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The Natural History of Nonsense
Here for your delectation is the SPECTACULAR AND RARE--------------The Natural History of Nonsense by BERGEN EVANS. THIS ITEM IS FOUND NOWHERE ELSE!!! DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!!! DON'T STAY HOME WITHOUT IT!!! NOT TO BE MISSED!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! A FABULOUS COLLECTIBLE!! This is the softcover stated VINTAGE FIRST EDITION FROM 1958. The book (no dj) is in excellent reading condition. There are no rips, tears, markings, etc.---and the pages and binding are tight (see photo). ** All books listed as FIRST EDITIONS are stated by the publisher in words or number lines--or--only stated editions that include only the publisher and publication date. Check my feedback to see that I sell exactly as I describe. So bid now for this magnificent, impossible-to-find HUMOR COLLECTIBLE.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
275 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1946
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 21, 2017
"Irrationality must come close to being the largest single vested interest in the world. [...] In fact, everyone in our society not directly engaged in the production and distribution of necessities, transportation, artistic creation, elementary teaching or the maintenance of public order, to some extent, and more or less consciously, preys upon ignorance and delusion."
Finally I have had the opportunity to re-read the book that like no other - with the possible exception of some works by Stanislaw Lem - influenced my thinking during the teen years and helped shape my worldview. I first read Bergen Evans' The Natural History of Nonsense (1946) when my mother gave it to me as a Christmas gift in 1963 or 1964: it shook me and since then I have always tried to follow the lessons of skepticism with respect to a great number of popularly held beliefs.
The author himself calls the book "a study in the paleontology of delusion." His goal is to systematically debunk a wide range of common prejudices and beliefs and to be an advocate of skepticism, which he aptly defines as "the life spirit of science." Yes, the book is heavily dated, but before I discuss some of the prejudices and misconceptions exposed by the author, let me first point out how relevant the author's theses became with the ubiquity of Internet.
Mr. Evans recounts a hoax perpetrated by H.L. Mencken in 1917 when he had published an article about the 75th anniversary of "the first bathtub installed in America." In his article he wrote about the initial resistance of the society to the invention, condemnation as "a menace to health and morals," and the slow acceptance of the invention. Mencken's story was so catchy that it was retold and reprinted thousands of times, and referred to as fact by public authorities. Even when in 1926 Mr. Mencken confessed that the story was a hoax, not many people believed him. Even the second confession did not help. People repeated the story for years and years (it was used as late as 2008). One hundred years later the Internet gives us thousands of fake stories, nonsense, and pure garbage every day. And we do believe these stories. I personally know a Ph.D. in sciences who believes that the contrails of planes are really chemtrails sprayed by "gubmint." I know serious and intelligent people who believe that vaccinations cause autism. The power of nonsense has not changed over 100 years.
The only weakness of the book is that the selection of commonly believed nonsense is quite dated. Hopefully fewer people now believe that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, that lemmings march to their deaths, that there exist "piscatory downpours" (raining fish), that animals know when their death is near, that dogs can find way back home from thousand of miles away, that elephants have phenomenal memory, that children can be raised by animals, that weather conditions during conception influences a person's future, that the so-called "death rattle" commonly accompanies human expiration, that hair can turn white instantaneously, and many others.
While all these examples of nonsense may sound mild and inoffensive, Mr. Evans talks a lot about serious issues: prejudices about race, how physical characteristics presumably determine the intellectual ones, etc. He lampoons the 1940s racial stereotypes of blacks, Jews, Asians, and others. Now we know more about these prejudices, but in 1940s this writing must have been quite courageous.
Not only is the book a loud cry for rationality, it is also frequently hilarious. Some stunning examples: the author quotes a traveler to Java who writes that infants there throw away their cigarettes when they are ready to suck mother's breasts. My absolute favorite is the 1920 research article by Prof. Adolf Gerson who traces the development of human menstrual cycle to the lunar cycle and the fact that early men hunted for their females on moonlit nights. Also, I am not sure if the author used the following example on purpose or just did not notice the atrocious pun it creates: he writes about the hairy Ainus people of Japan who value hirsuteness in their women. I apologize for being offensive if I did not catch the joke.
