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211 Things a Bright Boy Can Do
For everyone who loved The Dangerous Book for Boys -an oddly useful and hilarious handbook for the mischievous child in all of us.
If you've reached adulthood without knowing how to spin a rope like a cowboy, cure a hangover, or make a citizen's arrest, this is the book you've been waiting for. Funny, far-ranging, and surprisingly handy, the book presents tutorials,
- How to Be a Real mow the perfect lawn; defend yourself with nothing but an umbrella
- Bracing Outdoor skate backwards; make a boomerang come back; snare wild game
- Amusing float an egg; eat a goldfish; master fiendish tongue-twisters; judge a woman's bra size at a glance
Also
- Sumo wrestling for beginners
- Four diversions with a banana
- And much more
If you've reached adulthood without knowing how to spin a rope like a cowboy, cure a hangover, or make a citizen's arrest, this is the book you've been waiting for. Funny, far-ranging, and surprisingly handy, the book presents tutorials,
- How to Be a Real mow the perfect lawn; defend yourself with nothing but an umbrella
- Bracing Outdoor skate backwards; make a boomerang come back; snare wild game
- Amusing float an egg; eat a goldfish; master fiendish tongue-twisters; judge a woman's bra size at a glance
Also
- Sumo wrestling for beginners
- Four diversions with a banana
- And much more
- GenresNonfictionReferenceHumor
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
6 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Tom Cutler
22 books7 followersTom Cutler is a bestselling British author. After a curious career in book and magazine publishing, and having built up a lifetime's scar tissue, he decided to launch himself as a humorous writer upon a reading public that had done nothing to hurt him.
Tom's books cover a variety of subjects, including language, sex, and music. Among his several international bestsellers are, A Gentleman's Bedside Book and the Amazon number-one blockbuster, 211 Things A Bright Boy Can Do. His work has been translated into several languages.
Tom is a practising magician and member of the Magic Circle, as well as a longstanding Sherlock Holmes aficionado. He has always known that there is something strange about the way he relates to the world, but it was only in 2016, at the age of 56, that he was formally identified as being on the autism spectrum. This, he says, was the happiest day of his life.
His latest book, Keep Clear: my adventures with Asperger's, is out now.
Tom's books cover a variety of subjects, including language, sex, and music. Among his several international bestsellers are, A Gentleman's Bedside Book and the Amazon number-one blockbuster, 211 Things A Bright Boy Can Do. His work has been translated into several languages.
Tom is a practising magician and member of the Magic Circle, as well as a longstanding Sherlock Holmes aficionado. He has always known that there is something strange about the way he relates to the world, but it was only in 2016, at the age of 56, that he was formally identified as being on the autism spectrum. This, he says, was the happiest day of his life.
His latest book, Keep Clear: my adventures with Asperger's, is out now.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 19, 2013
So I bought this book from the Wireless (or similar) catalog one Christmas, thinking it might be good for the younger (7-12 year old) boys in my life. Not so. This is a book for adults. What surprised me was how hysterically funny it was. I laughed out loud, often uncontrollably and unable to breathe, at the author's excellent sense of humor. (I say excellent because it is almost identical to mine.)
The book is full of "how to" instructions for a ridiculously wide variety of tasks, from magic tricks to cooking (manly) recipes, to laying bricks properly, to Morse Code and Semaphore. The instructions are understandable and oriented towards making fun of instructions in general, and some of the activities in specific.
I started by reading just one short (1-3 page) chapter per day along with my many other daily reading books, but quickly became fascinated and began reading more quickly, saving myself 168 days!
Quote from the section on Cooking for Guests While Your Kitchen is Being Repaired ("it happens to all of us"):
"Put your white wine into the toilet tank to chill (leave it in the bottle, obviously: you don't want to be flushing every time someone asks for a glass of Chablis)."
My guess is that men will find this book much funnier than women (this is intended as a general compliment to the female gender). For men, if you like to laugh, learn, broadly expand your (trivial) skill set, and laugh some more, this is a great book.
The book is full of "how to" instructions for a ridiculously wide variety of tasks, from magic tricks to cooking (manly) recipes, to laying bricks properly, to Morse Code and Semaphore. The instructions are understandable and oriented towards making fun of instructions in general, and some of the activities in specific.
I started by reading just one short (1-3 page) chapter per day along with my many other daily reading books, but quickly became fascinated and began reading more quickly, saving myself 168 days!
Quote from the section on Cooking for Guests While Your Kitchen is Being Repaired ("it happens to all of us"):
"Put your white wine into the toilet tank to chill (leave it in the bottle, obviously: you don't want to be flushing every time someone asks for a glass of Chablis)."
