Uncle John's Fully Loaded 25th Anniversary Bathroom Reader

by Bathroom Readers' Institute

Take a seat and settle in—it’s a gigantic treasury of trivia and humor for our twenty-fifth (is that porcelain?) anniversary!  IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award Gold Winner in Humor ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards, Honorable Mention in Humor   “Fully Loaded” is putting it mildly. This behemoth of a book is overflowing with incredible stories, surprising facts, weird news, little-known origins, forgotten history, fun wordplay, and everything else that millions of loyal fans have come to expect from the world’s best-selling bathroom reading series.   As always, it’s divided by quickies for the reader on the go, medium-sized articles for those with a few minutes to spare, and extra-long pieces for those truly leg-numbing experiences. Here are just a few of the hundreds of topics loaded into this edition of America’s favorite source of fascinating   * Forgotten Firsts * Dumb Stoner Edition * Bizarre Japanese Video Games * The Kamikaze Instruction Manual * Our Lady of the Little Green Men * The Worst Fire in American History * The World’s Worst Business Decision * The New Year’s Eve Opossum Drop * Do Blondes Really Have More Fun? * Failed Doomsday Predictions * When Toilets Explode * and much, much more!

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Trivia, Reference, Ebooks

609 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

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

Reviews

[Birgit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time for a little confession - Uncle John's Fully Loaded 25th Anniversary Edition isn't my first Bathroom Reader, and most likely not my last one either. So you could say that I'm a little prejudiced as I've always enjoyed these books. Of course for this particular edition I certainly expected the Uncle John's team to, once again, outdo themselves.
The Bathroom Reader's are a series of books filled with trivia and short essays on various topics, some volumes dedicated to a single topic, while others, like this one, offer a broad spectrum from Law & Order to Stage & Screen and from Word & Phrase to Myths & Legends. In a nutshell? A light and entertaining read filled to the lid (pun fully intended) with genius conversation starters and useless but laughter-inducing fun facts.
Due to the nature of the Bathroom Reader's, and the book title is already a dead giveaway, this tome makes for perfect reading material in the bathroom. Obviously you may just as well read these books on the couch or on the bus, but that is entirely up to you. Ultimately it is perfect to dig into anytime you've got a few minutes to spare!
Honestly, after 25 years you can't help but wonder how and where they dig out so many new topics without getting repetitive, but once again Uncle John doesn't disappoint!
In short: Fully loaded indeed! Will keep you from being bored during many sittings to come!

[Conroy M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uncle John's Fully Loaded 25th Anniversary Bathroom Reader is a hell of a book, in that I would probably go to hell if I could just get more of this book. The information in the various articles is sometimes rip-roaring hilarious, other times absolutely fascinating (I totally want a 1910 Pratt Helmet,) and sometimes even a little scary.

Throughout its over-600 pages, Uncle John's never loses its bizarre, irreverent tone, that lends a sense of connection to the scatter plot of the subjects. Only the Bathroom Reader's Institute could weave all of these insane stories into a single, coherent whole, but I'm told they've been doing it for 25 years now, so clearly we've got something good going here.

If you're looking for a book that'll let you impress your family at the dinner table with crazy city laws (like Chico, California's nuclear bomb fine,) study the psychological patterns of serial killers (one website run by a serial killer mentioned in the book is still up today,) learn what not to do when living as a nudist (or fighting against nudists,) or just have a good time on the john, Uncle John's Fully Loaded 25th Anniversary Bathroom Reader is the book for you.

I'd like to note that I did not in fact read this book on the bathroom outside of a few points. I find it didn't hamper the book's enjoyment any when I was out and about with a good article about flubbed headlines or some such, so all you guys with a hatred for toilets have nothing to fear.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Write to Review

Note: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

"Fully Loaded" lives up to its name as a colossal compendium packed with an abundance of captivating stories, surprising facts, quirky news, obscure origins, overlooked history, engaging wordplay, and all the delightful elements cherished by its vast readership. This volume continues the tradition of the world's best-selling bathroom reading series, catering to various reading durations: quickies for those on the move, medium-sized articles for those with a few moments to spare, and extra-long pieces for those seeking truly immersive reads. This book is a treasure trove of knowledge, humor, and intrigue, ensuring that there's something inside for everyone, no matter their interests or the amount of time they have to spare.

I must confess, I found it incredibly enjoyable. Within its covers, I discovered a treasure trove of fun and fascinating facts that kept me engaged from start to finish.

What sets this book apart is its versatility. It's the ideal companion for a myriad of occasions, whether you're hosting a lively family gathering or embarking on a spontaneous road trip. The diverse collection of tidbits and anecdotes within its pages ensures that there's something to pique everyone's curiosity and keep them entertained along the way.

What truly impressed me was the book's pacing. It's fast-paced, making it a breeze to breeze through. This is particularly appreciated in a world where time is a precious commodity. The icing on the cake is its meticulous organization, with sections neatly compartmentalized and peppered with entertaining tidbits that add an extra layer of delight to the reading experience.

In a nutshell, this book offers an engaging and accessible read that's perfect for quenching your thirst for intriguing knowledge while keeping things light-hearted and entertaining. Whether you're a seasoned Bathroom Reader enthusiast or a newcomer like me, this book is a worthwhile addition to your reading list.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great entry in this series. As always, highly recommended to trivia buffs or those who like short, informative reads. Lots of fun and appropriate for those over age 10.

[Josh]

These things are like crack. I've been reading these since 4th grade, and now have an entire shelf full of them. Keep on truckin', BRI writers, and I'll keep buying until I die.

[Gail]

I won this book in a first reads free giveaway for my husband. Hope he enjoys it.

[David Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of this long running series. They are consistently a vast treasure of interesting trivia covering a wide array of topics.

For any of you that are not familiar with the series, the book is a big collection of trivia stories divided in short, medium , and long reading times. This has the advantage that you can always maximize your reading time without having to stop halfway through an article. The problem is that the different length articles are scattered throughout the book so you can spend as long trying to scour the table of contents trying to find one that you haven't already read to fill your time needed. A few articles are actually broken up into multiple segments which means flipping to another part of the book if you want the whole story. As I said, these are big collections so they do not make good travel books usually. The size also makes their quizzes (they have a few each book) a bit annoying when you have to flip hundreds of pages to find the right answer and then back to the article (a third hand would be advantageous).

This particular volume has two problems that I have not seen before in the series. The first is that the cover is fairly thin (like a normal paperback book). It continued to curl and get bent as I was reading it. The other volumes were either hardcover or at least had a cover that had a heavier laminate on it. The second problem was that some of the page numbers were off. The quiz would say the answer was on page 605 but really be on page 598 or an article would say the first part of a multi-part article was on page 342 but was really 193. I also noticed several of the answer pages were missing the small factoid that is at the bottom of each page, so I am guessing they had layout problems which had to be fixed by adding a few pages .

[Bryan G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not choose to read Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader. It chose me. Specifically, it chose me during a moment of vulnerability, when my phone battery was at 3% and my legs had gone numb. And let me tell you: this book understood the assignment.

Every page is the perfect length for the exact amount of time you think you’ll be in the bathroom, which is always a lie. You start with “I’ll just read one fact,” and suddenly you’ve learned the origin of the paperclip, three ways people accidentally invented snacks, and a historical anecdote so interesting you forget why your family is knocking on the door asking if you’re okay.

The genius of this book is that you can open it anywhere. Front, back, middle—it does not judge. Missed a page? Doesn’t matter. Read the same page twice? Congratulations, you’ve achieved true Bathroom Reader enlightenment.

[Richp · Rating 4 out of 5]

If one gets stalled on reading heavy and/or unpleasant material, try this as a laxative. I did, and flushed 48% of its 600+ pages down the drain in one day, and the remainder in less than a week. There is plenty of fiber here, but without the density that clogs up the works.

There is not just trivia and humor, but also a lot to think about.

[Brentman99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that I absolutely love the Bathroom Readers and my only regrets about reading one is that I didn't think of it, or that I have yet to submit a story to them.

If you have to go #2, these books are #1!

Overall, I highly recommend the Bathroom Reader series. You never know when you will learn something as my trivia scores have increased greatly since I started reading them.

[Patricia Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy the bathroom readers because they are filled with so much information and something for everyone I try to read them all this book is the 25th book that they have published and I recommend it to everyone

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The usual quality collection of articles, stories, information and fun facts from the Uncle John series. The perfect distraction when you just need your mind to wander and at the same time have a "fun fact" ready to share the next you're at a party or the office water cooler.

[Nick Tulip · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's addictive and better than playing Nintendo

[Raven Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful and insightful as always!

[Kim Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chock full of fun trivia guaranteed to keep you occupied while you're busy!

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a thrill to read Uncle John

[Amara Tanith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A copy of this book was provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'll admit it: I didn't actually read this in the bathroom. Blasphemy, right? Worse yet, Uncle John's Fully Loaded 25th Anniversary Bathroom Reader is my very first taste of the Uncle John's Bathroom Readers. But I'm glad I picked this one up--this is exactly my kind of book.

I'm one of those people who love learning; I enjoy nonfiction, documentaries, museums, educational websites, you name it. And with the advent of the Internet, there's a world of knowledge at the fingertips of the average citizen. Anyone can access nearly any known facts or opinions with the click of a mouse... and it can get overwhelming. I'll start out on one article, and before I know it, I've crashed my browser from opening too many tabs. I can access far more media than one person could ever hope to intake.

So books like the Bathroom Reader line are an amazingly valuable tool. Hundreds of topics have been combed through, selected, tweaked, and condensed to fit inside the pages of a single volume; it's the equivalent of looking at hundreds of web pages without ever opening a single tab--without ever feeling overwhelmed or losing the focus of exactly what to explore next.

Uncle John's Fully Loaded 25th Anniversary Bathroom Reader was great to read. With 608 pages of math, science, history, and all things weird, it's reminiscent of other media I've enjoyed; the articles are similar to those you would see in a Darwin Awards volume, Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex?, or even History or Travel Channel documentaries. Uncle John's Fully Loaded 25th Anniversary Bathroom Reader is a condensation of all that knowledge in the form of articles catering to tons of niche interests. There's sports history, war history, math history, Darwin-esque deaths, awesome (and silly!) museums, amusing websites, and much, much more.

All in all, I'm glad to have read this; I've found a great new series to read. And with at least fifty other books from the Bathroom Readers' Institute, I get the feeling I'm going to be reading these for a long time yet.

[Tom Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE
Uncle John’s book is big on lists. Most pages have a lot of short, punchy paragraphs with a heading that might draw you in. Or not. The joy of this book is that there’s lots of it and if you don’t care for the stuff on one page you can move right on to the next.

THINGS HERE CAN BE READ IN SHORT BURSTS
Even without the title the fact that each page number is printed inside a picture of a toilet roll makes it quite clear where most of this book is going to be read. I was reading an electronic version, so I can't vouch for the paper quality should you be using it in an emergency situation.

UNCLE JOHN HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR A WHILE
It does say it’s the 25th anniversary edition. There's an introduction that tells you about how the book came about. The important thing is that they have been doing this for long enough to have got it off to a fine art. If you're in the market for book full of interesting snippets to read in the smallest room, this is probably the book for you.

HE STEALS EVERYONE ELSE'S BEST LINES SHAMELESSLY
“I'm 83, and I feel like a 20-year-old, but unfortunately there's never one around." See? Milton Berle said it (and is credited). Uncle John stole it and now I’m stealing it from him. It’s not the way to make great literature, but it means you get a lot of decent one-liners scattered through the book. And when you’ve bought a book specifically to read on the toilet, that seems a pretty good deal.

THERE’S A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF REALLY INTERESTING STUFF
After you’ve read this, you will drive your family to distraction by continually telling them “interesting facts”. Like that one of the editors of Marvel Comics was cremated and had his ashes mixed into comic book ink. There's a little bit of him in every issue of the paperback bind up of one of his final projects, Squadron Supreme.

I THOROUGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK
How can anyone not love this book?

[Eclectic Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I picked up an Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader was about 20 years ago when I was at a gift shop on vacation. The book was a hoot and an eye opener and I had never learned so many fun facts in all of my life. I thought to myself, “What fun it would be to find all those facts and make a book out of it” and they have been making them for 25 years. Wow!

There is so much information in this 600+ page edition from great discoveries "The Origin of DNA Testing" which helped start "The Innocence Project" to crazy inventions of "High-Tech Underwear" using NASA technology. There are stories of "Dumb Crooks" like the one in Portland, Oregon, who passed around neighborhood fliers saying "Heroin for Sale", and then there are the things people actually do to themselves in "What Price Beauty?" to look younger or more attractive. Really?

And don’t forget the lists containing bowling lingo, humorous epitaphs, and, of course, toilet talk (to name a few) and the wonderful factoids at the bottom of each page such as what is the word for fear of palindromes?, which President of the United States was an orphan?, and what are half of the 6 million parts on a Boeing 747? I could go on and on….

This book is filled with information you didn’t know you wanted to know. It is great trivia for entertaining guests at parties.

