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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 031
EAN: 9780743250627
ISBN: 0743250621
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: October 04, 2005
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Studio: Simon & Schuster

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
33,000 PAGES

44 MILLION WORDS

10 BILLION YEARS OF HISTORY

1 OBSESSED MAN

Part memoir and part education (or lack thereof), The Know-It-All chronicles NPR contributor A.J. Jacobs's hilarious, enlightening, and seemingly impossible quest to read the Encyclopaedia Britannica from A to Z.

To fill the ever-widening gaps in his Ivy League education, A.J. Jacobs sets for himself the daunting task of reading all thirty-two volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His wife, Julie, tells him it's a waste of time, his friends believe he is losing his mind, and his father, a brilliant attorney who had once attempted the same feat and quit somewhere around Borneo, is encouraging but unconvinced.

With self-deprecating wit and a disarming frankness, The Know-It-All recounts the unexpected and comically disruptive effects Operation Encyclopedia has on every part of Jacobs's life -- from his newly minted marriage to his complicated relationship with his father and the rest of his charmingly eccentric New York family to his day job as an editor at Esquire. Jacobs's project tests the outer limits of his stamina and forces him to explore the real meaning of intelligence as he endeavors to join Mensa, win a spot on Jeopardy!, and absorb 33,000 pages of learning. On his journey he stumbles upon some of the strangest, funniest, and most profound facts about every topic under the sun, all while battling fatigue, ridicule, and the paralyzing fear that attends his first real-life responsibility -- the impending birth of his first child.

The Know-It-All is an ingenious, mightily entertaining memoir of one man's intellect, neuroses, and obsessions, and a struggle between the all-consuming quest for factual knowledge and the undeniable gift of hard-won wisdom.




Rating: - One Man's Quest to read 44 Million Words
Why read the Encyclopaedia Britannica from A-Z when you can read a much more entertaining version by an author obsessed with knowledge. I loved finding out that abominable snowman's footprints are produced by running bears. Then, why haven't I ever heard of olive oil being used during the building of pyramids? So a few items in this book were enlightening. Who knew that parents actually cause their children to stutter - I figured it was something you were born with. There were a lot of topics that ... Read More

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Rating: - Terrific Thoughts about Goals and the philosophy of lie
So, anyone who has at least thought about reading the encyclopedia straight through, even in a brief moment of craziness, will love this book. Ravenous readers will too. Jacobs' running commentary on his reading of the Encyclopedia Brittannica is at times funny, and at times contemplative, as in profoundly philosophical in simple phrases. Only occasional does he get a little too stare-at-your-own-belly-button in terms of contemplation, and occasionally the pop culture references get a little tiresome ... Read More

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Rating: - Read This Book
Jacobs takes us on this quest to read the entire encyclopedia in great style. Not just a book about trivia, more a memoir of his experiences and little humiliations during his attempt. Well written, always entertaining and quite a few spot left me laughing out loud to myself. These giggles often caused people to stare at me, leaving me having my own 'A. J. Jacobs' moment. Overall, one of those books that left me wishing I had written it.

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Rating: - And now for a fun way to gain some interesting cocktail conversation...
If you're comparing reviews trying to decide if this books for you - here's an easy way to tell: I've noticed a trend in reviews that didn't like this book as much as I. Negative reviewers were expecting a more serious and detailed summary of the complete encyclopedia (something more along the lines of A Short History of Nearly Everything or Encyclopedia Cliff Notes. This book is definitely not that!

While told from A to Z, it is a generally light-hearted memoir of the pursuit of reading the ... Read More

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Rating: - I Will Read and Re-Read This One!
A.J. Jacobs works as the editor at large at Esquire magazine and has carved his personal niche at becoming what he calls "a human guinea pig." I would love to be present during one of his brainstorm sessions ("Maybe I could do this!," "Has anyone ever tried that?"). It might have been after consuming several caffeinated drinks that he thought of the premise for The Know It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World. In short, he decided to read the entire Encylopaedia Britannica ... Read More

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