10,000 Things You Need to Know: The Big Book of Lists

by Elspeth Beidas (Editor)

The perfect gift book for every age, generously illustrated with evocative full-color images and striking black-and-white photographs. This is the ultimate book of lists that is sure to entertain and inform—a 1,000-page collection of fun and fascinating facts in a wide range of topics, presented in a wonderfully eclectic format that invites browsing, yet also provides an absorbing read. Featuring over 10,000 entries compiled by experts in each field, this treasure trove of facts, trivia, and bite-size summaries covering diverse areas of knowledge will delight the legions of fans of "best of" lists. Featuring 100 lists each in turn showcasing 100 "bests" covering a wide variety of subjects—including the arts, science, nature, history, sports, design, technology, and philosophy—this volume provides a breathtaking range of informed, accessible, and essential reading. Lovers of the visual arts will encounter fascinating insights into artists, paintings, sculptures, movies, and museums, while foodies will relish the best cheeses, luxury foods, restaurants, and legendary chefs. History buffs will become absorbed in momentous events, famous trials, and great warriors, and sports fans will appreciate facts on sporting heroes, great races, and winning teams. Richly illustrated, this compendium makes the perfect gift and contains an abundance of useful information, hard facts, and obscure trivia. Among the wealth of knowledge in these pages, the reader will find helpful summaries of great art, music, and literature as well as complex philosophical ideas, scientific theories, and history alongside a guide to the wonders of the cosmos, innovative economic and political theories, pivotal scientific discoveries, and game-changing technological innovations.

Genres: Reference, Coffee Table Books, Nonfiction

1000 pages, Hardcover

Published October 25, 2016

Reviews

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it could easily be a bucket list of sorts, a reason to live forever and hope to see and read and visit so many books (in sets of 100 organized by genre) and films (again by genre) and places (museums, cities, etc.) and cuisines. It is more a book for a lover of media and travel than it is a book for one who prefers the sciences. As an elementary school librarian, the list of children's books appears to be thoughtful and concise, including several landmark books that I would expect to be on the list. It is the kind of book to peruse like a cursory shopping list before you plan a vacation or a lazy weekend. It's also a book to wander through with good friends or family, sure to spark good conversations. Yes, put this on your coffee table.

[Luis Del Aguila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides hours of entertainment and if you like to investigate then it is highly recommended, because they are only lists with small summaries of each character, object, or event.

[Kamilah · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a list lover like I am, this book is glorious. A large part of it is a condensed anthology of the 1001 Before You Die series by Universe Publishing. There seems also to be a few topics added that are not covered in the main series. I am thrilled to have condensed versions of these lists gathered in one encyclopedic volume. It was too expensive for me to collect all of the separate volumes of the series, and they would take up a lot of physical space. I also appreciate having shorter lists for each topic. 1001 items felt a bit unwieldy at times, and also sometimes padded with obscure, trivial and boring things. This gets to the good stuff. It's like the index I always wished an encyclopedia could have, with fun things like games, travel, pop music and foods included alongside more serious things like history, science and classical music. I was looking for something that rounds up some of the best and most interesting things in life in one place. This is it. A starting point for so much further study. More people need to know about this book!

[Dame · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book for its unique layout, portability, and pictures. Many lists to choose from if you're not interested in some of them. It's okay. I enjoyed reading about my favorite authors and some I didn't know. Thank you.

[T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really three stars but some lists are interesting and others not for me. So it's a middle?