Synopses & Reviews
A celebration of dimwits, lunkheads, bad ideas and just plain wrongheaded foolishness. In every field of human endeavor, there are people, things, and ideas that rank among the best mankind has ever produced. This book isn't about any of that stuff. If there's one thing human history teaches us, over and over and over again, it's this: Never underestimate the power of human stupidity. Time and again, the human capacity to do really dumb things pops up in surprising and sometimes unusually inventive ways, and almost always catches those who do the dumb things by surprise. From crashed Mars landers to vegetable-flavored Jell-O to land wars during bitterly cold Russian winters, The Book of the Dumb chronicles some of the biggest moments in human folly in every field of human endeavor. Author John Scalzi (a frequent contributor to the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader series) takes the reader through the whole of recorded history, looking for the best examples of the worst ideas, regrettable utterances, and crackpot theories in the fields of arts, science, politics, sports, entertainment, and more.
Synopsis
If there's one thing history teaches, again and again, it's this: Never underestimate the power of human stupidity."
Synopsis
If there’s one thing history teaches, again and again, it’s this: Never underestimate the power of human stupidity. The Book of the Dumb chronicles some of the biggest and funniest moments of folly in every field of human endeavor. From idiotic utterances to dumb decisions like vegetable-flavored Jell-O or land wars during bitterly cold Russian winters, it’s all here in a format perfect for samplings or extended reads. Chapters include the Dumbest Fad of the 20th Century (pole-sitting), the Dumbest Dead-End Technology Ever (the much-maligned 8-track tape), and the Dumbest Baseball Trade (Red Sox trade Babe Ruth). This latest addition to the best-selling series also offers stupid quotes, crackpot theories, and more in a celebration of all things stupid.
Synopsis
In every field of human endeavor, there are people, things, and ideas that rank among the best mankind has ever producedthe
Book of the Dumb isn't about any of that. This volume from
Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader teaches us one valuable lesson: Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.
Since 1987, the Bathroom Readers Institute has led the movement to stand up for those who sit down and read in the bathroom (and everywhere else for that matter). With more than 11 million books in print, the Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader series is the longest-running, most popular series of its kind in the world. Where else would you find so many examples of the worst ideas, most regrettable utterances, and biggest crackpot theories in the fields of art, science, politics, sports, entertainment, and more? Uncle John rules the world of humor and all things ridiculous, so get ready to be thoroughly entertained. Read all about
Crashes
on Mars
Vegetable-flavored Jell-O
Land wars fought during the winter
in Russia
And much more!
About the Author
A frequent contributor to the Bathroom Reader series, John Scalzi's other books include The Rough Guide to Money Online and the Rough Guide to the Universe. He lives in Bradford, OH.