1,339 Quite Interesting Facts to Make Your Jaw Drop (edició 2014)

A series of occasionally interesting facts by the authors of the far superior QI books (such as "The Book of the Dead" and "The Book of Animal Ignorance"). My favorite fact of the 1339 was that Fletcher Christian and William Wordsworth attended school together in Cockermouth, Cumberland but knowing that "Lalochezia" is using swearing to relieve stress or pain is very useful for me to know, while the pedant in me needs to note that the fact "80% of plane crashes occur in the first three or last eight minutes of a flight" is somewhat odd, as surely 100% of plane crashes occur in the last minute of flight. ( )

Another collection of 'quite interesting' facts and trivia from the makers of the television show QI. This is slightly bigger than the previous instalment, with 1,339 facts to the previous 1,227, but it is still a very quick read.

Rather, I should say there are 1,338 facts, because one on page 321 – St. Nicholas resurrected three small boys who had been cut into pieces and pickled in brine." – cannot be called a 'fact' so much as a 'belief' or a 'story'. At the very least, the statement should have an "Allegedly" or an "According to legend" prefix to qualify. But even this would have been a bit dishonest, for it is this sort of editorial intervention which compromises some of the other facts. A good number of the facts are, if you look closer, just rather ordinary facts or statements that have been dressed up as something 'amazing'.

This gives the book a more flighty quality than 1,227, sacrificing some of the intellectual responsibility of its predecessor just to provide a bit more padding. There are still a lot of good facts to get your attention, and the sourcing to be found online at www.qi.com/1339 is again welcome. But this book screams 'stocking-filler', whereas the previous one just whispered it discreetly and gave a knowing wink." ( )

1,339 QI (Quite Interesting) Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop is jam packed with funny, interesting and quirky facts that you'll want to read aloud to anyone within listening distance.

There's a combination of facts that flow logically on from each other without being broken down into specific chapters (e.g. animals, human body, history etc) that made for a seamless, uninterrupted read.

I borrowed this book from the library and everyone who saw it in my living room couldn't resist picking it up and then reading out a snippet or two. Perfect!

Here are three of my favourite facts from the book:

It's impossible to hum while holding your nose. Page 76

Burning Mountain, Australia, is a natural coal fire that has been alight for 6,000 years. Page 146

A group of kittens is called a 'kindle.' Page 148

Dubai's Burj Khalifa skyscraper is so high, and its lifts are so fast, that you can watch the sun set at ground level, travel to the roof and watch it set again. Page 225

1,339 QI (Quite Interesting) Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop is a brilliant coffee table book presented in a small hardback edition perfect for throwing in your bag and taking with you to pass the time.

Highly recommended for a variety of readers, young and old. ( )

I challenge anyone to read this book and not feel the urge to blurt random facts at people. ( )