Mental Floss: The Curious Reader

Mental Floss: The Curious Reader
Author: Erin McCarthy
Publisher: Weldon Owen International
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2021-05-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1681888076

"With sumptuous, visually stimulating spreads, this book delivers on its promise– to unearth strange stories, bizarre facts, or unexpected details about the books on our shelves. Good for curious readers, whether they want to delve into authors and books they love, feel competent faking knowledge about books everyone else seems to have read, or just dip into and out of literary worlds" – Library Journal Readers rejoice! From Mental Floss, an online destination for more than a billion curious minds since its founding in 2001, comes the ultimate book for lovers of literature. From Americanah to War and Peace, from Chinua Achebe and Jane Austen to Jesmyn Ward and George R.R. Martin, learn surprising facts about the world’s most famous novels and novelists. The Curious Reader will delight bookworms everywhere. This literary compendium from Mental Floss reveals fascinating facts about the world’s most famous authors and their literary works. Readers will learn about George Orwell’s near-death experience during the writing of 1984; meet the real man who may have inspired Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy; discover which famous author kept her husband’s heart after he passed away; and learn about the influence of psychedelics on Dune. The Curious Reader also contains the most-loved book-related articles from 20 years of Mental Floss, including “Cat-Loving Writers,” “Famous Authors’ Unfinished Manuscripts,” “Literary Characters Based on Real People,” and “Books You Didn’t Know Were Self-Published.” This literary miscellany is certain to inspire book lovers, aspiring writers, students, and teachers alike to discover a diverse selection of curated literary works—leading to an expansion of their library!

Mental Floss: The Curious Movie Buff

Mental Floss: The Curious Movie Buff
Author: Jennifer M. Wood
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2022-11
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 168188884X

Movie lovers rejoice! Learn amazing facts and behind-the-scenes stories about the making of some of the best-loved films of the past 50 years. Cinephiles rejoice! From Mental Floss, an online destination for more than a billion curious minds since its founding in 2001, comes the ultimate book for movie lovers. The Curious Movie Buff is filled with fascinating facts and behind-the-scenes insights about the making of your favorite movies from the last 50 years. Every film fan will find something to love, with the team at Mental Floss profiling more than 60 films of the past half-century, from well-known blockbusters to critical favorites and cult classics. The highlighted titles span across various decades and genres and include iconic franchises like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, Oscar-winning classics like The Godfather and Titanic, rip-roaring comedies from Blazing Saddles and The Big Lebowski, indie hits like Reservoir Dogs and Paranormal Activity, and superhero favorites such as Superman and The Dark Knight. Throughout are quirky sidebars from the Mental Floss archives, such “Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie Locations You Can Visit IRL,” “Remakes That Are Better than the Original Movie,” The 25 Best Movie Endings of All Time,” “Summer ‘Blockbusters’ That Completely Tanked at the Box Office,” and “The Best Movie Trailers Ever.” TRIVIA ABOUT MORE THAN 60 MOVIES: Get the inside scoop, fascinating facts, and behind-the-scenes trivia on the greatest movies from the past 50 years, from serious dramas such as The Godfather to seriously funny comedies like The Big Lebowski FASCINATING AND INFORMATIVE LISTS: Learn about movie locations you can visit, what movies have the best endings, and which movies scraped the bottom of the barrel with Mental Floss’s info-packed lists SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: Whether you’re in the mood for a classic, jonesing for a good Western, wondering what sci-fi films you’ve missed, or just want to discover a new movie, the team at Mental Floss will steer you in the right direction THE PERFECT GIFT FOR MOVIE FANS: Mental Floss: The Curious Movie Buff is the ideal gift for the film enthusiasts in your life

The Book

The Book
Author: Ethan Trex
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 440
Release: 2011-11-01
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 0062069314

For ten years, the knowledge seekers at mental_floss have been hunting and trapping the world’s rarest facts, locking them into captivating lists for the world to admire. Thanks to their tireless efforts, Mental Floss: The Book is packed with a decade’s worth of the smartest, quirkiest stories around, including: Five Presidential Fashion Flubs Seven Shameless Abuses of Diplomatic Immunity Five Units of Measurement Weirder Than the Metric System Four Toys That Have Gone to War for America Seven Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever Five Things Your Body Can Do After You Die Six of Baseball’s Strangest Trades Four Foods People Actually Die For Seven Things Walmart Has Banned Four TV Shows That Changed the Course of History Ten “Q” Words That Aren’t “Q-U” Words Four Horrifying Parasites to Keep You Awake at Night Eight Fake Archaeological Finds Five Articles of Clothing That Caused Riots Four Memorable Moments in Cross-Dressing History Five Doomsdays We’ve Already Survived And 124 Other Extraordinary Lists!

The Mental Floss History of the World

The Mental Floss History of the World
Author: Erik Sass
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2008-10-28
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 0060784776

History is . . . (a) more or less bunk. (b) a nightmare from which I am trying to awaken. (c) as thoroughly infected with lies as a street whore with syphilis. Match your answers: (1) Stephen Daedalus of James Joyce's Ulysses (2) Henry Ford (3) Arthur Schopenhauer It turns out that answer need not be bunk, nightmarish, or diseased. In the hands of mental_floss, history's most interesting bits have been handpicked and roasted to perfection. Packed with little-known stories and outrageous—but accurate—facts, you'll laugh yourself smarter on this joyride through 60,000 years of human civilization. Remember: just because it's true, doesn't mean it's boring!

