Just Curious, Jeeves : What Are The 1001 Most Intriguing Questions Asked on the Internet

Rating:
Summary: There are better fact books on the market
Review: As a kid, I used to read fact books by the dozens. _The Book of Lists_ was a perennial favorite of mine. More recently, the picture of Jeeves on the bookshelf at the local library caught my eye. It claimed to have the answers to the "1001 most intriguing questions asked on the Internet". I took it home and read most of it pretty quickly.

But what a letdown it was. Sure, there are plenty of great questions here, such as "What did Mick Jagger do before singing?" and "Where did the term stool pigeon come from?", but there some mediocre ones as well ("Who invented the electric food mixer?", "Do you have a recipe for sauerkraut cookies?", "When will I die?") I also suspect that many of the questions asked were not really asked online, but were included because the answer is an interesting one. Ex: "I know _The Great Gatsby_, but what's the book _Gadsby_?" (the answer is that it's an entire book written without using the letter 'e'.) I suspect that the authors may have taken liberty to edit the questions themselves to be more interesting.

There are a number of typos in the book. Usually, I wouldn't count this against it, but I feel the book may have been rushed to print, which I fear is an indication to the quality of research for the answers.

Perhaps most insidious of all is the fact that there's no index in the back. Thus, if you remember reading about some fact and want to look it up later on, you're stuck going through the entire chapter associated with your topic. This might be another indication the book was rushed out as well.

Certainly there are many interesting facts contained here, but there are better fact books out there (e.g., David Feldman's _Imponderables_ series.)

Rating:
Summary: There are better fact books on the market
Review: As a kid, I used to read fact books by the dozens. _The Book of Lists_ was a perennial favorite of mine. More recently, the picture of Jeeves on the bookshelf at the local library caught my eye. It claimed to have the answers to the "1001 most intriguing questions asked on the Internet". I took it home and read most of it pretty quickly.

But what a letdown it was. Sure, there are plenty of great questions here, such as "What did Mick Jagger do before singing?" and "Where did the term stool pigeon come from?", but there some mediocre ones as well ("Who invented the electric food mixer?", "Do you have a recipe for sauerkraut cookies?", "When will I die?") I also suspect that many of the questions asked were not really asked online, but were included because the answer is an interesting one. Ex: "I know _The Great Gatsby_, but what's the book _Gadsby_?" (the answer is that it's an entire book written without using the letter 'e'.) I suspect that the authors may have taken liberty to edit the questions themselves to be more interesting.

There are a number of typos in the book. Usually, I wouldn't count this against it, but I feel the book may have been rushed to print, which I fear is an indication to the quality of research for the answers.

Perhaps most insidious of all is the fact that there's no index in the back. Thus, if you remember reading about some fact and want to look it up later on, you're stuck going through the entire chapter associated with your topic. This might be another indication the book was rushed out as well.

Certainly there are many interesting facts contained here, but there are better fact books out there (e.g., David Feldman's _Imponderables_ series.)

Rating:
Summary: You will be the center of attention at any party!
Review: For those trivia-lovers, this book is perfect for those who want to know just *how* far it actually is to Tipperary. Fast paced and sectioned off, you can read snippets of your favorite subjects at any time. It's small, so it will fit into a bag. Take it with you for something quick to read when you are waiting for something. Each topic is quick, to the point, and the question is answered ready to move on to the next question. I don't know which is more fascinating, the answers to the questions themselves, or the actual questions that people Ask Jeeves! You will have a snippet of trivia to add for any conversation, making you the center of attention anywhere you go.

Rating:
Summary: Ways to Enjoy "Just Curious, Jeeves"
Review: I recently saw a review for this book from the question/answer guy who edits the Straight Dope column -- Ed Zotti. What he had to say was impressive. Words like "exemplary" were strewn throughout, so I figured I'd pick up a copy at the local bookstore.

I'm glad I did.

This book was not only well researched (sure, there are a couple of glitches; I've not read a fact book that doesn't have one or two!), it's hysterical. I'm not completely sure how these guys pull this off, but they've given the butler guy a pretty cool voice.

This is a stellar book. My recommendation to anyone who loves to laugh, learn and have a good time, is to run out and get this book. Put it in your briefcase for your lunch hour; take it in your backpack for your morning and afternoon commute; stick it in your bathroom, or place it on your nightstand. It's well worth it!

Rating:
Summary: What a waste of a perfectly good tree!
Review: I recently saw a review for this book from the question/answer guy who edits the Straight Dope column -- Ed Zotti. What he had to say was impressive. Words like "exemplary" were strewn throughout, so I figured I'd pick up a copy at the local bookstore.

I'm glad I did.

This book was not only well researched (sure, there are a couple of glitches; I've not read a fact book that doesn't have one or two!), it's hysterical. I'm not completely sure how these guys pull this off, but they've given the butler guy a pretty cool voice.

This is a stellar book. My recommendation to anyone who loves to laugh, learn and have a good time, is to run out and get this book. Put it in your briefcase for your lunch hour; take it in your backpack for your morning and afternoon commute; stick it in your bathroom, or place it on your nightstand. It's well worth it!

Rating:
Summary: Okay, could have been better.
Review: This book is filled with a lot of questions, but you probably figured that from the title.

Some of these questions are worth a good laugh and others are really mundane and common knowledge for the most part.

Jeeves may truly know it all in this question and answer book. Can you stump him? I've been able to on occasion, but not often.

The layout of the book is simple enough, categorized for an easy breeze through. I'd reccommend this book as something to keep in the washroom or on the bedstand to give a flip through during your down time. It's also something the whole family can give a read through to so don't hesitate to pick it up if so inclined.

Rating:
Summary: This is great!
Review: This is a book that's chockful of great information. It's also very entertaining and even laugh-out-loud funny at times. Each section is short, so you can fill any amount of time from 30 seconds to three hours without getting bored. I heartily recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: What a waste of a perfectly good tree!
Review: What a disappointment! I love trivia, and trivia books, but this one is just stupid! The five minutes it took to read certainly weren't worth the money. No index. Typos all over the place. Obviously, this book was written in about a day and a half. Just an "instant" book for the "Ask Jeeves" folks.

I'll stay with the Book of Lists, which (unlike the above) *was* exhaustively researched and accurate. Another *great* series was the "Don't Know Much About History/the Bible/Geography/etc." series. Terrific books! Well written, interesting, and funny.

Save your money. Forget Jeeves, and get one of the far superior books above.

Rating:
Summary: So Much to Know...
Review: What a great idea for a book! Here are the answers to 1001 of the "most intriguing" questions asked of Jeeves, the Internet's famous answer-man. Now this was a fun read! Not only did I learn a lot of interesting stuff; I also couldn't stop chuckling. My inner-child led me first to the chapters titled: "Stupid Body Tricks," and "Behind the Bathroom Door." I was not disappointed: now I know with certainty how to cure hiccups as well as how to create a burp. Later I read other chapters and learned (among other things) all about van Gogh's ear, the history of Twinkies, and Shakespeare's detractors. Thought-provoking quotes from people like T.S. Eliot and Mick Jagger and clever turns of phrase pop up everywhere. These, combined with creative, well-written answers make this book really funny as well as informative. I can hardly wait to send copies to my know-it-all friends-especially the one I didn't believe when he told me that farts are flammable!