The Straight Dope

The Straight Dope

by Cecil Adams

No molly coddle, he, Cecil Adams tackles the tough questions in life, including "Do cats have navels?" and "What are the real lyrics to 'Louie, Louie'?'" Uncompromising and always entertaining, he explodes myths, reveals shocking truths and answers over 400 of the most pressing questions of this or any day.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Trivia, Humor, Science, History, Cultural

417 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first moved to San Francisco, I worked in an office next door to Steve Peroutka. During his neurology residency at Johns Hopkins, he had done the family genetic study which established that the 'photic sneeze reflex' (sneezing in response to bright sunlight) is an autosomal dominant trait.

It pretty much made his day when I told him that I already knew who he was because I had read about him in 'The Straight Dope'. Much more so than if I'd said I read the research paper he had written. He boasted about being in 'The Straight Dope' for months.

What's not to like about this book? Cecil was debunking urban legends with his own inimitable wit long before there was a snopes.com. And even despite the availability of google and sites like snopes.com, I still pull down this book (or its successor) occasionally, if I need to check the plausibility of some weird claim or other.

Recommended for those who are technological 'late adopters' like myself, and who still maintain a lingering preference for books over alternative content delivery formats.

[Remo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cecil Adams es en realidad el pseudónimo de Ed Zotti, que trabaja en el Chicago Reader. A Cecil Adams le hacen preguntas de todo tipo, fáciles (¿Todos los mamíferos tienen lengua?) y difíciles (¿Son más listos los gatos o los perros?), de política y de sexo, de historia, de derecho, de ciencia y de temas absolutamente inclasificables (¿cuántas vacas mata MacDonald's cada año para hacer hamburguesas?, ¿Funciona realmente la publicidad subliminal?). Sus respuestas, con cierta actitud de sobrado, son muy interesantes y completas. Y cada libro suyo trae cientos de ellas. Lectura CPI apasionante.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to regularly read Cecil Adam's column in The Reader back in the 80's when we lived in Chicago, and to this day all I need to do to revisit those grad-school days is open my well-thumbed copy of The Straight Dope. Was there ever as cool a smart-ass/nerd as Cecil? He set the tone for a lot of the hip-cool know-it-all types who came afterward, but none really had the same mojo. Thousands of readers sent Cecil their (seemingly) unanswerable questions, only to have scorn heaped upon them as Cecil, the all-knowing, came up with the answers.

This book reminds me of those late-night drunken/stoned conversations we've all had with friends - arguing about or speculating over some completely trivial matter that, for some reason, suddenly seizes our imaginations. What would happen if... all the Chinese in the world jumped off a chair at the same time? Could it cause a seismic event? What makes pigeons bob their head when they walk? Just what the hell does the "H" stand for in "Jesus H. Christ"?

Cecil to the rescue!

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the "bad book friend" who once got me kicked out of the library. If not for her constant prodding and teasing I might never have learned to "put down the book and live a little". She sent me this particular book. It's informative, it's funny, and I now know things I might never have learned otherwise. Like the calorie content of sperm, for instance.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The greatest of all the newspaper columns devoted to weird news and strange facts, mainly because "Cecil Adams" was a distinctive and very funny character. I once worked with a guy who had written it for a while and was a talented journalist, but there's no doubt that Ed Zotti was the finest of all the Cecil Adamses. I'm pretty sure all the Straight Dope books are from his tenure.

[Pjtibbetts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Straight Dope series is the ultimate in bathroom reading.

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Straight Dope: A Compendium of Human Knowledge by Cecil Adams (Ballantine Books 1984) (031.02) (3878).

I’ve been a fan and an avid reader of the Chicago newspaper column “The Straight Dope” and its associated website “The Straight Dope Message Boards” for many years.

This is the first collection of the Straight Dope columns; it was published in 1984, and the site is still going strong today in 2023.

Don’t know the Straight Dope? The book jacket lists a few perfectly fitting examples of the columns’ subject matter and the absolutely trivial topics discussed therein:

Do cats have navels?

How are coins taken out of circulation?

What are the real lyrics to “Louie, Louie?”

Why do men have nipples?

Inquiring minds wish to know, and that’s why the Straight Dope has been beloved for many many years.

I own a PB copy of this book that has been in my library collection since the 1980s.

