Mental Floss Presents Condensed Knowledge: A Deliciously Irreverent Guide to Feeling Smart Again

I love this book. From Physics to Art History to Literature, what's most impressive about Condensed Knowledge is that it's actually fun to read. It's a great mix of introductory information about various topics and hilarious anecdotes about historical figures. Just the headlines are worth the price of admission: Countries That Made Atlas Shrug; Religious Mysteries Solved by Chemistry; etc. As another reviewer said, this is the rare reference book that you can actually _read_ without your eyes glazing over. If, like me, you're never going to pull an A. J. Jacobs and read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, Condensed Knowledge is a fun way to feel (and get!) smarter.

As a loyal subscriber to mental_floss magazine, I was among the first in line to purchase Condensed Knowledge (published by the peeps at MF). As I began reading the book, it was evident that the scrumptious tidbits of useful information similar to those found in each issue of mental_floss flowed seamlessly into book form. Condensed Knowledge is the metaphorical mountain of interesting facts and trivia that you never learned in school (or you have forgotten since then). It covers all the bases -- geography, physics, music, pop culture, religion, etc. -- and does it with short, humorous reads that won't make you go cross-eyed. My friends and I all own the book and get together every Wednesday night for poker, drinks, and discussion of previously assigned chapters of the book -- sort of like a gambling book club. Next on the agenda: Six of the most incomprehensible pop music lyrics in history dissected and explained by our friends at Mental Floss. I recommend the book AND the magazine. They are both outstanding.

This book is such a fun read, even those who don't crave random trivia can enjoy it! It has so much information, and yet is so organized that you can actually find the information! While I don't subscribe to this magazine, reading this book will make anybody consider getting a subscription. All in all, there is really nothing but positive things I can say about this book. Several reviewers have criticized some of the ways information is presented in this book for the sake of political correctness, as well as some of the opinions about works discussed. I think all the reviewers of this book make valid points. Everybody knows what AD and BC mean, there's really no reason at this point to reinvent the wheel. The section on Art included a few prickly elements for me. I personally was annoyed by some of the superlatives used to describe many of the artists. The section on seeming like you know what you're talking about at an art exhibit is so funny, however, that it totally makes up for it. :) In all fairness, art is one of the hardest things to write about clearly since it's so personal for whoever is viewing it. Look up the artists listed so that you can see some of the pictures yourself and make up your own mind! Those small picadillos aside, there's sooo much to enjoy here that the good far outweighs the bad. The sections are well organized, and the authors do a great job of bringing historical figures to life with great stories. Many trivia books can be read for about an hour at a time. This is a trivia book that can be read for hours on end and still not make you feel overloaded. The bite-size bits of info are easy for anybody to swallow! All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this book. If it were possible to give it 6 stars I would! Buy it, Read it, ENJOY IT!

mental_floss is one of those ideas we all wish we'd come up with. It just makes sense. We all want to learn a little of everything but are so darn busy and don't exactly have the time to read every textbook out there. Now, here's a way to learn a little biology, economics, philosophy, history, etc...and in a really witty format. The fact that you can learn science while reading something as fun as "4 Excuses to Get a Prescription for Chocolate" or "9 Laws of Physics that Don't Apply in Hollywood" is great! And I really wish my high school history class had been as fun as the history chapter in Condensed Knowledge. This book is hilarious, but really informative too.