Facts & Fallacies

by Neil Ardley

401 stories which sift through the implausible, the unlikely and the bizarre to reveal the bare facts. This book takes a look at the truths and the misconceptions surrounding the natural and the supernatural world, its past, present and future. Who was the real Robin Hood? Do trees talk? Why are some whales suicidal? Does spinach make you strong? Is the sun going out? Did Jesus ever visit England? Every one of these mysteries and many more are solved in this book.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, History

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Neil Ardley was an English jazz composer, pianist, arranger, and acclaimed science writer whose career bridged music, education, and publishing. After studying chemistry at Bristol University, he moved to London and immersed himself in the city's thriving jazz scene, studying composition and arranging before becoming a central figure in modern British jazz. As director of the New Jazz Orchestra, he helped nurture a generation of influential musicians while developing a distinctive musical voice that blended jazz improvisation with classical forms. His albums, including Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe, Greek Variations and Other Aegean Exercises, Symphony of Amaranths, and Kaleidoscope of Rainbows, earned critical praise for their ambitious orchestration and innovative use of electronic sounds. Alongside his musical work, Ardley built an equally successful career in publishing. Beginning as an editor, he went on to write more than one hundred books, many aimed at introducing young readers to science, technology, nature, and music. His best-known work, The Way Things Work, illustrated by David Macaulay, became an international bestseller and helped establish him as one of Britain's most successful popular science authors. By the time of his retirement, his books had sold millions of copies worldwide, securing his reputation as both an influential musician and an exceptional communicator of knowledge.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the books from my youth I look back upon with the highest fondness. It's full of odd stories with trivia I remember to this day.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy facts. Facts are just that, facts. An example of supposedly acquiring facts would be today's watching of the news, the news is supposed to cover the facts of whatever they're reporting. This in itself is a fact but it is broken on a daily/nightly basis. It doesn't matter what channel you choose to get your news from you simply won't be getting the facts no matter what is being reported. So myself, I don't get my news from the television or any network for on these platforms you're only receiving opinionated substance, nothing more. The days of hearing about the daily events for the day in a factual way or format have long been gone. So, I choose to read, research the internet & gather the facts allowing me to formulate my own opinion of the days events as it should be. I will never consider myself as one of the herd, I decide where I'm going, how I'm going to get there & what I'm going to do once there. I will never be a part of the herd mentality & I wish there wee a lot more like myself, & I know there are but they choose to remain silent. That's their prerogative not mine. It is why I find this book, FACTS & FALLACIES so intriguing. It's all factual beyond dispute! Highly recommend this book to anyone who likes facts, no matter if it's about a butterfly of how many nails were used in building the Empire State Building. You get the facts! Read this from cover to cover & feel much more knowledgeable than before I read this book. This would be an awesome book to give to a teenager to read. It's copyright, 1988 but it's immaterial for the facts are the same. Whomever decides to read this, you will become much more knowledgeable from having done so. Take Care!

[Mark Moxley-Knapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting compendium of strange stories, predictions, and nuttiness. Published in 1986 so sometimes out of date, but sometimes prescient. Interesting seeing what actually happened compared with predictions. Interesting seeing the conspiracy theories and bizarre stories of my youth, having mostly faded away. A nice bathroom book, short segments.

[PRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool book my parents bought me when I was younger. Lots of weird and wonderful things going on around the world that are hard to explain. With pictures too.

[Jere · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was my bathroom book for 2 years, even though dated, it was good!

[Laurie Stoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book. As the title suggests, it is non-fiction. Facts & fallacies. I consider this "intellectual reading".

[Cws]

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