My guess is that men will find this book much funnier than women (this is intended as a general compliment to the female gender). For men, if you like to laugh, learn, broadly expand your (trivial) skill set, and laugh some more, this is a great book.
Read
May 11, 2008Fun book! Offers GREAT ideas for thinks kids/teens/anyone can do! I love any book that promotes activities away from the TV, and this one does just that with excitement and enthusiasm
Some of my favorites are :
8 ways to confuse your brain
how to walk through a post card (cutting it a certain way)
do a 5 minute show with a blade of grass
make a boomerang actually come back
make a survival kit in a tin
grow an orange tree from a seed
defend yourself with only an umbrella
play an accordion
proper way to build a campfire
and a whole section on practical jokes!!
I'd recommend it for older boys. with sections about "how to judge a women's bra size at a glance", its i bit better suited for older boys.
Some of my favorites are :
8 ways to confuse your brain
how to walk through a post card (cutting it a certain way)
do a 5 minute show with a blade of grass
make a boomerang actually come back
make a survival kit in a tin
grow an orange tree from a seed
defend yourself with only an umbrella
play an accordion
proper way to build a campfire
and a whole section on practical jokes!!
I'd recommend it for older boys. with sections about "how to judge a women's bra size at a glance", its i bit better suited for older boys.
June 21, 2011
Has some interesting thoughts and ideas, but certainly not a best-seller
March 29, 2013
Weak --- Out of those 211 witty things, about 4 appealed to me.
October 2, 2024
BEWARE! I am thoroughly upset at having bought this book for my 10 year old son (My only consolation is that I bought it second hand from a book sale so none of the profits went to the disturbed author). From the vintage-looking cover and title it appeared as though it was in the same genre of books as The Dangerous Book For Boys and The Daring Book For Girls (both of which we have and enjoy). This book however is something entirely different and NOT meant for children.
Some of the tips are cool and look like fun like: how to appear more intelligent than you are, how to lay bricks or how to make a boomerang actually come back. However, I did not appreciate the chapters on how to estimate a woman's bra size or referring to her breasts as "hooters". Shame on the author for teaching boys to objectify women.
I also didn't appreciate the sections on how to take snuff, how real men can chug ale and explanations on how to do that. Nor did I appreciate the chapter on how to deal with door-to-door salesmen or Jehovah's Witnesses—the suggestion was to show them grotesque internet images like gunshot victims and pornographic images involving horses and then to curse at them until they left your doorstep. This book contains truly awful content for children.
We threw out our copy as I don't want to donate it lest some other parent be fooled by the innocent title and cover.
Some of the book has real potential. One has to wonder what Harper Collins was thinking advertising this as a children's book.
Some of the tips are cool and look like fun like: how to appear more intelligent than you are, how to lay bricks or how to make a boomerang actually come back. However, I did not appreciate the chapters on how to estimate a woman's bra size or referring to her breasts as "hooters". Shame on the author for teaching boys to objectify women.
I also didn't appreciate the sections on how to take snuff, how real men can chug ale and explanations on how to do that. Nor did I appreciate the chapter on how to deal with door-to-door salesmen or Jehovah's Witnesses—the suggestion was to show them grotesque internet images like gunshot victims and pornographic images involving horses and then to curse at them until they left your doorstep. This book contains truly awful content for children.
We threw out our copy as I don't want to donate it lest some other parent be fooled by the innocent title and cover.
Some of the book has real potential. One has to wonder what Harper Collins was thinking advertising this as a children's book.
March 30, 2020
A rather silly compendium of tricks, jokes, "magic" tricks and goofball ways to waste time, all very cleverly written, often amusing, even when downright silly (if not stupid). It begins with practical advice on how to do manly things, like use a watch as a compass, how to tell "when a girl fancies you," how to lay bricks, or milk a cow, or judge a woman's bra size at a glance. Then Cutler explains how to do dopey tricks, like how to lift a man overhead with one arm, or how to walk across hot coals or tear a phone book in half. And then he gets really silly: how to make a pair of trousers using pub beer towels (Cutler's a Brit, and so much of his lingo is Britspeak), how to make a paper hat or your own barometer.
Read as bedtime reading, for which it was perfect: short entries on a variety of subjects, written in cleverness and sense of graceful style, being totally straightfaced as he describes the dopiest stuff.
I will remember little except that it was a fun book for how I read it. Now it goes into a little library to amuse someone else/
Read as bedtime reading, for which it was perfect: short entries on a variety of subjects, written in cleverness and sense of graceful style, being totally straightfaced as he describes the dopiest stuff.
I will remember little except that it was a fun book for how I read it. Now it goes into a little library to amuse someone else/
June 2, 2018
Antigamente (nem sei quando) contávamos com nossos pais para ensinar aqueles macetes que todo homem precisa saber na vida (pintar portas, pedir vinhos em restaurantes, se defender apenas com um guarda chuva, ganhar dinheiro em cassinos, remar sem parecer um idiota, como se portar em funerais, como lutar sumô, contar piadas, cozinhar bobagens -alguém ai sabe fazer cerveja caseira? - cozinhar sério para impressionar garotas, etc).
Hoje em dia, os pais estão muito ocupados (ainda que agradeça ao meu pela minha bagagem de conhecimentos da vida prática que jamais poderia ter aprendido na escola). Eu sou um exemplo. Minha saída: passar esse fantástico livro para leitura de férias de meus filhos. Ainda estão lendo!
Hoje em dia, os pais estão muito ocupados (ainda que agradeça ao meu pela minha bagagem de conhecimentos da vida prática que jamais poderia ter aprendido na escola). Eu sou um exemplo. Minha saída: passar esse fantástico livro para leitura de férias de meus filhos. Ainda estão lendo!
November 5, 2019
Des trucs sympas mais un humour un peu old school dans l'ensemble.
March 23, 2024
Got this for my 11 year old son, but it's definitely more appropriate for me.
October 14, 2025
Tiene algunos tips interesantes...
4/10
4/10
June 26, 2022
De la bonne idée à la farce douteuse. tout n'est pas drôle, utile ou intéressant
April 16, 2008
Another of the 'dipping' books which constitutes most of my reading at the moment. This book is described as a manual for those things that you didn't learn at school or Boy Scouts...
Presented in little, one or two page sections this book offers guides on how to roast a suckling pig (hmmm, useful for someone thats been a vegetarian for more than 20 years!!), pub magic, drinking games and the like.
A good example of its type, though I don't think I'm tempted to reproduce much that I found in there...
Presented in little, one or two page sections this book offers guides on how to roast a suckling pig (hmmm, useful for someone thats been a vegetarian for more than 20 years!!), pub magic, drinking games and the like.
A good example of its type, though I don't think I'm tempted to reproduce much that I found in there...
April 9, 2015
Me lo he pasado bien. Me he reido bastante con este libro. Quizas en ciertas ocasiones, mejor dicho, en ciertos capítulos el autor se ha alargado un poco mas de la cuenta o ha puesto capitulos completamente innecesarios e aburridos. No obstante han habido capítulos benísimos!
Concluyo diciendo que es un libro para leer en los viajes. Solo proporciona entretenimiento y algo que decir a tus amigos. Si lo lees solo, estas solo.
Concluyo diciendo que es un libro para leer en los viajes. Solo proporciona entretenimiento y algo que decir a tus amigos. Si lo lees solo, estas solo.
March 17, 2008
Bored? Have nothing to do? Well this book is for you. How to trick your brain, fun magic tricks, how to build telescopes and much, much more.
October 7, 2008
211 Things a Bright Boy Can Do by Tom Cutler (2007)
April 6, 2014
A fun and irreverent read. Deserving of a few lols.
Read
January 26, 2012Great book-LOTS of ideas :)
January 29, 2018
misleading title: the author admits on page xvii that it is for ages between about 16 and 106, which is irritating if you bought this book for a younger person, such as the one pictured on the cover.
If you are not familiar with British slang some of the language will be obscure:
“how to take your pants off without removing your trousers” is nonsense to a North American (for whom pants and trousers are the same thing). How can pants and underpants be the same thing – British logic.
gravy-house restaurant? Berk? Gormless? Nosebag? – this is just to page 4.
Gags needing cigarettes are not hard to do (p. xix) because governments banned the practice of poisoning the air we share, but because most smokers over the age of 16 have realized that it is idiotic to remain addicted to something that poisons you and those around you while ruining the taste of food and drink, so have quit.
How to tell how a girl fancies you (p. 9-11) is a disturbing invitation to sexual harassment.
I found bits of it funny, but I skimmed over a lot that did not interest me.
If you are not familiar with British slang some of the language will be obscure:
“how to take your pants off without removing your trousers” is nonsense to a North American (for whom pants and trousers are the same thing). How can pants and underpants be the same thing – British logic.
gravy-house restaurant? Berk? Gormless? Nosebag? – this is just to page 4.
Gags needing cigarettes are not hard to do (p. xix) because governments banned the practice of poisoning the air we share, but because most smokers over the age of 16 have realized that it is idiotic to remain addicted to something that poisons you and those around you while ruining the taste of food and drink, so have quit.
How to tell how a girl fancies you (p. 9-11) is a disturbing invitation to sexual harassment.
I found bits of it funny, but I skimmed over a lot that did not interest me.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews