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The Most Interesting Person in the Room: A brief guide to understanding the world
The origin of the marathon derives from the legendary story of Philippides running from the Battlefields of Marathon to Athens in 490 B.C. This distance was approximately 40 km, however, was changed in 1908 to please a lazy 67-year-old king.In nearly every geography classroom around the world hangs a map called the Mercator Projection. This is the mostly widely distributed, yet inaccurate map in history and could be distorting societal views on the world.Americans celebrate Christopher Columbus Day, despite the fact he was not the first to discover America, nor did he set foot on the North American continent. The famous Italian explorer died alone and poor, with his heirs suing the Spanish Crown for their share of the New World fortune.Pallor, algor, rigor, and livor mortis are the different stages of a decomposing body, which help coroners determine the time and cause of death, and if the body has been moved. When humans eventually expire, the last thing they see is a tunnel of white light, as they slowly fade away... Is it the gates of heaven? In the late 19th century, the world suffered from a pollution epidemic that threatened the entire existence of global cities. This environmental threat did not originate from rats, or factories, but instead horse manure. This was not the first time in history that poop threatened to destroy our civilization. The Most Interesting Person in the Room is a rich, fast-paced exploratory journey into the world. This debut book from author Thomas Vernon is a glorified fact book, exploring the broad topics into Health, History, Sport, Finance, and Death. The informal, easy-to-read style enables the reader to jump down the rabbit hole of curiosity and learn about topics and issues to broaden the reader’s horizon.
342 pages, Paperback
Published October 13, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
October 29, 2020
“The Most Interesting Person in the Room” is in a nutshell: imagine your reading about the holy pope passing away, and while he lies on his death bed they hit him in the head 3 times with a hammer asking are you dead, are you dead. Now turn the page, you are learning about the different stages of a decomposing body and then finally you learn Franz Ferdinand royal suit was a leading cause in his death because they could get it off him! All those crazy facts are jam packed into 2-3 pages and that is just the beginning. A truly colossal achievement from Thomas Vernon to create an unusual general knowledge book.
October 15, 2020
I firmly believe one of the best ways to educated people about science, history, health, and finance is to make educatable material fun and engaging. The Most Interesting Person in the Room: A brief guide to explain the world deliver just this! No, I will not be referencing this book for any scientific journal any time soon but I learnt so much I never knew. This easy-going book highlights so of the best and worst moments in history, looks at finance and health at a new angle and presents a journey of discovery I’ve never come across in a book before.
October 21, 2020
As the full title of the book states “A brief guide to understanding the world” it deliver just this. The author, Thomas Vernon has a good handle on how to merge all the elements of history, science, finance, health, and everyday like into a wildly entertaining trip. Science and history books are never easy to read, but this easy-going book is a pleasure and a great break from traditional norms.
October 16, 2020
Bloody brilliant! One of the most fascinating books I have ever read. I don’t normally buy yet alone rate self published book, but The Most Interesting Person in the Room was so good!
Highly enjoyable and highly recommended!
Highly enjoyable and highly recommended!
October 17, 2020
I love books like this. I appreciate how it can twist everything you know and tell you everything in a different style. Who knew that the Mercator projection (Global map) is totally inaccurate. Or the fact that Captain James Cook fixed the scurvy disease. This is a brilliant book for people who love facts, and love learning weird things that actually come in handy if you like to counteract what people think they know about everything.
October 29, 2020
This was an interesting book full of trivia that nobody knows. Now if only I had friends geeky enough to quote it at. :D Very good for reading just a bit of before bed, palate-cleansing during frantic essay writing, or sitting down with for an hour straight, thinking 'just one more page'... A great book for keeping in the toilet as there are lots of little sections to be read stand alone ;)
October 17, 2020
The book follows a loose order covering broad topic like history, sport, and medicine. It is very, very rapid pace, jumping from topic to topic. I loved that you could pick up the book at and point and jump straight in. A great read for anyone who enjoys general knowledge trivia.
October 27, 2020
Personally, I've never been a huge fiction reader so a book like this was right up my alley!
