PublishedFaber & Faber, October 2018 |
ISBN9780571348961 |
FormatHardcover, 576 pages |
Dimensions17.8cm × 11.1cm × 4cm |
The mind-boggling, sock-popping, rib-tickling phenomenon that is QI have outdone themselves with this especially huge collection of facts, including:
Humans glow in the dark.
'Clinomania' is the overwhelming desire to stay in bed.
In 17th Century Japan people warmed their feet by putting chilli peppers in their socks.
Mrs Beeton published a recipe for a toast sandwich.
Wheat has over five times as much DNA as humans.
Less than 5% of the world's population lives in a genuine democracy.
The word 'school' comes from a Greek word meaning 'free time'.
Ten out of the 12 water companies in the UK still make use of divining rods.
Coral can drown.
Bill is one of the founders of Boffins and has been involved in selecting the books we stock since our beginning in 1989. His favourite reading is history, with psychology, current affairs, and business books coming close behind. His hobbies are reading, food, reading, drinking, reading, and sleeping.
This 550 page hardcover compendium of facts from the QI team is the 7th, the largest, and the last in their series of QI Facts books. They always sell well at Boffins, which you’d expect, as most of our customers have an insatiable thirst for knowledge – even the random and sometimes trivial knowledge you get from the quirky QI people: Ego – Barbara Cartland insisted on including the title of every one of her 723 novels in her Who’s Who entry. Retail Extreme – Harrods used to sell pet leopards. Who’d have thought – Lenin spoke English with an Irish accent. Smart birds – crows can count up to six. Now if you’re a doubting Thomas, the book gives you links online to check all of the facts – and there you’ll see the source of the fact and heaps of background information. So the pedantic reader will be kept busy for weeks!
