- Hardcover: 512 pages
- Publisher: Gramercy; Reissue edition (Sep 23 1991)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0517065037
- ISBN-13: 978-0517065037
- Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 16.3 x 3.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 816 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #539,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Isaac Asimov was unquestionably one of America's greatest scientific writers--from his mind came the awe-inspiring Foundation trilogy and the classic I, Robot. It hardly comes as a surprise then, that the brain of Asimov was overflowing with facts, statistics, and millions of trivial tidbits. His Book of Facts comprises 3,000 of these little information snippets. To organize this wealth of data are distinct subject areas--ranging from chapters titled "Art" and "Medicine" to more obscure ones such as "Salty Facts" and the amusing "Strange Rules, Laws and Customs." Did you know, for instance, that the Tinguian people of the Philippines have a very unique way of kissing? They put their lips close to each other's faces, and then quickly inhale. Or that in the Middle Ages the Europeans put their disobedient animals on trial? Well, you know now! Asimov's Books of Facts immerses the reader into a humongous vat of information. Asimov feeds the brain. --Naomi Gesinger
Book Description
Within the pages of Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts are many hours of entertaining and informative reading—little-known facts that will make you exclaim, time and again, "I didn't know that!"
Here are some of the intriguing facts you will find in this book:
-Emperor Caligula appointed his favorite horse as a consul of Rome.
-Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food from freezing.
-For distances of up to 150 feet, an alligator can outrace a man.
-In 1896, two men rowed across the Atlantic.
-The number of possible ways of playing just the first four moves on each side in a game of chess is 318,979,564,000.
-Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. president to be born in a hospital.
Here are some of the intriguing facts you will find in this book:
-Emperor Caligula appointed his favorite horse as a consul of Rome.
-Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food from freezing.
-For distances of up to 150 feet, an alligator can outrace a man.
-In 1896, two men rowed across the Atlantic.
-The number of possible ways of playing just the first four moves on each side in a game of chess is 318,979,564,000.
-Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. president to be born in a hospital.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Asimov Didn't Write This,
By
This review is from: Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts (Hardcover)
In his autobiography, "I, Asimov", Isaac makes it clear he did not write this book. It was put together by someone else, and his name was attached to it through some kind of contractual mumbo-jumbo. That being said, it is an entertaining book.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of Facts: Low Quality,
By Daniel S Alegria (Portola Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts (Hardcover)
I think Asimov is pushing it with this one: "he has studied so many things throughout his life, he must be qualified to write a book of interesting factoids." The result is a compendium of trivia with limited interest: since he has tried to draw from his entire career, facts are sometimes even general knowledge within a subject, or not particularly interesting. To be more specific, take:"Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel. He refused the opportunity, having no head, he said, for human problems." "New York City has 570 miles of shoreline." "The hardness of ice is similar to that of concrete" etc. I thought this book would make good toilet reading and was let down: most facts were unsurprising or not particularly enlightening.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Facts,
By A Customer
This review is from: Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts (Hardcover)
I am a junkie for inconsequential facts. This book is full of them, although it also has many facts that we should know and perhaps don't. My only complaint is that it's not a paperback. I can't carry it around easily and read at lunch! I recommend it for other facts junkies.
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