Books about Factoids from Amazon.com

For lovers of Schott’s Original Miscellany, Jeopardy, and The Book of Lists

Trivia lovers rejoice—Vital Statistics has arrived Part reference work, part compulsive bathroom read, this compendium of humorous, fascinating, quirky, and insightful tidbits offers knowledge on everything from sports and fashion to literature and architecture and everything in-between.

Organized by subject, Vital Statistics helps readers learn the answers to such pressing questions as:

What did Charles Lindbergh eat on his transatlantic flight?
How did a goat lay a curse on the Chicago Cubs?
Which color do race car drivers consider unlucky?
What are the dimensions of the average fashion model?
How many lawyers in America are named “Crook”?

Packed with an enormous array of factoids, minutiae, and random bits of wisdom, Vital Statistics is perfect for both knowledge hounds and pop culture fiends alike. From the cost of the first pair of Levi’s to the name and release date of the first color movie, rest assured, Vital Statistics has the answers..
Price: $1.16 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Is the conspiracy bug getting to you, too? If not, it soon will, especially after you check out The Big Book of the Unexplained, the companion book to The Big Book of Conspiracies Self-proclaimed conspiracy nut Doug Moench is joined by a variety of comics artists such as Joe Sacco, J. H. Williams, Paul Gulacy, Brent Anderson, Russ Heath, and Gahan Wilson to present new tales of strange phenomena, bizarre happenings, and mysterious goings-on. And if you're bummed out about the Loch Ness monster hoax, get ready for the new "could-be" monster: La Chupacabra. Haven't heard of this creature? Then go ahead, buy this book..
Price: $7.80 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Back when irony was just a literary device and people wore bell-bottoms for their own sake, Western civilization reached its zenith and nadir simultaneously Jonathan Vankin's Big Book of the '70s looks in surprising depth at the trends and the notable figures of that decade, using illustrations from dozens of excellent comics artists like Shary Flenniken and Terry Laban. Richard Nixon, Jane Fonda, Burt Reynolds, and Jimmy Carter all get the Big Book treatment in a delicious combination of behind-the-scenes peeks and easily digested history lessons. Fads and phenomena like disco, running, and the rise of the women's movement are also explained and, in some cases, followed up through modern times. The writing is clear and snappy, the illustration is consistently well-done, and the topics chosen are a thorough, comprehensive mix of lightweight (pet rocks) and serious (Vietnam). --Rob Lightner.
Price: $7.94 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In the past, I would roll my rapidly glazing eyes whenever I heard some formerly sensible person carrying the cudgels of conspiracy theories: you know the rants: the Trilateral Commission, CIA, FBI, Masons, and Secret Societies are all out to run the world and silence truth seekers with intimidation, death--or plankton up the nostrils--and it seems the body formerly inhabited by a friend is ready to board a ship to the moon. But then I came across this book, and I was stunned at the volume of detail and even facts that have been amassed by the obsessive believers in these seemingly wacko conspiracy theories. The most disturbing fact is that people investigating conspiracy theories seem to have the highest death rate of any profession -- other than shark dentists.

The editors adopt a sensible attitude: they do not claim that any interpretations in the book are necessarily true, but rather that these are truly things that conspiracy theorists have proposed. Note that this is a comic book of 39 tellings of almost as many conspiracy theories, but the comic-book medium in fact works very well. Recommended, unless some gruff voice calls me late at night and tells me to change my mind.... (Pssst: from the same people who brought you another Amazon.com Books favorite, The Big Book of Weirdos). --Jonathan Kochmer.
Price: $176.78 [Notify me when price goes down.]