From front to back it is full of facts, stories, and clarifications about all sorts of thing we thought we knew. If I had to describe the books, it is a unique blend of a general knowledge trivia book, with a strange story telling feature.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a inquisitive mind especially if you have an interest in history, sports, and finance. Now I’m off to find that pot of gold, it’s worth $14 million!
From front to back it is full of facts, stories, and clarifications about all sorts of thing we thought we knew. If I had to describe the books, it is a unique blend of a general knowledge trivia book, with a strange story telling feature.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a inquisitive mind especially if you have an interest in history, sports, and finance. Now I’m off to find that pot of gold, it’s worth $14 million!
October 21, 2020
I believe this book may be the best book I have ever read. Not only is it full of excitement, curiosity and funny the addition of comic drawings throughout each chapter added to the journey and wonder. I would recommend this book to all scientist, doctor, student, historian… actually how about I just recommend it to everyone, you will not be disappointed!
October 21, 2020
The book follows a loose order covering broad topic like history, sport, and medicine. It is very, very rapid pace, jumping from topic to topic. I loved that you could pick up the book at and point and jump straight in. A great read for anyone who enjoys general knowledge trivia.
October 20, 2020
I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an inquisitive mind especially if you have an interest in history. From front to back it is full of facts and clarifications about all sorts of thing we thought we knew. This book is full of a wealth of interesting stories with non-standard approach to telling stories. Great read.
October 26, 2020
An entertaining compendium of little known and strange facts. Reads like a collected series of magazine features. Very funny, entertaining, and educational!
Each chapter has its own specialized topic.
Chapter One focused on history, exploring broad historical events and touching upon the origin of curiosity.
Chapter Two shifts towards sports, discussing running, body shapes, the names of NBA basketball teams and the best team in history. I loved this chapter, especially the best team in history, I had to look them after I finished reading the book. They are truly the best ever!
Chapter Three discusses health and medicine. The book touches upon topics such as life expectancy, the AIDS epidemic and the growing obsession with gluten free food. (I totally agree).
Chapter four talks about finance and money. I personally loved the pot of gold story!
Chapter five breaks from the normal topics and discusses everyday life. The book goes into very long detail about coffee. I have always wondered what the difference between an iced coffee and a cold brew is!
Finally chapter six, talks about death!! I really enjoyed learning about the assassination of JFK and Franz Ferdinand. Two incredible stories!
To be honest, this book covers the above topics and so much more! I highly recommend looking at the table of content on the preview on Amazon. I’m sure there is a topic for you!!
Each chapter has its own specialized topic.
Chapter One focused on history, exploring broad historical events and touching upon the origin of curiosity.
Chapter Two shifts towards sports, discussing running, body shapes, the names of NBA basketball teams and the best team in history. I loved this chapter, especially the best team in history, I had to look them after I finished reading the book. They are truly the best ever!
Chapter Three discusses health and medicine. The book touches upon topics such as life expectancy, the AIDS epidemic and the growing obsession with gluten free food. (I totally agree).
Chapter four talks about finance and money. I personally loved the pot of gold story!
Chapter five breaks from the normal topics and discusses everyday life. The book goes into very long detail about coffee. I have always wondered what the difference between an iced coffee and a cold brew is!
Finally chapter six, talks about death!! I really enjoyed learning about the assassination of JFK and Franz Ferdinand. Two incredible stories!
To be honest, this book covers the above topics and so much more! I highly recommend looking at the table of content on the preview on Amazon. I’m sure there is a topic for you!!
November 1, 2020
An intriguing and fascinating read which lets readers to travel through colorful case studies about characters and stories from Captain James Cook, to why Money is called “Money”.
The Most Interesting Person in the Room: A brief guide to exploring the world, is a wonderful counterintuitive exploration combining crafty storytelling with fascinating facts regarding, the NBA, the deadliest country in the world, the origin of Coffee, and so much more!
So, if I love this book so much why 4 stars out of 5? Well this book does not contain references which is fine, but sometime I want to learn more about some of the topics and they don’t provide a direct link to it. The facts are not too obscure to find, but I’m lazy and want to be told where to look! All and all a great read, and I would recommend to anyone!!
The Most Interesting Person in the Room: A brief guide to exploring the world, is a wonderful counterintuitive exploration combining crafty storytelling with fascinating facts regarding, the NBA, the deadliest country in the world, the origin of Coffee, and so much more!
