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Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe - Large Print
Danny Wallace wanted to write about a place so special and so crucial to our existence that it had never before been the Centre of the Universe. But then he realised that getting there might be a problem, and when he did, there'd probably be nothing much to write about. Until he heard about a manhole cover, on a small street, in a small town, tucked away in a remote part of Idaho.
The manhole cover had been declared the Centre of the Universe. The mayor had the science to back it up. The town rejoiced.
And the name of the town?
Wallace.
It was a cosmic coincidence Danny couldn't resist...
The manhole cover had been declared the Centre of the Universe. The mayor had the science to back it up. The town rejoiced.
And the name of the town?
Wallace.
It was a cosmic coincidence Danny couldn't resist...
Paperback
First published May 1, 2006
7 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
About the author
Danny Wallace
60 books636 followersDaniel Frederick Wallace is a British filmmaker, comedian, writer, actor, and presenter of radio and television. His notable works include the books Join Me, Yes Man, and the TV series How to Start Your Own Country. As an author, Wallace's bestselling books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
He began writing reviews for video game magazines at the age of 13 for school work experience: a reviewer had become ill and so Wallace was given the opportunity to review a game. At 18 he started writing comedy, mainly through the magazine Comedy Review. He specialised in radio production at the University of Westminster.
At 22, he became a BBC producer. He was part of the production team behind British Comedy Award-winning Dead Ringers, the original producer of the critically acclaimed cult hit The Mighty Boosh, and the creator and producer of Ross Noble Goes Global. As a journalist, Wallace has worked for The Scotsman, The Guardian, The Independent, Elle, Cosmo, The Times and other publications.
In 1999, Wallace challenged comedian Dave Gorman, who at the time was his flatmate, to find 54 other people called Dave Gorman ("one for every card in the deck, including the Jokers"). Wallace accompanied Gorman on his quest and the men created Are You Dave Gorman?, an award-winning comedy stage show about what happened during their journey. A BBC series, also co-written and co-produced by Wallace, followed, as did a book, written by both men.
In 2003, Wallace's book Join Me was published. The book explains how he "accidentally started a 'cult'" called Join Me. The movement would go global, with each member committing to undertaking one random act of kindness for a stranger every Friday ("Good Fridays"). Tens of thousands joined. Join Me celebrates "Karmageddon 10" in December 2011. Traditionally, hundreds of members travel to London for the meet-up and undertake good deeds for strangers, with Wallace present. The movement is now generally referred to as the "Karma Army", although members are still typically "Joinees". He became a minor celebrity in Belgium whilst on his quest for Joinees. While on a book tour through America, Wallace was dubbed a "Generation X legend" by the Wisconsin State Journal.
Wallace next wrote a short book called Random Acts of Kindness: 365 Ways To Make the World A Better Place, with the help of submissions from Joinees. It includes many humorous Random Acts of Kindness (RAoK) ideas, such as "Contradict Demeaning Graffiti", and "Make An Old Man Very Happy."
Wallace's second solo book, Yes Man was published in July 2005. In it, he describes how he spent six months "saying Yes where once I would have said No", to make his life more interesting and positive. In this book he shows the tribulations and mischief that he got up to while he said yes to any question or proposal. The book was described as "one of those rare books that actually has the potential to change your life" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and as "a fascinating book and a fascinating experiment" by David Letterman. A film adaptation of Yes Man was developed with Warner Bros. and stars Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in 2008 in the US and the UK. Wallace appeared on screen in a cameo in a bar scene in the last ten minutes of the film, holding a British pint glass.
Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe was published in 2006. It is linked with World Book Day which in 2006 was on Thursday 2 March. It tells the story of Wallace's trip to Idaho, to visit a manhole cover in a small town, whose residents have proclaimed it the centre of the universe. The cover identifies it as a "Quick Read"; the price and length of the book have been curbed in order to encourage people who may not often read books to purchase it.
Wallace's book, Friends Like These, was released on the 3 July 2008, and tells the story of how he spent a summer trying to track down his old school friends from his days in Dundee,
He began writing reviews for video game magazines at the age of 13 for school work experience: a reviewer had become ill and so Wallace was given the opportunity to review a game. At 18 he started writing comedy, mainly through the magazine Comedy Review. He specialised in radio production at the University of Westminster.
At 22, he became a BBC producer. He was part of the production team behind British Comedy Award-winning Dead Ringers, the original producer of the critically acclaimed cult hit The Mighty Boosh, and the creator and producer of Ross Noble Goes Global. As a journalist, Wallace has worked for The Scotsman, The Guardian, The Independent, Elle, Cosmo, The Times and other publications.
In 1999, Wallace challenged comedian Dave Gorman, who at the time was his flatmate, to find 54 other people called Dave Gorman ("one for every card in the deck, including the Jokers"). Wallace accompanied Gorman on his quest and the men created Are You Dave Gorman?, an award-winning comedy stage show about what happened during their journey. A BBC series, also co-written and co-produced by Wallace, followed, as did a book, written by both men.
