The Know-It-All
One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
By A. J. Jacobs




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Book Description
33,000 pages
44 million words
10 billion years of history
1 obsessed man
Part memoir and part education (or lack thereof), The Know-It-All chronicles NPR contributor A.J. Jacobs's hilarious, enlightening, and seemingly impossible quest to read the Encyclopaedia BContinue
6 Reviews
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八足 said on Feb 18, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback
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ahka said on Aug 9, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback
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Wrenwin said on Aug 19, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback
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Well sorry to say I also got bored with this, though I did get as far as section G. My husband is also an avid reader and he read the complete book while I was waiting to hear from Sarahka with an address. He is not sure why he bothered though. Lets face it we could have just brosed the Encyclopedia ... (continue)
Lindyloumac said on Dec 4, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback
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Michelle said on Oct 19, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback
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One man's humble quest to become the smartest person in the world
Funny and light reading. Very good bedtime reading material. Some of the EB entries quoted are very interesting, although some difficult vocab/uncommon words used by the author.
The idea and writing style are quite different from typical fiction writing.
Taitai said on Apr 2, 2007 | Add your feedback
Book Details
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Rating:




(35)
- English Books
- Hardcover 400 Pages
- ISBN-10: 0743250605
- ISBN-13: 9780743250603
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster
- Pub date: Sep 21, 2004
- Dimensions: 1484 mm x 1032 mm x 194 mm Just how big is that?
- Also available as: Paperback, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Others and eBook
- In other languages: other languages
Prices Change currency & sellers
| ISBN | Edition | List | Sale | Seller |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9780743250603 | Hardcover | $25.00 | $21.37 | bn.com |
| -- | $11.99 | ebooks.com | ||
| $25.00 | $20.32 | The Book Depository | ||
| Other editions → | ||||
| + 1 copy tradable: → | ||||
1 person find this helpful
A very interesting book about acquiring knowledge.
First I still want to question American way of using the word "smart". It seems that Americans have the concept of "intelligence" and "knowledge-based possession" mixed together. (用中文來說就是聰明跟博學的分別) Just as we can see in the subtitle--Does readi ... (continue)
A very interesting book about acquiring knowledge.
First I still want to question American way of using the word "smart". It seems that Americans have the concept of "intelligence" and "knowledge-based possession" mixed together. (用中文來說就是聰明跟博學的分別) Just as we can see in the subtitle--Does reading the whole EB make you more intelligent?
The answer is probably negative. Just as the author himself found out: Knowing much about chess does not make one a chess master.
But, after all, the author himself did learn much from the EB.
The first time I saw this book in a bookstore in Taiwan, I read through the first few pages and began to hate it, the author as well. I felt like he was just a pop-guy peeping the world of knowledge, not respectful to the Great EB.
However, when I picked it up again in America, it really felt different. I don't know whether this has anything to do with translation. Yet I think that the author's style changed through the book.
During the progress, he had new experience that he might never have without the encountering EB: He joined Mensa, attended a TV trivia program, understood how shallow his old self was.
Now, after reading this "Hitchhiker's guide to the Britanica", I have to extend my respect to Mr. Jacob, for he has become a different person, "smarter" or not.
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