So, if I love this book so much why 4 stars out of 5? Well this book does not contain references which is fine, but sometime I want to learn more about some of the topics and they don’t provide a direct link to it. The facts are not too obscure to find, but I’m lazy and want to be told where to look! All and all a great read, and I would recommend to anyone!!
November 2, 2020
This is the first Thomas Vernon book I’ve read (I think he is a first-time author??) – I like his writing style and the content makes me want to read more into other published work.
The Most Interesting Person in the Room: A brief guide to exploring the world, is a general knowledge/ fact-based book. The book isn’t simple one-off facts, but a long collection of stories blend into unique chapters. Be prepared for a lot of information in a short amount of time. Sometimes these facts do get a bit off track but once the chapter ends that stops that particular story. I really enjoyed this because you can pick up the book at any point and read a quick chapter while you are having your morning coffee.
A very unique book and I’m struggling to find another book similar to it. I looking forward for more work from this author.
The Most Interesting Person in the Room: A brief guide to exploring the world, is a general knowledge/ fact-based book. The book isn’t simple one-off facts, but a long collection of stories blend into unique chapters. Be prepared for a lot of information in a short amount of time. Sometimes these facts do get a bit off track but once the chapter ends that stops that particular story. I really enjoyed this because you can pick up the book at any point and read a quick chapter while you are having your morning coffee.
A very unique book and I’m struggling to find another book similar to it. I looking forward for more work from this author.
November 2, 2020
Easy and fun to read. This is a nonfiction book filled with interesting pieces of trivia, arcane historical facts, and tidbits of little known knowledge, each little piece made bite-sized and easy to understand for the common man.
I would recommend this to anyone open to thinking about the way they think. If creativity can be taught and if people are willing to take novel approaches to problem solving, then this book provides a way forward. Sure, it could be summarized into a single poster with some bullet points, but the narrative anecdotes give concrete reality to the tips.
On the negative side, I don’t think that is book should be called a guide, but rather stories about the world. It is very random in its layout and is not organized at all like a guide. Some of the stories and facts I don’t entirely agree with, however they are nearly impossible to correct. For example, why did they bleed George Washington so heavily when they were treating him for laryngitis, or why did Humans leave Africa 10,000 years ago. Overall, good read 4-5 stars.
I would recommend this to anyone open to thinking about the way they think. If creativity can be taught and if people are willing to take novel approaches to problem solving, then this book provides a way forward. Sure, it could be summarized into a single poster with some bullet points, but the narrative anecdotes give concrete reality to the tips.
On the negative side, I don’t think that is book should be called a guide, but rather stories about the world. It is very random in its layout and is not organized at all like a guide. Some of the stories and facts I don’t entirely agree with, however they are nearly impossible to correct. For example, why did they bleed George Washington so heavily when they were treating him for laryngitis, or why did Humans leave Africa 10,000 years ago. Overall, good read 4-5 stars.
November 3, 2020
This book was good but not great, I’ll give it a 4/5. I have read most of these reviews and I agree with everyone that the book is fun, entertaining, and a lot of stories and facts. I also agree that this book is not like anything I’ve ever read before.
However, I think sometimes the writer when too far down the rabbit hole, to steal an express from the book. In chapter two for example, the writer went through every single name of all 30 teams in the NBA. This was really cool and interesting but maybe he could have focused on just the top 5. Furthermore, is Chapter 3, it discusses the countries in the world which have the lowest life expectancy. Once again fun, fascinating facts and stories but I think we went to far into why they have the lowest life expectancy.
However, 4 stars out of 5 stars is still really good and I loved the book. I enjoy that each chapter is not connect to the next. Furthermore, each subchapter is not connected to the previous sub-chapter, rather it just follows the same theme. I.e Sport, Money, Death. Etc.
Would recommend!
However, I think sometimes the writer when too far down the rabbit hole, to steal an express from the book. In chapter two for example, the writer went through every single name of all 30 teams in the NBA. This was really cool and interesting but maybe he could have focused on just the top 5. Furthermore, is Chapter 3, it discusses the countries in the world which have the lowest life expectancy. Once again fun, fascinating facts and stories but I think we went to far into why they have the lowest life expectancy.