In 2003, Wallace's book Join Me was published. The book explains how he "accidentally started a 'cult'" called Join Me. The movement would go global, with each member committing to undertaking one random act of kindness for a stranger every Friday ("Good Fridays"). Tens of thousands joined. Join Me celebrates "Karmageddon 10" in December 2011. Traditionally, hundreds of members travel to London for the meet-up and undertake good deeds for strangers, with Wallace present. The movement is now generally referred to as the "Karma Army", although members are still typically "Joinees". He became a minor celebrity in Belgium whilst on his quest for Joinees. While on a book tour through America, Wallace was dubbed a "Generation X legend" by the Wisconsin State Journal.
Wallace next wrote a short book called Random Acts of Kindness: 365 Ways To Make the World A Better Place, with the help of submissions from Joinees. It includes many humorous Random Acts of Kindness (RAoK) ideas, such as "Contradict Demeaning Graffiti", and "Make An Old Man Very Happy."
Wallace's second solo book, Yes Man was published in July 2005. In it, he describes how he spent six months "saying Yes where once I would have said No", to make his life more interesting and positive. In this book he shows the tribulations and mischief that he got up to while he said yes to any question or proposal. The book was described as "one of those rare books that actually has the potential to change your life" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and as "a fascinating book and a fascinating experiment" by David Letterman. A film adaptation of Yes Man was developed with Warner Bros. and stars Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in 2008 in the US and the UK. Wallace appeared on screen in a cameo in a bar scene in the last ten minutes of the film, holding a British pint glass.
Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe was published in 2006. It is linked with World Book Day which in 2006 was on Thursday 2 March. It tells the story of Wallace's trip to Idaho, to visit a manhole cover in a small town, whose residents have proclaimed it the centre of the universe. The cover identifies it as a "Quick Read"; the price and length of the book have been curbed in order to encourage people who may not often read books to purchase it.
Wallace's book, Friends Like These, was released on the 3 July 2008, and tells the story of how he spent a summer trying to track down his old school friends from his days in Dundee,
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
October 13, 2017
This book was a lot of fun, but then that’s pretty much to be expected when you pick up a Danny Wallace book. Here, he travels to a small town called Wallace in Idaho, partly because it shares his surname and partly because it claims to be the centre of the universe. He spends 24 hours there and gets to know the locals, and this book is about his incredible adventure. Oh, did I mention that it’s pretty funny as well? No wonder it’s on the World Book Day Quick Reads list.
January 9, 2023
A nice, between-read really. I wish it could have been longer like previous books I've loved by the author, but considering how small the Centre of the Universe really is, how could it be? I stand by what I've said to friends lately: I wish I could have a beer down at the local with Danny. Just sit, drink, natter on about the world. I'm pretty sure I'd have a good time (no idea whether he would, but I'm sure I would). Can't wait for my next Wallace installment.
April 18, 2015
100+ pages of pointless, self-absorbed meandering that had the depth of a Wikipedia article. A wannabe Douglas Coupland with few funny jokes but not a single original or insightful observation.
January 20, 2024
After discovering that the centre of the universe is in a small town in Wallace (Idaho), Danny Wallace decides it's his destiny to visit for 24 hours. Much to the locals' amusement, he stays at the Wallace Inn and meets various colourful locals including the mayor, who says he's going to give him the keys to the town and make him an official ambassador. A light, breezy fun read.
January 7, 2018
Funny excursion into the authors wanderings, both literal and mental. Fairly funny.
June 21, 2021
Quite funny and a nice little light read.
November 16, 2023
Not my cup of tea at all. Only finished it because it was short.
May 23, 2024
An entertaining quick read. Highly recommended.
July 12, 2012
Also Found On: A Book and A Record
One of my most favorite people in the entire universe is a massive fan of Danny Wallace, and when she gave me this little novella to read with the promise of a LOT of laughs and not being disappointed it, I jumped.
This book is such a fun, quick, and hilarious read. Danny Wallace is so endearing and wonderful as a narrator, and the things that happen to him whilst on this journey to the centre of the universe is pretty incredible. Honestly, it is one of the most fun books I have ever read. It made me want to be best friends with Danny Wallace, or at the very least make the journey to Wallace, ID to find my zen and center or whatever. (Could I be given the keys to the city or a coin or two perhaps?)
This is definitely not my end with Danny Wallace, I plan to read all of his other books so be prepared for reviews on those sooner or later...
Seriously, amazing, amazing, amazing, fun, and amazing. I need to go and find this guy on twitter, I’ll bet his tweets are incredible. Meanwhile: read this book!
One of my most favorite people in the entire universe is a massive fan of Danny Wallace, and when she gave me this little novella to read with the promise of a LOT of laughs and not being disappointed it, I jumped.
This book is such a fun, quick, and hilarious read. Danny Wallace is so endearing and wonderful as a narrator, and the things that happen to him whilst on this journey to the centre of the universe is pretty incredible. Honestly, it is one of the most fun books I have ever read. It made me want to be best friends with Danny Wallace, or at the very least make the journey to Wallace, ID to find my zen and center or whatever. (Could I be given the keys to the city or a coin or two perhaps?)
This is definitely not my end with Danny Wallace, I plan to read all of his other books so be prepared for reviews on those sooner or later...
Seriously, amazing, amazing, amazing, fun, and amazing. I need to go and find this guy on twitter, I’ll bet his tweets are incredible. Meanwhile: read this book!
January 17, 2017
I love Danny Wallace books and I picked this up for one of the Book Riot Read Harder Challenges to read a book out loud. It’s under 100 pages and it was perfect to read to my boyfriend (we tried a longer book but he kept falling asleep and we weren’t getting anywhere with it!). This is a story where Danny goes to a town called Wallace in Idaho, who claimed they were the Centre of the Universe. Danny spends 24 hours in Wallace and it was an interesting enough story. I did find it very repetitive though in some of his sentences and phrases which I found really tiring when reading out loud. I don’t think it’s a must read if you’re a Danny Wallace fan, it’s really just a blog post or article stretched out to fit into a short story for a book.
March 10, 2012
Danny Wallace stays at the Wallace Inn in Wallace, Idaho, self-proclaimed Centre of the Universe. Well, the centre of the universe (a manhole cover) is only one of the attractions in Wallace, named after a colonel who wasn't actually a colonel. A short and sweet Quick Reads book from the library leaving me wanting to watch "Dante's Peak" in honour of the Wallace townsfolk who were extras in it. Wallace asks various random people what they consider to be the centre of their universe and the answer, it appears, is that the centre of the universe is where the heart is.
August 2, 2011
Another of the ‘Quick Reads’ books released each year for World Book Day (2006, in this case), this would be a good taster for anyone who hasn’t read Danny Wallace yet. I’ve only read one other by him, "Friends Like These", which is much funnier than this, but I still enjoyed it.
Danny has an easy writing style which makes reading him like chatting to a mate over a pint and a sandwich in your local!
Danny has an easy writing style which makes reading him like chatting to a mate over a pint and a sandwich in your local!
June 23, 2012
This is a very short non fiction book about Danny Wallace's trip to a small town called Wallace which claims to be the centre of the universe. If your already a fan of either Danny Wallace or Dave Gorman's mad cap adventures then you will enjoy this book. However if your new to his writing I would not recommending starting with this one, I would either start with Are you Dave Gorman?, (written by Gorman and Wallace), or Join Me!
May 8, 2016
I love Danny Wallace's brand if hijinks-based humor, and I love oddball roadside Americana, so when Danny Wallace visits a small town that has declared itself The Center of the Universe, it's like someone got chocolate in my peanut butter. Short, hilarious book that made me cackle out loud. Highly recommended.
August 25, 2016
Wacky and wonderful, read this a while back and essentially a Major of a small US town declared a man hole in his town as The Centre of the Universe. Danny Wallace discovered this and simply had to visit! Funny and heartwarming, I think the town in question may now have an annual Danny Wallace day!!
December 6, 2011
I find Danny Wallace quite funny and enjoy his columns in Shortlist magazine so thought I'd give this a go. It was a fun half an hour romp through his journey to the Center of the Universe - aka Wallace, Idaho.
Without wanting to spoil too much, he did get given a lot of souvenir coins.
Without wanting to spoil too much, he did get given a lot of souvenir coins.
July 4, 2013
Danny Wallace's writing is full of humour, wit, candour and inspiration. Like all great non-fiction writing, the author creates something out of nothing as he observes both the humdrum and absurdity of every day life throughout his madcap adventures. Great reading, I can never put him down.
July 21, 2015
Disappointed
Expected this to be as funny and incredible as Yes Man, but it definitely fell shorts. Some laughs were definitely there, but all in all, it was quite a waste of time.
Expected this to be as funny and incredible as Yes Man, but it definitely fell shorts. Some laughs were definitely there, but all in all, it was quite a waste of time.
June 21, 2007
Very random!
October 12, 2007
Short little story, pretty funny...read it if you like Danny Wallace's other books....
July 13, 2010
Reinforces the stereotype that small-town Americans are nutters and strangely makes me want to pat Danny Wallace on the head and wag my finger at him!
July 9, 2010
Danny goes to Idaho, he can make anything sound like a truly amazing adventure. I have read all his books and therefor found this one far too short. And the wrighting too big, I felt like a child.
April 11, 2025
Riiiiiiiiiiiiight - thanks for sending me this gem Pete! Kinda random, but I liked the ending!
I've got the perfect place to leave this :D
I've got the perfect place to leave this :D
August 26, 2010
not bad but read better by him.
February 21, 2011
This is a "Quick Reads" book, meaning it's only a little over a hundred pages of large print. It definitely lived up to the "quick" part, but was still an enjoyably funny little short story.
April 21, 2011
Not as funny as Join Me!, but it still made me laugh out loud at the dentist's office.
August 16, 2011
A quick read in typical Wallace style.
October 29, 2011
Not a alot of people can make me laugh out loud like Danny Wallace.
February 6, 2012
What you have come to expect from Mr Wallace in a quick read book, if you have a two hour journey it will help pass the time. Random and humorous .
February 29, 2012
This book is a light quick read - the "foreigner in Smalltown USA" theme lasts just long enough to be endearing, not tiresome.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews