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Uncle John's Facts and Trivia

Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Extraordinary Book of Facts: And Bizarre Information

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Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Extraordinary Book of Facts combines the most intriguing, enlightening material from nine previous Bathroom Reader favorites into one concise volume. Flush with delightfully useless — and sometimes even useful — information about sports, movies, music, politics, American and world history, and much more, the book is the most extensive reference guide in the series to date. Contained within this handy, portable tome are the fascinating narratives, terrific trivia, and easy-to-read lists that fans have come to delight in, as well as quotes, facts, findings, and historical tidbits. Weird and wonderful factoid footers on the bottom of each page are perfect for super-quick trips, while quizzes and puzzles enliven lengthier stays. Arranged for simple and speedy reference, the book is the perfect companion for trivia buffs and knowledge junkies who need a quick, fun read not just “at the office,” but in airports, waiting rooms, while traveling, or for any other moments that would otherwise be wasted.

396 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2006

249 people are currently reading
202 people want to read

About the author

Bathroom Readers' Institute

278 books344 followers
The Bathroom Reader's Institute UJBR boasts more than 12 million books in print and a membership base topping 40,000 loyal readers . . .

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5 stars
155 (40%)
4 stars
129 (34%)
3 stars
73 (19%)
2 stars
20 (5%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
Profile Image for H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov.
2,136 reviews825 followers
June 8, 2025
Nothing but trivia for those whose lives need a little diversion. “Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Extraordinary Book of Facts combines the most intriguing, enlightening material from nine previous Bathroom Reader favorites into one concise volume. Flush with delightfully useless — and sometimes even useful — information about sports, movies, music, politics, American and world history, and much more…”

Yes this is intended as bathroom reading so there are plenty of bathroom “facts.” "The average American buys 17 yards of dental floss each year." “Seventy-six percent of bathroom readers prefer their toilet paper to hang over the top.” “Americans use more than 4.8 billion gallons of water flushing toilets each day." "If you live an average life span, you’ll spend about six months on the toilet.”

But there is a lot more and I particularly found the historical facts interesting. “Only pharaohs were allowed to eat mushrooms in ancient Egypt." "In the 1500s England’s Queen Elizabeth I outlawed wife beating after 10 p.m.”

Yes it is true that Edwin Booth, brother of assassin John Wilkes Booth, was responsible for saving the life of Abraham Lincoln’s son, Todd.

Even an electronic version of this book serves its purpose. 4*
Profile Image for Erin.
31 reviews
October 14, 2009
I love this stuff!!! I can't help it, I'm a dork...
Anyway, here's a quickie for ya..

Pigs say...

English- Oink oink.
Russian: Kroo
French: Groin Groin
German: Grunz
2 reviews
January 17, 2008
These might sound strange, but I love all the little facts in these. And no, I don't read them in the bathroom! lol
Profile Image for John.
33 reviews24 followers
March 25, 2010
Okay, it won't win any prizes, but only because Pulitzer refuses to accept 'longest time in close proximity to a plumbing fixture' as relevant.
Profile Image for Nadine Mu..
15 reviews4 followers
December 12, 2012
so fun to read when you're bored!! when I read this book, I couldn't go 10 minutes without telling someone " did you know that..." and add a random fact.
Profile Image for Andi.
252 reviews1 follower
September 8, 2015
Ehhh

I understand with the number of uncle john readers there is bound to be overlaps in stories. However, in this book there were several repeats in just different sections of the book. Sloppy editing.
Profile Image for Susie Evans.
27 reviews1 follower
August 23, 2007
Who doesn't love random bits of useless information? The Uncle John books are awesome.
Profile Image for Regina.
7 reviews1 follower
June 5, 2008
I love this book. Sometimes I just keep it in my purse and when I get bored I take it out and start reading random facts. This book is very entertaining and very funnny.
Profile Image for Josh.
255 reviews46 followers
Read
January 14, 2025
Hmm... The Books of Useless Information are a little better at this. I enjoy the "running feet" in the normal Bathroom Readers, but I got bored of an entire book of them fairly quickly.
Profile Image for Raul Cortez.
5 reviews26 followers
May 1, 2012
I found this book very interesting!! I love random useless facts!! I learned so many things I didnt know! :D I recomend this to anyone who loves random interesting facts!
Profile Image for Georgene.
1,291 reviews47 followers
January 12, 2017
An interesting entry in The Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Series. I did find several facts that were incorrect. I specifically found the article on the UFO "scare" of the late 1940's through the 1960's to be incorrect at various points. The article claims that there wasn't much stir about UFOs after the late '40's, but I grew up with people that discussed them avidly during the '50's and '60's. Minor point perhaps, but if such things are printed as fact, then more and better research should have been done. (I am not talking about UFO enthusiasts, but merely people discussing the pros and cons of the theory.
Profile Image for Gareth Brewin.
18 reviews
May 21, 2025
Far too America centric.

Got about 40 pages in before closing and soon to delete. Far too 'ain't America great' style of facts and presentation.
Yes, it's an American author and series, but as is typical with all American non fiction, documentaries, podcasts etc, they seem practically oblivious to the existence of any other countries and cultures outside of their own country.
Unenjoyable and biased to their own short, colonial history. And about 5 facts seemed incorrect. I was too busy rolling my eyes to check, but I suspect much Holywood style embellisment to some ''facts' .
A disppointingly obnoxious book.
1,519 reviews28 followers
March 19, 2022
Milujem taketo knihy, ktore su plne uplne zbytocnych faktov, ale aj zabavnych informacii. Necitala som to v kuse, kazdy den po trosku. A ako pise jedna citatelka v recenzii, kazdu chvilu som niekoho otravovala: Toto si pocul? A toto si vedela? A vies, kolko... 😀 Moja rodinka toho mali veru dost 🙂
119 reviews1 follower
March 31, 2023
Now you know

I really like these Bathroom Reader books. So many fascinating facts about so many subjects! The only hard part is trying to remember some of them for a lull in the conversation.
190 reviews4 followers
August 1, 2018
An interesting book of trivia.
Profile Image for Asciigod.
34 reviews3 followers
January 3, 2022
Passed the time while passing stool. About what I expected. Thanks Uncle John!
19 reviews
April 16, 2023
Fun facts

It is fun to read through the myriad of interesting facts in this book. An easy, educational read. Well organized and indexed.
Profile Image for Lynn Smith.
267 reviews6 followers
January 16, 2017
Another one in the series of Uncle John's Bathroom Readers. I really love these books as I learn new things while I don't have anything better to do and when I only have a couple of minutes. It is easy to read a few pages here or there. It's not required to read the book in the bathroom but it does give you something productive to do so you can learn while you sit! I'll definitely be buying another one of these!
Profile Image for Patricia Atkinson.
1,045 reviews11 followers
August 15, 2018
loved it like all uncle johns they are packed with lots of information that you can enjoy no matter where you are..
565 reviews80 followers
October 29, 2016
When I can't sleep, but I am overly tired to follow the story line and plot of the novel I am reading, I enjoy reading these readers. I do hate the "bathroom" part of their title.
Profile Image for Chelto.
2 reviews
February 4, 2022
Great book

I love to read about facts they’re very interesting so if u have time go ahead and read this it’s the second one I have bought they worth it
1 review
November 15, 2024
good

It’s a good book that I recommend because it has facts. It is a great gift for someone who like these kinds of facts
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews

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