All Facts Considered: The Essential Library Of Inessential Knowledge (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
I love to learn! And I learned some interesting things: - Thousand Island salad dressing is actually named for a thousand islands - more precisely, the 1,864 islands in the St. Lawrence River between the United States and Canada. - Saltimbocca: jump into the mouth Linguini: little tongues Arrabbiata: angry style Tiramisu: lift me up Orecchiette: little ears Puttanesca: in the style of a prostitute Vermicelli: little worms Strozzapreti: strangled or choking priest - Within Christianity, for example, the doctrines of the Trinity (God in three persons) and of the nature of Jesus (both human and divine) seem to contradict the single God concept. - Originally, deadline's meaning was even more literal. It was a term used in POW camps in the Civil War. A Confederate officer described one in 1864: "A railing round the inside of the stockade, and about 20 feet from it, constitutes the "dead line," beyond which the prisoners are not allowed to pass," or they could expect to be shot by the guards." - SIN AND VIRTUE Humility opposes pride. Generosity opposes covetousness. Chastity opposes lust. Meekness opposes anger. Temperance opposes gluttony. Brotherly love opposes envy. Diligence opposes sloth. - A curse on people who steal books: German: 1172: If anyone take away this book, let him die the death; let him be fried in a pan; let the falling sickness and fever seize him; let him be broken on the wheel, and hanged. - Coyotes (canis latrans) are wild dogs, so they can breed with domestic dogs, producing either a coydog (male coyote x female dog) or a dogote (male dog x female coyote). Such hybrids are rare, especially since the wild coyote population is declining. - Watermelons are fruits, but also vegetables belonging to the gourd family.And a lot more!However, there WERE a lot of facts in here that I just didn't have any interest in. Also, the book is very random and not organized very well. I love fiction will all my heart, I really do, but at the end of the day I believe the best stories lie in history. That being said, I like to know things others don't really care about. How many children did our 10th president John Tyler have? 15. Richest man on the Titantic? John Jacob Astor IV. When was the modern bikini first introduced? Post WWII. Now you can see my curse. That being said, any book titled The Essential Library of Inessential Knowledge is going to grab my attention. This was a pretty interesting collection of facts overall. While I do prefer history and the arts, some of the geography and science facts interested me. It is clear that the author is very comfortable with doing research (which I am sure was very extensive for this book). It is more of a book to be skimmed than read, but still enjoyable nonetheless.
What do You think about All Facts Considered: The Essential Library Of Inessential Knowledge (2010)?
I love books filled with trivia and related facts.
—biancagaban