However, 4 stars out of 5 stars is still really good and I loved the book. I enjoy that each chapter is not connect to the next. Furthermore, each subchapter is not connected to the previous sub-chapter, rather it just follows the same theme. I.e Sport, Money, Death. Etc.
Would recommend!
November 6, 2020
3/5 why?
Well…my annoyance is mainly with the authors easygoing, dismissive style of writing. However, this is also why I kept reading the book. The author brushes over major historical events and stories, but this style also may also be the wide appeal for the book. I’ve read a lot of these reviews and I agree, there is a lot of facts and stories combined in this book and over all it was enjoyable.
I think this book is a great coffee table book, but not a historical best seller. If you want a fun, non-serious read then buy it. If you are after something with a bit more meat, then not.
Well…my annoyance is mainly with the authors easygoing, dismissive style of writing. However, this is also why I kept reading the book. The author brushes over major historical events and stories, but this style also may also be the wide appeal for the book. I’ve read a lot of these reviews and I agree, there is a lot of facts and stories combined in this book and over all it was enjoyable.
I think this book is a great coffee table book, but not a historical best seller. If you want a fun, non-serious read then buy it. If you are after something with a bit more meat, then not.
November 6, 2020
There are far too many fascinating assertions in this book to even mention. But for me the most fascinating is why American’s celebrate Christopher Columbus’s discovery of America, when in fact the explorer never actually landed on the country!! When I read this section, I was blown away and actually had to double check. To my surprise, yest Columbus never landed in North America and the reasoning why they celebrate him is bizarre ( I won’t spoil it) I enjoyed how the author was able to highlight unique, strange facts and present them in a clear, readable manner.
This is a hugely ambitious book; it takes a very broad approach, condensing vast topics into short chapters. All in all, reading this book felt like reading an entertaining science or history textbook. It was really fascinating to take a look at the world and realize how unique and strange the world is.
I definitely recommend reading it.
This is a hugely ambitious book; it takes a very broad approach, condensing vast topics into short chapters. All in all, reading this book felt like reading an entertaining science or history textbook. It was really fascinating to take a look at the world and realize how unique and strange the world is.
I definitely recommend reading it.
November 9, 2020
Absolutely sublime. Fantastic. I don't think I've ever read a book with such grand scope, or a book that promises to cover so much and actually delivers.
The Most Interesting Person in the Room: a brief guide to understanding the world, deals with the enormous questions about history, science, health and finishes with death. The author provides answers that seem intuitively right but leading us to think further than we have before.
Dizzyingly good. Everyone should read this
The Most Interesting Person in the Room: a brief guide to understanding the world, deals with the enormous questions about history, science, health and finishes with death. The author provides answers that seem intuitively right but leading us to think further than we have before.
Dizzyingly good. Everyone should read this
July 25, 2021
After many "Oh! I didn't know that" and " Haan Maloom hai chal apne baap ko mat sikha" moments, I've finally finished this one. A factbook with no start, middle or end. You'll find random facts around six topics- History, Sport, Food, Money, Everyday Things, and Death. The author has tried their best to stitch in these random facts with transitions to make it feel like a story. That, undoubtedly, makes it a fun read.
P.S- My rating (which is quite harsh) reflects the book's relevance to me.
P.S- My rating (which is quite harsh) reflects the book's relevance to me.
December 7, 2020
I picked this book up on Amazon the other day. I was not sure because it is a new book from an unknown author, and boy I am glad I got it. I recommend this book for those who like to expand their general knowledge. Fun collection of stories and facts. Great book!
December 1, 2020
A funny, enlightening book about facts you thought you knew but it turns out you really don't. I've only ever watched QI a few times but thought this was a much better way to get all the information.
Each time I was able to sit down and read a little more of this book, I was entertained and learned something new. This book is great, I will consider this book to anybody family friends and even co workers.This book has lots of informational facts.
Each time I was able to sit down and read a little more of this book, I was entertained and learned something new. This book is great, I will consider this book to anybody family friends and even co workers.This book has lots of informational facts.
