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

The book is great because it's filled with interesting information that I've been using to pretend I know what I'm talking about. If you're trying to impress a girlfriend, a coworker, or just have some fun, it's the kind of book that will make you say, "Really? No kidding."

I wish I had two more hands so that I could give it four thumbs up.


Lots of knowledge condensed into one book   April 25, 2004
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I'm a mental_floss subscriber, so I ordered this book out of curiosity and because I like the magazine. I was not disappointed! It's divided into easy-to-reference sections such as Geography, Art, and Pop Culture. Personally, ever since high school, when I see a chapter headed "Geography", I usually cringe and quickly turn the page. But with sub-heads like "International Hubs of Prostitution", "Places that Will Never See a Club Med" and "Countries that Make Atlas Shrug", I couldn't help but read the whole thing. The book is written in the same style as the magazine; it's a fun read, and as Bill Cosby used to say "if you're not careful, you might just learn something!"


How do they do it?   April 24, 2004
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

The folks at mental_floss have a fun new book in the same style as their magazine. You will be reading from a chapter on literature, chemistry, art history, pop culture or economics and suddenly, there it is, you can't stop laughing. Where else has learning been this much fun? Fifteen chapters written by experts in their fields and all with that classic mental_floss flavor. Would be a great graduation gift but keep one for yourself.


NEAT! Worth twice the price (but I'm glad it's inexpensive).   April 23, 2004
 22 out of 23 found this review helpful

Best non-fiction book I've seen in years. It's a $25 book for $15 (or $10 from Amazon), chock full of words and not silly black-and-white graphics. It covers almost EVERYTHING... art, music, science, literature, pop culture, philosophy, religion, economics, and more. No political junk, no cosmic overtones, just a bunch of fun, irreverent lists about things you should've learned at some point. I love reference books, and the only thing I love more than reference books are reference books that you can really pick up and READ as opposed to just skimming over. This is a perfect example of that.

I've subscribed to the magazine (mental_floss) for two years now, and it was a long wait for this book to come out. But it was well worth it. The book also offers a $5 discount on a subscription to the magazine (cheaper than the going rate) so it costs even less when you take that into consideration. While mental_floss is bimonthly, this'll help fill the time waiting for the next issue to come.

The last time I paid $15 for something as entertaining and educational as this was in Las Vegas in 1971. Shameful, I know.