Bears Can't Run Downhill

by Robert Anwood

Ever wondered whether Bob Holness really did play the saxophone solo on Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street? Or whether a swan can break a man's arm? Or whether computer games are illegal in Greece?! If so, you've probably spent far too much time down the pub, conversing with a mate on the wrong end of four pints of lager. We've all heard wild claims, spurious rumours and barely believable 'pub facts'. Don't pretend you've never wondered whether a crocodile really can run faster than a racehorse. Or pondered the possibility that there is only one cash machine in the whole of Albania? If this sort of thing keeps you awake at night, then this book has come to the rescue. Bears Can't Run Downhill...debunks and explains 201 common claims and popular misconceptions. It?s the ideal stocking-filler for the quiz fanatic, the trivia buff, the show-off down the pub ? or the wife or girlfriend who wants a way to a) get the upper hand and b) put a stop to this nonsense once and for all. So here is the definitive tome ? all you will never need (until the sequel at least) - of well-known ?facts? both true and apocryphal.

Genres: Reference, Trivia, Nonfiction, Humor

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Back in the late 2000s I wrote a couple of books about pub facts. Then I went rather quiet, as I ended up starting a business which took up most of my time for the following decade-and-a-bit. I have now moved on from that, and am back into the whole writing thing, with a new book due for publication in October 2023.

I am also the keyboard player for Jody and the Jerms. We formed at the end of 2019 and have since written and recorded plenty of indie rock/pop/however-you-want-to-categorise-it. We’ve released three albums so far, and we perform live frequently.

Reviews

[Margaret Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative

[Beorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay take on the pub trivia book where, instead of simply listing stats and information, it takes the opposite approach and sets out to ascertain whether those most commonly listed nuggets of trivia are true or false.

Interesting in that regard but still probably a book you'll only read once.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read, but still thorough and interesting. Wittily written too.

[John Somers · Rating 2 out of 5]

8/20.

[MaRia · Rating 3 out of 5]

didn't like the style of the author