December 1, 2020
Bathroom reading this might be, but you can learn a lot in a few minutes and the writer's style is engaging. Fun book full of interesting facts and unique snippets of information. I was finding it hard to dedicate a lot of time to reading each day, so this book was ideal, being divided into short, fascinating segments -- because I was picking the book up irregularly, it meant I was not constantly having to remind myself of where I left up. Overall a fun, light read.
November 18, 2020
Part of this book is right up my alley. It chronicles a wide variety of topics, and shows how history and science are filled with the most fascination stories.
Its a very amusing book. I dont know whether the result derived are true or not but they seems very plausible. Like the doctors bleeding George Washington to death by cutting him!! A very fun read. I suggest to all my friends that you should definitely try at least one chapter and if you like plz do continue.
Its a very amusing book. I dont know whether the result derived are true or not but they seems very plausible. Like the doctors bleeding George Washington to death by cutting him!! A very fun read. I suggest to all my friends that you should definitely try at least one chapter and if you like plz do continue.
December 9, 2020
Incoherent words on a page
- The book has no structure, jumping from trivial fact to fact via tenuous links
- The book is riddled with typos and poorly written sentences which makes reading disjointed and unpleasant
- The book has no structure, jumping from trivial fact to fact via tenuous links
- The book is riddled with typos and poorly written sentences which makes reading disjointed and unpleasant
November 13, 2020
Awesome book... Pretty amazing insights. I’ve found this valuable piece of literature applicable to life. Honestly, I never thought I’d be reading about Aids, the Stock Market, how the body decomposes, yet here I am and did I find it interesting and insightful.
The book itself.. it's curious and something everyone should read. There are some lessons inside and lessons are always good to learn. I think a lot of it kind of seems like common sense but everyone is different and I still discovered from it as you will too I'm sure.
Check it! See what you think.
The book itself.. it's curious and something everyone should read. There are some lessons inside and lessons are always good to learn. I think a lot of it kind of seems like common sense but everyone is different and I still discovered from it as you will too I'm sure.
Check it! See what you think.
November 11, 2020
If you're any kind of a Jeopardy geek ( RIP Alex Trebek) or trivia buff this is required reading
The Most Interesting Person in the Room is a thoroughly entertaining history of trivia - or, of the universally-addictive pastime of asking and answering obscure general knowledge questions. Author Thomas Vernon did great research, and writes with a densely-packed brevity and wicked sense of humor.
And best of all, there are great trivia questions sprinkled throughout the narrative, so you can test your knowledge. Well done
The Most Interesting Person in the Room is a thoroughly entertaining history of trivia - or, of the universally-addictive pastime of asking and answering obscure general knowledge questions. Author Thomas Vernon did great research, and writes with a densely-packed brevity and wicked sense of humor.
And best of all, there are great trivia questions sprinkled throughout the narrative, so you can test your knowledge. Well done
November 11, 2020
This was a bizarre book. It is a long collection of facts and stories ranging from The Age of Exploration to Gluten Intolerance. At first I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this book, because I was trying to compare it to other non-fiction novels. In the end I came to the conclusion that it isn’t like anything else I have read before. This is truly a unique book.
Can anyone else tell me books similar to this? I loved it!
Can anyone else tell me books similar to this? I loved it!
February 11, 2021
Whilst I enjoyed this book it was a little hit and miss as far as the eclectic nature of the information given is concerned. Personally the opening chapter concerning the reason for ice ages and the size of our jaws was very informative. Similarly the last chapter about the Ist WW was equally intriguing but other areas such as the names of major League Basketball teams were less so. However, every reader will pick up some interesting facts from this book and will be unable to stop showing their friends and family how learned they are!
December 9, 2020
A book with no structure, jumping from fact to fact, would normally not be my cup of tea but this time I loved it!
This author has created something truly unique and I am not sure I’ll read another book like this ever again! If you want a book which follows a linear structure where there is a start, middle and end, then this book is not for you. However, if you want a lighthearted, fun, entertaining fun book then jump write in.
This author has created something truly unique and I am not sure I’ll read another book like this ever again! If you want a book which follows a linear structure where there is a start, middle and end, then this book is not for you. However, if you want a lighthearted, fun, entertaining fun book then jump write in.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews