Biggest Secrets: More Uncensored Truth About All Sorts of Stuff You Are Never Supposed to Know

by William Poundstone

A look at the truth behind some of the world's biggest secrets reveals the secret rituals of Boy Scouts, the recipe for Mrs. Field's Cookies, Sinatra's real age, the formula for Play-Doh, and other heretofore well-kept secrets. 50,000 first printing. $55,000 ad/promo. Tour.

Genres: Nonfiction, Trivia, Reference

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

William Poundstone is the author of more than ten non-fiction books, including 'Fortune's Formula', which was the Amazon Editors' Pick for #1 non-fiction book of 2005. Poundstone has written for The New York Times, Psychology Today, Esquire, Harpers, The Economist, and Harvard Business Review. He has appeared on the Today Show, The David Letterman Show and hundreds of radio talk-shows throughout the world. Poundstone studied physics at MIT and many of his ideas concern the social and financial impact of scientific ideas. His books have sold over half a million copies worldwide.

Reviews

[Mick Meyers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would diversify from my usual range of books, normally I would have read this book no problem,the chapters were short and covered diverse subjects as real ages of famous people,to how some magic tricks are performed and to add to the melting pot famous people who have purported to have appeared in porn films.i really did give the book a try but found it a bit tedious,not to say it's not somebody's cup of tea.dont let my low rating put you off, horses for courses as they say.

[Rich Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last of William Poundstone's Big Secrets is nearly as interesting as the other two. There's a lot of goofy information you'll never want to know - hidden restaurants, Barbra Streisand's porn flick, David Copperfield's tricks, etc. It is a fun read and a good afternoon of bizarre totally useless trivia.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the three books in the trilogy, this is the only one I haven't read cover to cover. Really scraping the barrel on this one, as we find out that celebrities sometimes lied about their age! (gasp!) "Big Secrets" is recommended without hesitation, and "Bigger Secrets" isn't far behind. This book, however, is the very definition of "for completists only."