Gallimaufry

Gallimaufry
Author: Joseph Epstein
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2020
Genre:
ISBN: 9781604191295

Who is the greatest living essayist writing in English? Joseph Epstein would surely be at the top of anybody's list. Epstein is penetrating. He is witty. He has a magic touch with words, that hard to define but immediately recognizable quality called style. Above all, he is impossible to put down. Joseph Epstein's Gallimaufry: A Collection of Essays, Reviews, Bits is the fifth such volume from Axios Press and contains 58 essays. Subjects range from domestic life to current social trends to an appraisal of "contemporary nuttiness." It follows the much-acclaimed Essays in Biography, 2012; A Literary Education and Other Essays, 2014; Wind Sprints: Shorter Essays, 2016; and The Ideal of Culture: Essays, 2018.After reading Epstein, we see life with a fresh eye. We also see ourselves a little more clearly. This is what Plutarch intended: life teaching by example, but with a wry smile and such a sure hand that we hardly notice the instruction. It is just pure pleasure.

mental floss presents Instant Knowledge

mental floss presents Instant Knowledge
Author: Editors of Mental Floss
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2009-10-13
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 0061747661

Mental_floss is proud to present a full-bodied jolt of inspiration for thirsty minds on the go. Blended with titillating facts, startling revelations, and head-scratching theories collected from around the world, Instant Knowledge will jumpstart riveting exchanges at cocktail parties, the watercooler, or any powwow. To experience the clean, rich flavor at home, just tear into a topic of your choice, and add conversation. It's that simple!

The Movie Book

The Movie Book
Author: DK
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 781
Release: 2016-01-05
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1465450629

Learn about the visual and performing arts in The Movie Book. Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Movies in this overview guide to the subject, great for beginners looking to learn and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Movie Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Movies, with: - More than 100 of the best movies ever made worldwide - Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts - A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout - Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding The Movie Book is the perfect introduction to the rich history of cinema like never before - from the golden age of black-and-white films to international art-house and 21st-century sci-fi, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you’ll discover more than 100 of the best movies ever made, uncovering the key themes and big ideas behind the world's most celebrated cinematic gems. Your Movie Questions, Simply Explained This book brings cinema to life with iconic quotes and film stills, posters, biographies of directors, actors, and actresses, along with narrative timelines and infographics exploring key themes. If you thought it was difficult to learn about the best cinematic masterpieces, The Movie Book presents key information in an easy to follow layout. Learn everything about your favorite movies, as well as celebrated classics and the films to watch before you die, through iconic quotes and stills, posters, biographies, memorabilia and narrative timelines, through fantastic mind maps and step-by-step summaries. The Big Ideas Series With millions of copies sold worldwide, The Movie Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.

The Disappearing Spoon

The Disappearing Spoon
Author: Sam Kean
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 333
Release: 2010-07-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0316089087

From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes incredible stories of science, history, finance, mythology, the arts, medicine, and more, as told by the Periodic Table. Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why is gallium (Ga, 31) the go-to element for laboratory pranksters? The Periodic Table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, betrayal, and obsession. These fascinating tales follow every element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, and in the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. The Disappearing Spoon masterfully fuses science with the classic lore of invention, investigation, and discovery -- from the Big Bang through the end of time. Though solid at room temperature, gallium is a moldable metal that melts at 84 degrees Fahrenheit. A classic science prank is to mold gallium spoons, serve them with tea, and watch guests recoil as their utensils disappear.

1,000 Books to Read Before You Die

1,000 Books to Read Before You Die
Author: James Mustich
Publisher: Workman Publishing
Total Pages: 961
Release: 2018-10-02
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 1523504455

“The ultimate literary bucket list.” —THE WASHINGTON POST Celebrate the pleasure of reading and the thrill of discovering new titles in an extraordinary book that’s as compulsively readable, entertaining, surprising, and enlightening as the 1,000-plus titles it recommends. Covering fiction, poetry, science and science fiction, memoir, travel writing, biography, children’s books, history, and more, 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die ranges across cultures and through time to offer an eclectic collection of works that each deserve to come with the recommendation, You have to read this. But it’s not a proscriptive list of the “great works”—rather, it’s a celebration of the glorious mosaic that is our literary heritage. Flip it open to any page and be transfixed by a fresh take on a very favorite book. Or come across a title you always meant to read and never got around to. Or, like browsing in the best kind of bookshop, stumble on a completely unknown author and work, and feel that tingle of discovery. There are classics, of course, and unexpected treasures, too. Lists to help pick and choose, like Offbeat Escapes, or A Long Climb, but What a View. And its alphabetical arrangement by author assures that surprises await on almost every turn of the page, with Cormac McCarthy and The Road next to Robert McCloskey and Make Way for Ducklings, Alice Walker next to Izaac Walton. There are nuts and bolts, too—best editions to read, other books by the author, “if you like this, you’ll like that” recommendations , and an interesting endnote of adaptations where appropriate. Add it all up, and in fact there are more than six thousand titles by nearly four thousand authors mentioned—a life-changing list for a lifetime of reading. “948 pages later, you still want more!” —THE WASHINGTON POST

501 Must-Visit Destinations

501 Must-Visit Destinations
Author: D Brown
Publisher: Pyramid
Total Pages: 1034
Release: 2007-10-15
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 0753722143

A reference guide to those must-see places all over the globe. The book covers 501 must-visit destinations, ranging from remote hideaways and tropical islands to bustling cities, breathtaking monuments and stunning landscapes across the world. Stunning photography sits alongside informative text and a summary of don't-miss features of each site.