My rating: 7.5/10, finished 1/1/1985 (3878).

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

[Surly Gliffs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed "More of the Straight Dope" a couple years back, so obviously I couldn't resist picking up this original collection from Uncle Hugo for four bucks. Just to reiterate the conceit, Cecil (a really real person) is the world's smartest man. For unknown reasons, he has a column in alt-weekly newspapers, answering questions from the unwashed masses. The answers are mostly informative, consistently entertaining, often funny. A couple answers reflect attitudes a bit out of step with the times; a couple others are hilariously wrong (he might have understated the kinetic consequences of an meteor strike). Well recommended for those with trivial pursuits.

[AS · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad loved this series and we had them around the house when I was in junior high, and read them bit by bit in the comfy chair in the living room : ) It's the kind of book I would just flip open to a random page and read. There's a lot of interesting stuff... and a lot of super weird stuff! I found a lot of it pretty creepy, actually. I don't know if it helps you understand the world better, but it's certainly an entertaining read.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love books of random trivia/answers to everyday questions, but this one can be skipped. It’s dated in terms of language and information, and the author’s “sense of humor” crosses the line into meanness.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great trivia column compendium, and if you like this one there's lots more volumes. I have to admit that, after having read almost all of them, about all that sticks with me is why Rolling Rock has "33" on its label and why excrement is brown. There is, natch, a related web site.

[Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea this existed in the pre-internet era. It's informative and hilarious.

[Holly Lindquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Adams, a consummate know-it-all and professional wise-acre, answers assorted questions on a nearly limitless variety of topics. These include deep questions about the nature of the universe, small questions about mundane items (navel lint), and bizarro questions from left-field. Adams tackles them all with charm and just the perfect glaze of sarcasm. I love collections of random information and this one is definitely near the top of my list.

[T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most hysterically funny books you can buy! Cecil used to write a column and compiled questions and answers into this (and, I believe, other) book. Cecil is such a wit. I purchased it because of a passage regarding Schroedinger's Cat what was written by a fan in rhyme, and Cecil answered back in verse also. I highly recommend this book that can be read in snippets for people on the go, or just straight through.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a fairly recent convert to the Straight Dope. One of the first things I learned from the esteemed Cecil Adams is armadillos are leprous (a fact not included in this book, but maybe one of his other books). I've learned many other useful facts since I've started reading the column and books... but that's the fact that always stands out.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was left up at Dad's cottage in Michigan by, I believe, his second wife, an editor at Scott Foresman. Lacking any other light reading and being familiar with the column in The Chicago Reader, I went through this, the first collection of such pieces, in short order, finding all of it very amusing and some helpfully informative.

[Rich Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

While a lot of the information is quite dated now, even 15-20 years later, this is a fun book to read. Cecil Adams (a.k.a. editor Ed Ziotti) was one of the first popular columnists to answer the important questions that everyone asks, and some that only those denizens of Baltimore have the temerity to query.

[Eric Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Culled from a weekly reader-submitted question column in the Chicago Reader. Thankfully dealing with any topic under the sun, rather than relationship advice. The 1970s hipster-wiseass persona begins to grate pretty quickly, but a wide variety of topics are treated, and Cecil's research usually brings home the bacon.

[Q · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Cecil Adams is awesome - I've been reading his columns for a long time (longer than I care to admit!) and always find him thoughtful and hilarious. His straight-forward approach combined with thorough research and great delivery make a totally enjoyable read. You have to like trivia and bits o'knowledge of course.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first of a series. Answers to questions I never thought to ask by "the world's smartest human"

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything I know I learned from The Straight Dope. I'm exaggerating, of course, but probably not by much.

[Big Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that clarifies almost every questionable myth or fact. A must read for know-it-alls.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So funny, so entertaining, so comprehensive. This book lives permanently in our bathroom. Best toilet reading ever! (That is a big compliment, by the way!)

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read this book in bed before I go to sleep.

[Angela Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books should be in every bathroom.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Answers to all kinds of questions on all kinds of subjects--some stuff I wanted to know and other stuff I didn't. Fun to read.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love me some Straight Dope.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cecil, I wanted to know things that I could never ask. Thanks!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

always love to read trivia

[Erik Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole series is funny and informative, he was Snopes before the web.