Uncle John's Old Faithful 30th Anniversary Bathroom Reader

by Bathroom Readers' Institute

Celebrate the big 3-0 with this thrilling 30th edition of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader—and cheers to 30 more!

2018 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award Gold Winner in Humor
What's even more trusty and awe-inspiring than Old Faithful, the Yellowstone geyser that erupts 17 times a day? Uncle John and the Bathroom Readers' Institute! Every year for the past three decades, Uncle John and his team of tireless researchers have delivered an epic tome packed with thousands of fascinating factoids. And now this extra-special 30th anniversary edition has everything you've come to expect from the BRI, and more! It's stuffed with 512 pages of all-new articles sure to please everyone, from our longtime readers to newbies alike. You'll get the scoop on the latest "scientific" studies, weird world news, surprising history, and obscure facts. Here's just a sampling of what's in store:

From foe to friend: presidential rivals who are buddies now
What you never thought to do with those old CDs you have lying around
Saddam Hussein revealed…and it's not pretty
James Bond author Ian Fleming and his most titillating book titles
The creepiest murderabilia that no one would want…except these people
The origins of Project Gutenberg and its free e-books
All-new editions of our most popular series, including Terrible Typos, Phrase Origins, and You Call This Art?
Myths and facts about our friends—nos amis—the French
The most horrifying things ever lost or found

And much, much more!

Genres: Trivia, Nonfiction, Humor

512 pages, ebook

Published September 12, 2017

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

[OutlawPoet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this may be considered a ‘bathroom reader’, but my daughter and I actually read it at bedtime. (Confession: We’ve probably read about six or seven of these.)

This huge book is loaded with interesting facts, groan-worthy jokes, historical anecdotes, and silly stories. There’s something for everyone.

Parents should note that I do censor some stories – there are a few that deal with funny or interesting sexual situations – but everything else is fair game for any age.

You can page through this, letting the titles of the sections catch your eye – or you can plow right through reading every entry like I did. Trust me, each is fascinating or funny or eye-opening. From Leonardo da Vinci to Whiskey to quotes from Ghandi to stupid criminal stories, the book has a little bit of everything!

A Blast of a series. We’re very happy they published this new one and hope there are many more to come!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

[Bookish_predator · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy these books, curled up in bed just devouring little facts and figures before I get back to true crime books that fill my head with death.

*Huge thanks to the Bathroom Readers' Institute, Printers Row Publishing Group, Portable Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've just started reading (what else?) Uncle John's OLD FAITHFUL 30th Anniversary Bathroom Reader and I can verify that it is well up to the high standard of Uncle John's books.

The 30th Anniversary in the title gives the clue to just how popular these books are.

Designed to be read in the smallest room in the house they both entertain and educate the reader.

This is a really great, fat slab of a book that you can dip into and out of or just read from cover to cover- the choice is yours.

Totally brilliant, totally entertaining and enjoyable.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just for bathrooms anymore!

I've read many previous Bathroom Readers in paperback format in, of course, the bathroom. This is my first Kindle version of the long-running series. It opens up the reading possibilities substantially. The varying lengths make this a good choice for grocery store checkout lines, doctor's waiting rooms and during a particularly boring college lecture hall. However, if you're a risk-taker, you can also try traffic signals (while red of course), during boring work meetings (pretending it is a text from an important customer), or while waiting for your tow truck to arrive after being rear-ended at a traffic signal that turned green while reading a story from this book that was obviously too long.

Uncle John's Old Faithful Bathroom Reader is a compendium of short, shorter and shortest trivia stories. This is the latest in the long-running series that began in 1988. There is no need to read them in order at all. There are so many interesting tidbits of knowledge in this book, it is hard to just pick a few to quote. Here are my favorites:

"In 1989's Back to the Future Part II, the future version of Biff--a megalomaniac real estate mogul--was based on real estate mogul Donald Trump [Writer pitching Part IV: Biff becomes US President after hit reality game show--huge laughter from network executives.]"

