The Lonely Planet Book of Everything

by Nigel Holmes

It's got Everything.* Want to know how to wear a kilt, kiss a stranger, prevent a hangover, get out of a sinking car, eat a lobster, greet an alien, predict the weather, play croquet and much, much more? The Book of Everything has it all.* Open the book! Dive in! We guarantee you'll learn something new. And, equipped for a world of smart, safe and exciting travel, you can use your witty know-how to make friends wherever you go. (*Almost.)

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Art, Reference, Humor, Ebooks

204 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2012

Reviews

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful infographics book. Not to be taken too seriously! Fun information including how to land a plane, how to count to ten in 25 languages & what to do if a crocodile was trying to eat you. Felt like i was reading an episode of Qi!

[Cell · Rating 2 out of 5]

涵蓋各國零碎知識、急救、求生、飲食、旅遊注意事項以及難以歸類的雜學
大多是看過即忘（例如各國插座種類、認古埃及文字、各國的乾杯怎麼說）
要不然就是很難有機會發揮（被鱷魚攻擊時打眼睛或耳朵或推開舌頭後方的擋水閥、哈姆立克急救無效時要怎樣切開氣管）
是本有事發生時不會被想起的書
－－
本電子書的格式比較特別
表面上是像漫畫那樣全書以圖片組成
但圖片中文字的下方對應位置是蓋住了實際的文字
所以本書的文字內容還是能複製出來

只是在Edge被閹割之後，我還沒找到能完美駕馭本書的閱讀程式

[Jessi · Rating 2 out of 5]

What an odd little book. I ordered it from the library in the hopes that I would find some general tips for world travel, as I will soon be taking my first international trip and have enjoyed Lonely Planet's guides to specific countries. While there were definitely some helpful things in here, there were also some that were downright bizarre. For example, in the areas of travel, we are given tips for airplane/train/car ride exercises, instructions on how to greet others in other cultures, handy tips on tipping, general first aid and emergency preparedness, etc. Those were the best bits. Then there were some things that most of us won't find helpful, but are kind of interesting, like identifying both animal tracks and droppings, how the earth's rotation affects the ways the sunlight hits different parts of the planet, and what to do if you are attacked by a crocodile or fall into quicksand. But then things get weird. There are two whole pages of international flags redesigned to prominently feature cats (Japan's flag is usually white with a large red circle; here we are shown a white flag with a large red cat's face.) It's a little weird. I'm glad I didn't buy the book, because I think the helpful information (there definitely was some) would better be presented in paperback form, and edited. It would definitely be easier for travel. But the suggested retail price is a bit much for what's included here.

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cross between the small encyclopedia and a travel book, the book delves into things that could be useful for the traveler - Short phrasebook (that teach you how to cheers, count upto 10 and basic greetings), etiquette training, first-aid help and more. It is laid out in infographics with different facts and figures, step-by-step instructions, visual cues.

The book gets a 2.5 (rounded down to 2) for the infographics and coverage of myriad things that could be useful for travelers (such as first-aid, how to read on-ground aircraft signals, how to predict weather by looking at clouds, how to mix cocktails and identify your wines etc). A fun random read but not particularly informative or useful to carry around.

[audstruck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about as close to a real life version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as we can get. Perfect on an e-reader so you can take it everywhere. If only it came in a pocket version for us paper book folks.

[Bell · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was entertaining, without a doubt. Useful to take on a trip? Probably not but that’s okay. The way the infographics were laid out made learning more fun, and I did enjoy that. As an artist though, I could tell this book was rushed to print because some of the art was surprisingly low quality compared to what I know this designer is capable of. The main reason I’m rating low though is because it’s very much from a man’s perspective, which I found tiresome. The little characters are almost always men, and women are mentioned mainly regarding cultural clothing no-no’s (“Women should not wear skimpy clothing”) or as separate to the norm. On the “How to Kiss” greetings page, the sidebar that provides blurbs for various countries numerous times says, “men do this” and leave women completely out of the mix. The page about watching a polo match has the paragraph: “If an opponent can reach the call without getting in the way of the hitter, he* assumes the right of way. *Or ‘she.’ Polo is one of those sports where men and women compete equally.” Okay... even if women and men aren’t in the same league for other sports, why does that mean the female pronoun can’t be used to describe the rules of the sport?! Sorry guys, I’m just really tired of this kind of thing. Women are half of the population and half of the audience for this book. Stop acting like we’re always the secondary, non-default option. It’s not hard. Really, it isn’t.

[Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book of random facts illustrated mostly by infographics. It's pretty random and almost seems like it was made for kids/teens (except for some of the adult content like mixing drinks, how to prevent a hangover, and how to say "Do you want to go to bed with me" in quite a few languages).

Some of the topics:

Running with the bulls
How to ride a camel
The world's highest buildings
How to take control of a falling jet
Weirdly named places in the U.S.
How to drive in the snow
Make your hotel room burglar proof
What to eat in the jungle
Facts about eating Fugu (a toxic fish)
How to open a coconut
How to perform a tracheotomy
Basic first aid
Info about the sun and sunburns
Exercising without equipment
Beating jetlag
The world's highest mountains and longest rivers
Northern lights
The most common languages
How to predict weather from the clouds
The world's electrical outlets
How to avoid being sucked into quicksand
How to get out of a sinking car
Tipping in other countries
ETC.

There are lots of other topics and the illustrations are fun. I don't think most of the facts in the book would really be useful for a traveler, but they are entertaining to browse, and you might pick up a few things here and there. It's just too broad topic-wise for someone going to a specific location. This would make a nice coffee table style book though to entertain visitors or teens (if you are OK with the mild adult material).

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I knew how to French kiss

I practiced French kissing all my life. Good thing I have this book as in subject 68 on the etiquette of How to kiss I would be happily embarrassed.

This critter is full of interesting tips (no depth whatsoever) such as a bottle of vitamin B3 I received had all kinds of propaganda on the label; however, this book cut to the chase and tells you what it is in English under the section 90 on victimology.

Being in a household of felines I particularly like the section on the various flags “If the world were ruled by cats…”

The only practicality of the book is the extensive index and the hours of fun perusing through the pages.

Oh, if you do not see the subtitle it is “A Visual Guide to Travel and the World”

[Anette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this on a whim, "free" on Scribd. While some of the stuff was interesting, the majority was nothing new to me. Some pages I felt were added as "fun" pages for kids? And I'm pretty sure some of the information was outdated, like the bit about not using your mobile phones on a plane even on flight mode. I often read books on my phone when I'm flying so I definitely keep my phone on flight mode but apparently that's wrong?

Anyways, there's a similar book that has graphics to showcase all sorts of different information, I think it's called 'Information is Beautiful', and I much prefer that one even though some of the information in this one was interesting as well.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like seeing graphic organizers, infographs, diagrams, and the like as a way to organize and convey information. This book is one of those collections, with a mostly thematic focus on travel, since it's from Lonely Planet. The visuals are grouped by topic - understanding the world, outdoor survival, etiquette, medical, food and drink, personal safety, and then randomness - and the information is accurate and clear. Each topic in the chapter has a two-page spread of information. Some topics were more interesting or applicable to me, but all of them were generally clever and easy to read.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun info graphics with trivia about the world, first aid, animal tracking, tipping, self-defense, etc. Note that since the book was published in 2012 some of the facts are out of date. One weird bit was etiquette on kissing in the US because proper greeting etiquette would generally not include any sort of kissing, so there might be other slightly odd tips in there as well.

Would advise people to read this book for fun, but not to actually prepare for an upcoming trip since it's not specific to any particular country.

[Thomasin Propson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous infographics and illustrations designed to inspire interest in other lands and prepare (if only in a small way) a traveler as they head out into lands unfamiliar. And there a page on how to escape from a car that’s in the water, which can happen right here at home—good to know! Some of the pages were more jokey than travel tips (how to greet visitors from outer space, what would world flags look like if cats were in charge of nations) but I did pick up some useful hints and find myself inspired to google about for a bit more info.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not good. I picked this up from the library because it seemed interesting and I like to have a book I can just browse rather than read. What I wanted was a few memorable facts, tips, or bits of instruction. I didn't get them. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for guidance on kilts. I like a good piece of esoteric, impractical trivia, but what I found here did not inspire me. It's content was either too mundane (capitals of all the countries in the world) or overdone (defending yourself from a shark).

[Bel · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a disclaimer, this isn't a book to prepare for your next trip abroad. It is a fun book full of infographics about random facts that may help you win your local pub's trivia night. You will learn how to say cheers in different languages, what is the longest river in the world, the tallest mountain, and a range of survival tips including how to escape quicksand and get out of a sinking car. it is a fun read for trivia nerds like me or people wanting to throw out fun facts on their next social gathering.

[Kiera Beddes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little book that kind of reminded me of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (the metaphorical one, not literal) because it really did cover almost everything someone would need to know about this planet and how to function in every part of the globe. I loved all the little tidbits I learned and got to share with everyone around me. Super short read, but super informative.

[Proudcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my birthday gift from work colleagues and the book is actually quite fun. It talks about how to survive in really bad situations outdoors like crocodile attack or a quicksand, as well as interesting info about world languages, stars and clouds, etiquette, first aid, eating insects and a lot more :-) And the illustrations are really fun!

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Kinda fun, though not what I was expecting. Has the format of a children’s book but content wasn’t geared towards youngsters. A good conversation starter so maybe something nice to have on a coffee table or a camping trip. Not really all that amazing as a ‘sit down and read it cover to cover’ kinda book.

[Gabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for people who want to learn about survival and other things that might be useful like how to repell mosquitoes or how to get out of a sinking car or even how to beat jetlag. Anyway I would recomend this book to anyone how likes or is curious about the world and survival.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute collection of travel-related infographics and life hacks.

[Elin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite the unusual book with a lot of tips, some of which might come in handy and others that will most definitely not.

[Gemma Searle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting easy read not quite what I expected when it was bought for me but good none the less

[Lindstromsteph Lindstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting & unusual facts, very easy read.

[Usha Murali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful book

A picture for all travellers who must read this. Interesting read and it is well laid out for easy navigation.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit of a surprise. Plenty of handy information, I guess, but not so much of a travel book, more of a trivia and how-to book, surprising for Lonely Planet.

[Hina Majeed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literally a book about (almost) everything.

[Wsclai · Rating 3 out of 5]

To say that this is a book of everything is of course an overstatement but there are some interesting facts and information. It was published in 2012 and some information is dated.

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read. Very informative and fun! Love the infographics!

[Swapnil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not super informative but cute graphics and a fun little book.

[elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was very funny to read and I also learned some new things :)

[ReadRightMeow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with awesome infographic, life-saving (and not-so life-saving) information, this book made me happy.