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Stuff Every Geek Should Know

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Packed with tips, articles, and how-tos on everything from performing Jedi mind tricks to creating your own cosplay gear to wooing the geek of your dreams, Stuff Every Geek Should Know is an indispensable guide to life, the universe, and everything geeky. Featuring content from Quirk's nerdiest titles plus all-new, never-before-seen good stuff from the geekiest bloggers in the known universe. Chapters GEEK SKILLS FROM POP How to survive a haunted house, perform the Vulcan nerve pinch, decode ciphers, and master other survival skills.

GEEKS IN How to make amazing YouTube vids, create comic books, handle yourself in an online multiplayer game, and generally get your geek on.THE GEEK How to have the best convention experience of your life. GEEK How to craft an online dating profile, plan a geeky marriage proposal, pass on geek wisdom to your kids, and otherwise enjoy the human emotion of "love."

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 10, 2014

469 people are currently reading
356 people want to read

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Quirk Books

4 books14 followers

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Community Reviews

5 stars
133 (30%)
4 stars
82 (19%)
3 stars
113 (26%)
2 stars
56 (12%)
1 star
47 (10%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for Selena Pigoni.
1,927 reviews266 followers
March 15, 2017
I think I'd give it a 3.5, but since Goodreads doesn't do half-stars, 3 it is.

Stuff Every Geek Should Know is pretty much that exactly (but for the last section about random trivia). It's mostly stuff I already knew before picking up this book, though as one of the more social geeks I've met, maybe that's not the case for everyone? Or maybe it's because I've been a geek for more than a decade (gosh, that makes me feel old).

This book would be handy for a new geek though. I could see someone new to the geek community getting a lot out of this, especially the section "Multi-player Mode", about things geeks can do with other geeks.

If you're new to being a geek, I recommend this one. If you've been around for a while, you probably know most of the stuff contained.
Profile Image for Between pages with Rina.
39 reviews9 followers
July 28, 2025

I was curious about the book and found the beginning quite engaging, though a few chapters turned out to be rather dull.
It’s an old book, so some parts feel outdated, but it also contains insights that are truly timeless.
Profile Image for Desiree Trott.
199 reviews3 followers
June 4, 2022
Meh

I'm a huge geek, so are my husband and kids, but I didn't find this book helpful or funny. It's not awful, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Profile Image for Em.
552 reviews47 followers
May 11, 2018
This was boring. The things "every geek should know" are mostly totally useless. It's essentially an advertisement for other books by the publishing company, which they have attempted to edit into one book. The linkages between the excerpts, and their relationship to the overall theme, are so contrived.
Profile Image for Anwesh Ganguli.
206 reviews30 followers
March 24, 2023
Guide for the Geeks...

Pretty good and interesting. Some of the tips and tricks shared in the book does makes sense and can be used in real life. Loved the Zombie and Haunted House section.
95 reviews17 followers
May 22, 2017
So-so.

Informative, a little funny .Not terrific. Worth the read. Not worth reading more than once. But really not too bad.
Profile Image for Taaya .
901 reviews4 followers
August 26, 2024
Somehow this book only caters to US-Americans, to the point that even tips to survive a zombie apocalypse aren't applicable in other countries. (And their "haha, we invent fake scientists that came up with research on that topic" ideas also show a complete ignorance about, for example, the fact that Germany didn't have a Civil War and therefore German scientists wouldn't call a specific era "Civil War-era".)

Also, as someone who knows people professionally working backstage of Cons, STOP PESTERING THE CELEBS! There's a reason why most cons have a rule against taking wild selfies with celebs and it's not just to make more money - it's to give the celebs some time to unwind and be themselves in their breaks, because yes, the rare time they're not in panels, photo ops or at the signing table is the rare, short time they have for snacks, toilet and just taking a breath.

So yeah, this book is mostly between not usable in the typical American "We are the only people in existence" way, and actually harmful.
Profile Image for Laurie.
535 reviews17 followers
October 2, 2017
3.5 It's slightly better and slightly worse than I was anticipating. Overall it seems like it's good for a chuckle or for those who want a no-intenseness short read. It put a smile on my face which was nice. I found some of the content was directed towards people who are older then I am, but others were good.
Profile Image for Rachel.
646 reviews
April 8, 2021
It’s an interesting little book that samples various publications and some essays on the topic of geekdom/nerd culture.
It’s a fun quick read that is amusing in parts. Nothing groundbreaking but it’s quite good for newbies in fandom. The convention tips section is particularly useful as are sections on YouTube video creation and selfies.
Profile Image for Paula.
40 reviews
January 7, 2024
The only cute parts were the haunted house and zombie so I add 1 star to that.

Most of the tips are common sense and fodder. How to take a selfie? Really?
Overall I think this book is for young teen boys written by a middle aged man with cheese breath.
I got it free on kindle day but glad I didn’t pay 😅
3,870 reviews20 followers
July 30, 2024
I suspect evaluations will split along generational lines; the younger the reader, the more interesting. At first, I thought this was tongue-in-cheek essays on random topics. After a while, I realized this was a waste of my time—and it wasn't even humorous.

I dumped this book because I doubt I will interact with zombies or need dating tips from a seven-year-old. The two stars were a gift.
Profile Image for Cal Bowen.
Author 1 book22 followers
May 28, 2017
S collection of other peoples work

The answer. Copy other people's articles.
The question. How do you rip off readers on Amazon?
This is nothing more than a collection of book excerpts and blog posts. Not very enlightening or entertaining.
Profile Image for Amanda Magee.
3 reviews2 followers
February 1, 2018
Amused me greatly!

You absolutely shouldn't read this if you don't consider yourself a geek! Some great things to think over, great quote usage and really great throwbacks to other geek writers!
Profile Image for Thrifty Geek.
147 reviews11 followers
August 28, 2018
A good sampling of things from Quirk Books, only issue really had is just one opinion given saying anyone who likes a certain show wasn't a self-respecting Geek which a bunch of us were like well we like this and we're geeks, but besides that it was a decent little read.
Profile Image for Sreelekha Nama.
27 reviews10 followers
July 7, 2021
Geekish

I'm not a Geek but wanted to know what geek's interests and challenges are. I'm happy I now can move along a geekish company without feeling like a muggle, lol
To all the Anoraks overthere, you're definitely not weird!!
Profile Image for Suraj Amlani.
38 reviews
December 30, 2023
Starts with some good satire, how to survive haunted house...etc. Middle was a bit of a waste with tips about selfies YouTube, Tumblr, but I guess that was useful at the time. Ending with funny baby names was alright
2 reviews1 follower
May 21, 2017
Really funny book, though I wish it had been longer. It threw me off a bit because each section is different and written by a different person, but once I figured out the style it was good.
1 review
October 16, 2018
Fun read

Quick jaunt through all things geek, this should be a checklist for geeks and a study guide for the rest.
Profile Image for Karan Dadure.
9 reviews4 followers
May 11, 2020
A collection of tips and tricks. Most of the topics covered are irrelevant for majority of the readers.
It can bring a chuckle here and there but overall a very average read.
Profile Image for Jamie.
145 reviews13 followers
October 7, 2023
Entertaining and fun to read. However, it seems quite a few of the chapters are geared to the male reader and were not written or accounted for the Female reader.
Profile Image for Debora Santo.
293 reviews7 followers
November 2, 2023
Too short and random

Summary: This is a collection of advice for nerds on diverse topics.

Likes: It's funny.

Dislikes: It's short, random, and mostly useless.

Audience: No one.

Rating: 1/5 stars, as this wasn't useful for me personally at all. I expected more.
500 reviews8 followers
December 1, 2016
Neat High Points from Quirk Books

This is a collection of high points chosen from other Quirk Books' publications. Normally I avoid this type of book: one which presents other books. It almost never makes sense--except in this case. "Stuff Every Geek Should Know" is a hilarious overview of modern "geek" life that actually contains sensible, great advice...for geeks. How to write an online dating site introduction; how to film a good YouTube short; how to create a successful blog; how to get autographs at a CON...the list goes on and on.
This book doesn't take itself seriously, but does give serious advice. The laughs come at the expense of more ridiculous aspects of modern life. The advice is serious. I thought that each piece of advice (accompanied by a referral to different Quirk Books titles) was cogent and solid.
I expected to hate the book, instead I found humor and was impressed by the high quality advice. Highly Recommended
Profile Image for Cameron Ward.
14 reviews16 followers
February 17, 2016
I really enjoyed this book, even though it was mostly made up of books I have previously read and enjoyed, such as the Action Hero's Handbook, The Geek's Guide to Dating, Geek Wisdom, etc. Probably one of my favorite things about this book was the addition of blog posts. I really enjoyed reading about prepping for cons, since the only con I've been to is the Albuquerque NM Comic Con, which is pretty tiny. But I digress. All in all, entertainingly wonderful read.
Profile Image for Eleni.
817 reviews6 followers
December 21, 2016
This is a fun little book recommended for all the geeks out there and those who would like to learn more about geek culture. If you're not sure you are a geek, give this a read, and then enjoy being yourself and being a part of a diverse community that includes some really interesting and passionate people.
Profile Image for Jenn.
86 reviews14 followers
July 26, 2014
The best ever!

The best ever!

I just adored this book. It made me laugh and got me to make those Steampunk goggles I have always wanted.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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