"Gin in cotton gin has nothing to with alcohol. It's slang for engine. [This tidbit's inclusion might indicate that I am not the only one who didn't understand the connection immediately, heavy sigh]"

"7-Up [formerly] contained lithium citrate, a drug still used to treat bipolar disorder [maybe to serve the market of those high on the cocaine-laced Coca-Cola of the time?]"

"Who turned the spit that roasted the meat in medieval kitchens? Specially trained dogs [without teeth or with great self-control I guess]"

There are anecdotes for every taste: funny, thoughtful, intelligent and heartwarming. An example of the last is the story of a devoted husband who is trying to help his blind and depressed wife see the world without leaving her backyard. Strangely, there are also recipes. Hopefully, no one is cooking while in the bathroom!

Uncle John's Old Faithful Bathroom Reader is a great read for everyone who wants to fill a few moments with a fun fact or an interesting true story. 5 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, Portable Press, and netgalley for an advanced review copy.

This and other reviews are at my blog, dianereviewsbooks.com.

[Theediscerning · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better delights of using netgalley is the annual appearance in my inbox of a Bathroom Reader's Institute collection of trivia. Their depth and up-to-dateness and their warmth in the writing style must all make them the finest collection of annual trivia compendiums in the world. Which is why I was completely puzzled to find two howlers very early on. According to this, they don't know their Bavarian Kings, and think Buzz Aldrin was on the moon in 1996. Still, there is a welter of fun to be had here, and I didn't spot any other mistakes, so will let them off. Yes, some of the features are too long, and/or too Americanised, but it's all pretty much forgivable (I could have done without the snowflake response to the Mediterranean migrants, however, that we almost close with). There's a lady here who had a 73 year career in medicine – I think you'd take her advice for healthy and long-living. All evidence indicates these books could last just as long.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like trivia? Do you enjoy fun facts? Do you get bored while doing your thing in the bathroom? This book will be for you. I actually read this book setting in my easy chair instead of the bathroom but I learned a whole lot of stuff from this book. No I am not a genius now but I do know several new things. They may not be things that will get me anywhere in life but a lesson is a lesson and none of us are ever to old to learn something. The facts in this book are are fun to read. They are short little snippets. Some will stick with you for days to come. Some you may have to pick up the phone and call someone just to share that "Did you know" question.

Things in the book are: Did you know there were 13 honeymooning couples on the Titanic?
Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer got it's name from the ribbon it won at the 1893 World's Fair.
The first junk mail was a Vick's Vapor Rub ad.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

[Dan Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

collected just about every Uncle John's book that appeared (I still have a large stack of them). Happy 30th Anniversary Uncle John!I absolutely love these books. I have always been one to love trivia, and these books are fabulous for it. It is hilarious, yet informative at the same time. And of course, some really bad jokes along the way. There are even updates to people who were in the news (very popular news items, too) like Baby Jessica. This is one of those books you can lose time in reading it and wonder where the time went. I loved this book and highly recommend it if you like trivia, or just want to learn something new everyday. It is pretty up-to-date on most current events (well, up to printing time that is). It is not heavy reading, but light, fun reading while learning a fun fact or two! Read it!

[William.Halvorsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes a reader is in the lavatory, craving something to read. Well this book is perfect, and it is Uncle john's Old Faithful Bathroom Reader, but he bathroom readers institute. Plenty of information on Colonel sanders, Idioms, the Largs hum, and that's barley scratching the surface, of ore than 20 entire books in this series. First of all, it is quite funny sometimes. Or it can be serious. Depends on the article. Also you learn quite a few things, so it is good for learning (random) stuff. Lastly it has plenty of interesting fun facts, on the bottom of each page. This book will be interesting if the reader likes to learn lots of new things. Audios, fellow readers!

[Jami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first bathroom reader, and it definitely won't be my last! My brother in law, who is my punster buddy, introduced me to this series. I love the format of longer and shorter anecdotes, some funny, some informative. The snippet of trivia at the bottom of each page is also interesting stuff - hey, if I'm ever on Jeopardy, it may come in handy. There is such a variety of information, that there is something for everyone. There were a few things I didn't find very interesting, so I skimmed over them, but they were few and far between. I started reading it in short spurts, but then it was taking me forever to get through it, so I read the last 300 pages in the last week or two.