So yes, it is quite a dated book but since the advent of Internet seems to have strengthened the global embrace of irrationality and confirmed the human propensity for nonsense it remains a vey strongly recommended text.
Four and a half stars, which I round up. I am happy about my first five-star rating in half a year (55 books ago).
Finally I have had the opportunity to re-read the book that like no other - with the possible exception of some works by Stanislaw Lem - influenced my thinking during the teen years and helped shape my worldview. I first read Bergen Evans' The Natural History of Nonsense (1946) when my mother gave it to me as a Christmas gift in 1963 or 1964: it shook me and since then I have always tried to follow the lessons of skepticism with respect to a great number of popularly held beliefs.
The author himself calls the book "a study in the paleontology of delusion." His goal is to systematically debunk a wide range of common prejudices and beliefs and to be an advocate of skepticism, which he aptly defines as "the life spirit of science." Yes, the book is heavily dated, but before I discuss some of the prejudices and misconceptions exposed by the author, let me first point out how relevant the author's theses became with the ubiquity of Internet.
Mr. Evans recounts a hoax perpetrated by H.L. Mencken in 1917 when he had published an article about the 75th anniversary of "the first bathtub installed in America." In his article he wrote about the initial resistance of the society to the invention, condemnation as "a menace to health and morals," and the slow acceptance of the invention. Mencken's story was so catchy that it was retold and reprinted thousands of times, and referred to as fact by public authorities. Even when in 1926 Mr. Mencken confessed that the story was a hoax, not many people believed him. Even the second confession did not help. People repeated the story for years and years (it was used as late as 2008). One hundred years later the Internet gives us thousands of fake stories, nonsense, and pure garbage every day. And we do believe these stories. I personally know a Ph.D. in sciences who believes that the contrails of planes are really chemtrails sprayed by "gubmint." I know serious and intelligent people who believe that vaccinations cause autism. The power of nonsense has not changed over 100 years.
The only weakness of the book is that the selection of commonly believed nonsense is quite dated. Hopefully fewer people now believe that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, that lemmings march to their deaths, that there exist "piscatory downpours" (raining fish), that animals know when their death is near, that dogs can find way back home from thousand of miles away, that elephants have phenomenal memory, that children can be raised by animals, that weather conditions during conception influences a person's future, that the so-called "death rattle" commonly accompanies human expiration, that hair can turn white instantaneously, and many others.
While all these examples of nonsense may sound mild and inoffensive, Mr. Evans talks a lot about serious issues: prejudices about race, how physical characteristics presumably determine the intellectual ones, etc. He lampoons the 1940s racial stereotypes of blacks, Jews, Asians, and others. Now we know more about these prejudices, but in 1940s this writing must have been quite courageous.
Not only is the book a loud cry for rationality, it is also frequently hilarious. Some stunning examples: the author quotes a traveler to Java who writes that infants there throw away their cigarettes when they are ready to suck mother's breasts. My absolute favorite is the 1920 research article by Prof. Adolf Gerson who traces the development of human menstrual cycle to the lunar cycle and the fact that early men hunted for their females on moonlit nights. Also, I am not sure if the author used the following example on purpose or just did not notice the atrocious pun it creates: he writes about the hairy Ainus people of Japan who value hirsuteness in their women. I apologize for being offensive if I did not catch the joke.
So yes, it is quite a dated book but since the advent of Internet seems to have strengthened the global embrace of irrationality and confirmed the human propensity for nonsense it remains a vey strongly recommended text.
Four and a half stars, which I round up. I am happy about my first five-star rating in half a year (55 books ago).
August 17, 2025
This book is one of the best early examples I've yet seen of what would later come to be called "scientific skepticism" in the era of Carl Sagan and James Randi several decades later.
Read
June 17, 2021i first read this maybe 50 years ago and had fond memories. It’s very old fashioned and the racial politics, while trying to be sensitive, don’t always work but as a trip down memory lane, it was enjoyable enough.