Thank you to Bathroom Reader’s Institute, Baker and Taylor Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever needed something to keep you company in that little room in the hall, this is it. It actually felt kind of funny to not be reading this in the bathroom, because of the title, but this is really just the ultimate trivia book, and I was glad to have a little more trivia in my life. Some entries were quite long, for those instances when you need a little extra time to yourself, and others were just quotes and funny facts for when you have a quick trip to make. The formatting in my advanced digital copy was a little weird, so some of those quick facts would be stretched over two pages and I'd have to scroll back to find out what they were talking about, and there weren't page numbers on my Kindle app, so I couldn't immediately check my quiz answers, but these didn't take away from my enjoyment of the stories presented. This book is pretty long, so you're sure to find something interesting to keep you occupied while you're...occupied.

[Shai Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have caught bits and pieces of older versions of the Bathroom Reader so I knew that I was in for a treat with this edition. I just love the wide varieties of stories and facts. Oh and dividing them by length is a pure stroke of genius. Regardless of the name, I have caught myself reading when I am stuck in a slow moving line or waiting in a doctor's office.

I think that this book is well worth picking up for anyone but especially if you are addicted to the written word. I myself have even been known to read cereal boxes when bored. I rate this book a 4.3.
*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.

[Ryk Stanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder how many of these books I have read cover to cover over the past ten years or so? I hope whoever thought up the ideas for these books has gotten rich many times over.

If you don't know, these are books of trivia and stories about people and places and events, each conveniently short so that you can finish one or two while you are ... attending to other duties (sound pun intentional). Almost all of the articles are of some interest - some are really captivating and others are not my cup of tea, but in a book of over 500 pages I skipped maybe two or three at the most. Add to this the pages of quotes and the unique factoids at the bottom of each and every page, and you just cannot go wrong with these books.

[Househippo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I've read about 15 bathroom readers, but have never bothered to put them into Goodreads. Because it's just fun trivia and I never really considered it as something I needed to track.

But this one is different.

Because I have been attempting to read it for 3 years and couldn't get into it- UNTIL NOW!

I AM A CHAMPION! So proud of myself, I must commemorate it in Goodreads.

My enforced Airdrie solitude means I will finally get some of that reading done that I have had hanging around the house. It's time, people!

[David V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with most of the Bathroom Reader books, this one is about 600 pages. It's not just lists of bizarre facts. It's clever and sometimes laugh out loud funny. This was the 2nd one I've read. It made me look up info about some topics so I could learn even more. Read everything, even topics that I didn't think I'd like. When you consider how many books are in this series, it's amazing the stuff we don't know and never even heard of before. These books are enlightenment at your fingertips!

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of these kinds of books that I’ve read, and I rather liked it for what it was. I like learning lots of interesting and weird facts, and it is nice to have it handy when you only want to read something short.

I think it could have benefitted from a greater number of shorter articles (some of them were unnecessarily long), but otherwise I really have no complaints. I really like the little facts printed at the bottom of every page as well.

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as a first read book.

I have always enjoyed flipping through these books. The 25th Anniversary book is yet another entertaining and informative book. I was expecting a "best of" type of book but this is all new and up to date material. My husband has been trying to steal it from me since I received it. Now he can enjoy it!

[Dennis Hough · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a BRI fan since I found out what a BRI was. This series of books are much more that trivia collections. They are eclectic compendiums of fascinating facts and amazing historical oddities. This most recent edition was so good that I hated to put it down. I even took it out of the bathroom to read. I highly recommend it for anyone who reads, or uses a bathroom, or both!

[Bret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frankly - these are about the most genius books in the world. I think most every other book should be thrown away and we can all sit around and vegetate with the minute-facts that "Uncle John" serves up so well. I'm indebted to my good friends Mike & Carla for getting me one of these every Christmas - they last me all year long!

[Tom Darrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another quality Uncle John book. A good mix of current events, history, science and other fields. They mix short (1 page) articles with longer ones (2-3 pages). This book also has a few long haul stories about the USA Olympic Basketball team and the founding of Microsoft that take up several 4-5 page chapters. I would rather read one of these books than an US weekly when doing my business.

[Jenna Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've got a few Uncle John's books. I've always loved trivia, so these are perfect for that! They also are a great starting place to learn about new subjects, and they give me impetus to do further research. Sometimes the stories are cleverly worded and a bit exaggerated, but all in all, they're good reads.