[Becky Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as an ARC reader from Netgalley. I love these books and the interesting facts and stories.
I love these books because they are always funny and have interesting facts and stories. This one didn't disappoint.
I am glad that I got this book as an ARC because I am always waiting for the next one to come out and they are easy to read and you always get a good laugh with some of the stories and quirkiness of the whole book.
Please hurry up with another Uncle John's book because I can't get enough.

[J.J. Lair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not every story was interesting to me. Not one of the strongest compendiums in the series. They changed the format on the quotes pages which threw me off. The General Lee bio story was really well done. The new wave music article was so interesting that I looked up the albums on the internet.
So it had some good stories, some things I wanted to know more about and some stories didn’t interest me.

[Phillip Murrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was leaving Iraq in 2007, I found three Bathroom Readers. I read all three cover to cover while waiting to fly home in time for Christmas. Since then, I've received the newest Bathroom Reader each year as a gift. I take the year reading it in the way it was intended. This reader was just as great as the dozen I've read before. I love trivia, and the Uncle John Bathroom Readers are the gold standard.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been skimming this in the mornings before work. Got it as a gift a long time ago since it was camping traditions. Some bits are fun, others not so much. I get rhe organization of the book is intended to be read put of sequence, but as someone who read it cover to cover I'd rather the size of the articles been shuffled.

I enjoyed the lighthearted tone it had.

The paperback is a solid brick though so you could maybe fight a bear if you wanted to, but I wouldn't recommend it.

[Linda Appelbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books continue to be favorites of mine. Perfect for the bathroom or even road trips where sharing stories as you go down road can minimize boredom. So many snippets of information, facts, history and really interesting stories about people, places and things - it's the most fun educational experience one can have.

[Nathan Elberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of interesting tidbits of information, silly jokes and anecdotes. The purpose of the series is defeated though, because they have made the book too heavy to hold in your hands for an extended period.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The usual quality collection of facts, stories and brief, but interesting articles from Uncle John. How they keep finding this stuff after 30 editions (technically 29 - there was no 9th edition) is truly impressive.

[Judy Tarver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at how much information is compiled in this book. It truly has something for everyone. After I read it, someone I know who rarely reads picked it up and read it and loved it as well. Lots of interesting things and well worth reading.

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

great uncle john's bathroom reader!

[Nick Vantangoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Among the many that they’ve done, I couldn’t give this one a 5 star review. I’ve read them all but there were a few snoozers in here!

[Mike Crews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good “just before bedtime” reading

Full of trivia, believe-it-or not stories and hilarious anecdotes I guess these books could be classified as a guilty pleasure.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader 30th Anniversary enjoyable to read when I was bored.

[Tom Darrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid.

[April Vangelderen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annoyingly I had to put something in text to "finish the book"

[Bill Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

did not seem to be as interesting as other Uncle Johns books. Maybe a little to varied for my sitting tastes.

[David Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have read any of this series, you know what to expect. If you haven't, this is a collection of trivia articles ranging from lists to multi-page articles.

[Patricia Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

i just love these books you always learn something new every time

[Gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always fun and always interesting.

[Craig Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received from Netgalley. Uncle John's Bathroom Readers are the perfect choice for a trivia nut. Old Faithful 30th Anniversary edition continues the format contained in previous books. The reader is given the option of short one sentence mini facts to larger in-depth stories that delve into deep background information. The variety of subject areas are astounding and will satisfy the curiosity of anyone who reads on the throne.

[Hugh Laybourn · Rating 4 out of 5]

fascinating facts

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not too much can be said about this series, other than it does not disappoint. Amusing reads when you have a little ( or a lot) of time to spare, with fun facts and it tells you how long each is. Perfect little distractions when you've got to go. If something isn't working, you can just try something else. Hoping there is more to come in this series!