June 3, 2021
insightful
December 12, 2013
Evans was a public skeptic of the forties and fifties and he wrote this book to prove that an awful lot of people are stupid and gullible and superstitious and not likely to take the scientifically enlightened opinions of their more educated betters for gospel truth. He retails some great anecdotes in several chapters, though certain others (on race relations and differences, for example) have aged poorly. His writing is generally acceptable and sometimes, in fact, he’s quite funny. But more often he’s merely snide.
In the end Evans stalls in the cross-currents of his own theme. He wants on the one hand to blame people for not keeping up with the march of progress and sweeping all those quaint antique and medieval notions out of their heads, because we should all know so much better by now. On the other hand, especially towards the end of the book, he wants to argue for the impossibility of progress because people are such incurably stupid beasts.
Though they would seem to agree on most things, Evans lacks the verbal muscle-power and superexcellent sneer of H.L. Mencken, who is quoted several times. Reading Bergen you soon see that he’s unfair, a reductionist and a bit of an ass, and you decide you’re bored and probably wasting your time. Reading Mencken, on the other hand, you see that he’s unfair, a reductionist and a very great ass, but you can hardly get enough of him because his prose is like a live snake in the baby’s crib or a perfectly timed series of explosions in a drowsy public market.
In the end Evans stalls in the cross-currents of his own theme. He wants on the one hand to blame people for not keeping up with the march of progress and sweeping all those quaint antique and medieval notions out of their heads, because we should all know so much better by now. On the other hand, especially towards the end of the book, he wants to argue for the impossibility of progress because people are such incurably stupid beasts.
Though they would seem to agree on most things, Evans lacks the verbal muscle-power and superexcellent sneer of H.L. Mencken, who is quoted several times. Reading Bergen you soon see that he’s unfair, a reductionist and a bit of an ass, and you decide you’re bored and probably wasting your time. Reading Mencken, on the other hand, you see that he’s unfair, a reductionist and a very great ass, but you can hardly get enough of him because his prose is like a live snake in the baby’s crib or a perfectly timed series of explosions in a drowsy public market.
July 12, 2012
This should be required reading for any critical thinking course. It is a handbook against irrational thought, so-called "common sense", and a host of other misconceptions of humankind. Though written in 1946, it is still relevant today, if not more so, since so many of us seem to have lost our collective mind.
Fun reading, witty, and smooth, it is a great book to revisit from time to time. Although the material is presented in a humorous matter, many of these subjects are not so funny, considering people still believe really strange things.
Fun reading, witty, and smooth, it is a great book to revisit from time to time. Although the material is presented in a humorous matter, many of these subjects are not so funny, considering people still believe really strange things.
October 6, 2015
A handbook for any up and coming pimp of critical thinking.
There are these things that are propagated from time to time, on the news for example, they are maybe a little slanted and maybe a little false at the ending tip but most people don't really bother questioning them.
Sometimes an artist takes a stab at them, in this case it's in book form and a great read. It's also well and thoroughly sourced, which is always a good find in a book that also has the value of humor.
It's very deconstructionist I would say.
There are these things that are propagated from time to time, on the news for example, they are maybe a little slanted and maybe a little false at the ending tip but most people don't really bother questioning them.
Sometimes an artist takes a stab at them, in this case it's in book form and a great read. It's also well and thoroughly sourced, which is always a good find in a book that also has the value of humor.
It's very deconstructionist I would say.
July 14, 2011
Bergen Evans was an American literary figure of the 40s and 50s, dictionary compiler, usage maven and a professor at Northwestern University. An early sceptic, he published The Natural History of Nonsense in 1946.
The book is a sardonic exploration of popular myths and religious controversies, eg. Adam's navel, children raised by wolves, the moral qualities of wild animals and much more. A very amusing, off-beat read.
The book is a sardonic exploration of popular myths and religious controversies, eg. Adam's navel, children raised by wolves, the moral qualities of wild animals and much more. A very amusing, off-beat read.
December 2, 2013
Propongo como título alterno: Manual de pensamiento crítico para fantasmas. Qué librito.
May 17, 2016
A copy of this book should be given to every American citizen on their 18th birthday, and again to every elected public official immediately after their swearing in.
April 12, 2016
As if we need any more proof. Loved the book. Sad testament to human's irrationality.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews