Ultimate Book of Trivia: The Essential Collection of over 1,000 Curious Facts to Impress Your Friends and Expand Your Mind

by Scott McNeely

Did you know that cats can be left-handed?

Trivia fans will be eager to dive into this book for an edifying and entertaining tour of all the things they didn't know that they didn't know. There is something here for everyone and every occasion, with topics including Space and Science, Being Human, Sports, Music, Food and Drink, and Famous Inventions. It's full of conversation starters, from Herbert Hoover's pet alligators to the longest recorded bout of hiccups (it lasted for 68 years). Brimming with surprising facts, this comprehensive collection of trivia is sure to puzzle and delight.

Genres: Nonfiction, Trivia

352 pages, Hardcover

First published July 28, 2015

Reviews

[Heather McC · Rating 2 out of 5]

The content is varied and diverse in several subjects, with interesting tidbits strewn through. It would easily be a four star book if not for the crude content that filters through. Definitely a trivia book for adults (not the whole family). The off-color jokes and comments take away from the pleasure of finding new facts (at least for this reader).

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

Fun, quick, and easy read, but not quite as good or useful as I was expecting. The TRUE/FALSE format is lazy, and some of the trivia is completely useless (more so than usual)...like in the celebrity section, where there's a whole page of true or false about which celebrity is older than the other? There are so many great tidbits of celebrity trivia that would have been much more interesting. I also noticed quite a few typos and factual errors (a friend pointed out a mention of Buenos Aires...Brazil?), which is surprising and disappointing coming from Chronicle. But there were some really strange and fun bits interspersed throughout. I read through it before going to a bar trivia night, and one of the questions we got actually was in this book (NBA all-time points leader: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), and we got it! (Well, my team already knew it, but I didn't. And now I do!). I think a better variety of formats (T/F, Did You Know?, quizzes, etc.) would have elevated this.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was alright. I laughed a few times, but there were a lot of questions I wouldn't consider trivia questions. Most of the questions were just true or false.

[Tricia F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like little known trivia facts? Do you want to know all you can about every day topics? Or do you like to play trivia at your local bar?

If you answered yes to one or more of the above questions, then this book is for you! McNeely shares trivia on topics ranging from animals, science, time, entertainment, numbers, and more. Although the more advanced trivia person may have heard some of the information, McNeely offers vast trivia knowledge so all readers will learn something new.

The information is present in a fresh format from most trivia books. Yes, there is the basic question/answer format, but there is also true/false, matching, "Did You Know", and little 'quizzes' to make the reading of the book more interesting.

Unless you have photographic memory, the information in this book would be hard to memorize. This would be a good reference book due to the amount of information included.

[Edy Gies · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a huge fan of trivia, of course, I enjoyed reading a whole book of it. Unfortunately, there were several issues that concerned me regarding this particular book. First, in the chapter on death, I found the tone used to be callous and disrespectful. This from a person who found the book Get Well Soon, particularly the chapter on the Black Death, hilarious. There's a line and the authors of this book crossed it. Jokes about the success rate of suicide and stating that the rate of success increases if you are an "old fart" are repugnant. There are plenty of fun facts, but this book isn't the recommended source to find them.

[Anders · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike some other reviewers here, I liked the humour in the book. It was easy to read and contained some quite interesting facts.

What I didn't like was the disrespectful tone here and there in the sections Religion and Death. I also didn't like the format of a statement followed by "true or false". I understand why, but since it's a book and not a trivia game, why should I have to read any false statements?

[Toby L. Vado · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite kind of book. Lots of useless facts that I find interesting. Lots of fun.

It was a great book. Lots of fun to be had learning trivia. I love these kinds of books. I wish I could get more of these types of books.

[Tricia F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like little known trivia facts? Do you want to know all you can about every day topics? Or do you like to play trivia at your local bar?

If you answered yes to one or more of the above questions, then this book is for you! McNeely shares trivia on topics ranging from animals, science, time, entertainment, numbers, and more. Although the more advanced trivia person may have heard some of the information, McNeely offers vast trivia knowledge so all readers will learn something new.

The information is present in a fresh format from most trivia books. Yes, there is the basic question/answer format, but there is also true/false, matching, "Did You Know", and little 'quizzes' to make the reading of the book more interesting.

Unless you have photographic memory, the information in this book would be hard to memorize. This would be a good reference book due to the amount of information included. (less)

[Beverly Saragusa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Interesting and Informative!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Couldn't put it down, really! Try it, I'm sure you won't be disappointed!! I wasn't!!!!!!

[Kenn P Mastrodonato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting!

Lotsa interesting facts. Under many different subjects. Well written , & informative. Highly recommended for those who enjoy factoid onfo.

[Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up in Apple Books’ “Under $5” section. Quick and interesting read. Lots of fascinating information, though in the 5 years since publication, many things have changed.

[Andy Cyca · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, let's get something out first: books on trivia are never perfect. «Facts» are checked and re-checked constantly, that's how knowledge grows.

That said, my problems with this book are mostly in two categories. The first is that despite the research behind, there's still several examples of misinformation, misunderstandings and general editorialization of the facts presented.

(For instance, is not entirely true that «The FDA allows mold, wormy bits, and insect parts into our food in the first place», because that makes it sound like they condone it. It's more accurate to say that they establish safe limits because no one can ensure food is 100% "pure", 100% of the time, 100% an the way from producer to consumer. But I guess using languages like this is what sells books)

The second comes from how this book is written. Many of the facts presented here are padded out in a tiresome «True or false?» format, which gets old quickly and could better be presented in a simple and concise paragraph.

Instead of asking five times what is the first/second/third most whatever, just write out a Simone list of the top 5 whatever. This style just makes the narrator look like a smartass trying too hard to be cool.

Overall, good content, poor decisions in format.

[Minnesinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s nothing “ultimate” about this; the collection is slapdash at best. The music category alone is so brief it’s embarrassing, and contains only questions regarding pop music. (No classical music? Really??)

[Jbussen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Maybe I've read too many of these books.

[Matevž · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there is an interesting assortment of facts I do not like the true/false version of giving them to us. At times feels more like a quiz book...