Customer Reviews

The Straight Dope

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all let me tell you Cecil Adams' work is not for impressionable people. He is quite outspoken and spits out things in some straightforward and perhaps rude way.
If that's ok for you and you are interested in trivia things, then I reccommend this book to you.
This is the very first book of his set of 4 and covers most of the most interesting articles appeaered on his column at the Chicago Reader since 1973.
Cecil is an eccentric guy who claims to be the "smartest" guy who knows it all around the world. its said he has devoted a whole house to compile and archive articles and data of various aspects deriving from Biology to Laws.
Tip: you can find most of his articles on line, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to read a couple of them first and find out your likeness for his way of writing.

Dude, man, this book was like...totally not like its title said it would be man. I mean, the only buzz I got off it was inhaling the fumes from the cover. No Dope anywhere to be found! It was like...
...
...a bummer.

Fortunately there were also no rants on circumcision, SUVs, the liberal bias of the media, words that end in "gry," or the fact that Enterprise could beat out a Star Destroyer any day of the week so I'd give this book six stars if possible.

I ordered this book a few weeks back not really sure what exactly to expect from it, by intrigued by the description of it. We often forget that before the internet was so common, finding out answers to odd questions was a good deal harder than it is in this point and click age. Libraries had to be visited, research done, etc. Once I got it I began to leaf through the pages and skim some of the questions and was very pleasantly surprised by both the content and the style of writing.

The premise is simple enough, it was a newspaper column in which people could write in with whatever questions that they had, and Cecil would research them out and give an answer. What makes the book so worth while is the style in which Cecil answers the questions. He has quite a way with words and some of the witticisms he spews back at those asking the questions are outright hilarious.

The book is divided into several chapters ranging from language, to sports, entertainment, and many many others so that you can jump straight into a particular line of questions and answers. Having read this, the first collection of his articles, I am planning on buying other collections released soon. This was truly a very fun read that I highly reccomend everyone else pick up and give a chance.

The Straight Dope is wonderful reading for anyone with a curious mind. If you ever had a teacher who was rough, rude, and completely arrogant, and you still liked him, then you'll love this book, as well as all of the others in the Straight Dope series.

This book is marvelous. The first time I read it, I started hyperventilating because I was laughing so hard. I have to get a new copy soon because all the pages are falling out of my original copy. It is one of my very favorite books. It makes a marvelous toilet book, and I frequently give it as a gift. I have read the "sequels", and though they are very entertaining I enjoy the original most.

The Straight Dope books are some of the best trivia books out there today - they cover all sorts of odds and ends from animals, media, sports to other abnormal oddities.

Cecil Adams began his quest for truth in 1973 by accepting letters from the Teeming Millions (as he calls his readers) at the Chicago Reader and his been answering bizzare trivia questions ever since. Cecil has stuck around due to his irrevrant sense of humor and willingness to answer just about anything the public can throw his way. His column is currently seen in more than 30 newspapers throughout the United States and Canada but his books are must haves!

The Straight Dope is the first in the grouping and covers all sorts of inane topics such as: What does the 'H' stand for in Jesus H. Christ? Why do pigeons bob their heads? Is it true what they say about Catherine the Great and the horse? Why is there no Channel One?

and so on... buy this book and you will be the envy of all your friends - or at least you will be on your way to becoming King or Queen of all useless knowledge. This book makes a great gift (I would know as I tend to buy it for friends) or can be useful for great party chatter!

Ever ask yourself questions, seemingly silly ("What if...", "How does...", or "Hmmm... you know...") that you think are interesting but will never be answered? Sure you do. Well, THEY ARE ANSWERED IN THIS BOOK. Most of them anyway. Tons of questions of this type are answered in this book with humorous and insightful commentary from the one and only Cecil Adams. I personally have spent many, many hours wading through the vast Straight Dope archives. Pick up this book and you will probably do the same. If you a person who wonders about slightly off-kilter, perhaps unscientific topics, then this book is for you, it'll be a Godsend. The various sequels are good, if not quite on this one's level. Pick them up if you get addicted, but definately start here. Highly reccommended.

I first got this book at a local Borders and was amazed at its interesting explanations and addicting prose.

The books seems average enough. Its 420 pages long divided into different sections. Pretty tame and normal. But the content is far from it.

The premise is also simple. Cecil Adams a pseudonym for an unknown person who I personally believe is Ed Zotti. The people send in questions and he answers them. But these are real questions. The kind that the average person thinks about or nulls about. The kind of questions that involve physics and sports and just plain out little riddles that we think about and never really received the answer to.

Whats great is the intersting level and way that Cecil writes the answeres in. He writes so funny that I found myself laughing OUTLOUD which I usually never do. The questions are also answered not given some dumb explanation which no dumby could understand. Accompanied with the book are little cartoonsih pictures that are ok.

Cecil is a national resource and i am glad that I got to know his books. They are fun and certaintly not boring as a lot of others can be. I recommend for the child (11 to 16) Know It All which is also quite entertaining. Buy this book for a laugh and YOU SHALL GET IT!

I loved this book. I have had it for years and still open it up all the time. It is funny as hell and educational to boot. Buy this book and be known as the smartest person in town. Not only is this book awesome, but I have Cecil's other ones and they rock too.

But highly amusing and fun. This book does not probe the great mysteries of the universe. Of course, Cecil answers questions that we have all tried to at one point or another. I personally, have always wondered how hair knows it has been cut. Thankfully, Cecil knows.

I have never even heard of this guy. Whether he is famous in America remains unbeknown to me, but he certainly is far from famous here in Australia. It doesn't make him any less enjoyable, however their are several references to things that will make no sense to the average Australian, and also, considering it was written quite a while ago, no sense to a young reader.

However, well worth the purchase, and the website is also worth the effort.