 2008, as well as 16 pages of world maps and flags and easy-to-use side abs. · Plus thousands of facts and statistics that aren’t publicly available; sourced and double-checked by our full-time editorial staff who are reference experts by category · Downloadable World Almanac Trivia Quiz Night Kit: All that you need to host a quiz night in your local pub, bookstore, or classroom. Our editors provide over 150 questions and answers - all derived from The World Almanac 2009. Have fun, fundraise, or draw a crowd with this turn-key party kit!
World Almanac Online: www.WorldAlmanac.com 2009 will feature the third year of Bonus Content Online, extended reading to the printed edition for the same combined price of $12.99. This year will feature the Election Results from 2008, plus lots more free information available year-round at worldalmanac.com: historical presidential information, health news and features, and early access to WA09 info.
Once online, look for The World Almanac Blog, launched in 2006 and every weekday featuring · New original entries, including provocative postings such as Unbreakable Sports Records; fascinating scientific and historical trivia; and new links to online tools and archives for almanac fans · This Day in History, Notable Birthdays and unusual anniversaries such as when Nixon met Elvis Presley in the Oval Office (1970) · More useful links and tags to essential reads
|
$3.25 |
|
|
(4.5 / 5.0) History isn't always made by great armies colliding or by great civilizations rising or falling. Sometimes it's made when a chauffeur takes a wrong turn, a scientist forgets to clean up his lab, or a drunken soldier gets a bit rowdy. That's the kind of history you'll find in The Greatest Stories Never Told. This is history candy -- the good stuff. Here are 100 tales to astonish, bewilder, and stupefy: more than two thousand years of history filled with courage, cowardice, hope, triumph, sex, intrigue, folly, humor, and ambition. It's a historical delight and a visual feast with hundreds of photographs, drawings, and maps that bring each story to life. A new discovery waits on every page: stories that changed the course of history and stories that affected what you had for breakfast this morning. Consider:
Based on the popular Timelab 2000® history minutes hosted by Sam Waterston on The History Channel®, this collection of fascinating historical tidbits will have you shaking your head in wonder and disbelief. But they're all true. And you'll soon find yourself telling them to your friends.
|
$8.75 |