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The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World - A.J. Jacobs
The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
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3.52 165
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 Britannica from A to Z. To... show more
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 Britannica from A to Z. To fill the ever-widening gaps in his Ivy League education, A.J. Jacobs sets for himself the daunting task of reading all thirty-two volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His wife, Julie, tells him it's a waste of time, his friends believe he is losing his mind, and his father, a brilliant attorney who had once attempted the same feat and quit somewhere around Borneo, is encouraging but unconvinced. With self-deprecating wit and a disarming frankness, The Know-It-All recounts the unexpected and comically disruptive effects Operation Encyclopedia has on every part of Jacobs's life -- from his newly minted marriage to his complicated relationship with his father and the rest of his charmingly eccentric New York family to his day job as an editor at Esquire. Jacobs's project tests the outer limits of his stamina and forces him to explore the real meaning of intelligence as he endeavors to join Mensa, win a spot on Jeopardy!, and absorb 33,000 pages of learning. On his journey he stumbles upon some of the strangest, funniest, and most profound facts about every topic under the sun, all while battling fatigue, ridicule, and the paralyzing fear that attends his first real-life responsibility -- the impending birth of his first child. The Know-It-All is an ingenious, mightily entertaining memoir of one man's intellect, neuroses, and obsessions, and a struggle between the all-consuming quest for factual knowledge and the undeniable gift of hard-won wisdom.
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Format: paperback
ISBN: 9780743250627 (0743250621)
ASIN: 743250621
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages no: 389
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
moving under skies
moving under skies rated it
1.0 The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
As insufferably annoying as the title implies, but it had at least two genuinely amusing scenes that kept me reading in hopes of more. Alas, it was not to be.
katiewilkins186
katiewilkins186 rated it
4.0 The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
The Know-It-All is a classic stunt memoir, in which author A.J. Jacobs attempts to read the entire print version of the Encyclopedia Britannica… all 33,000 pages of it. Organized by letter, A.J. shares fun facts he learned in each section as well as words that were relevant to his life while he was ...
Wandering through fiction
Wandering through fiction rated it
3.0 The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
Interesting facts. Fairly well drawn together with personal insights.
HannahReads
HannahReads rated it
5.0 The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
A.J. Jacobs makes reading the Encylopedia Britannica so much fun and interesting! I can't wait for him to call up everyone in the NYC phone book or attempt to go around the world in 80 days. With him telling the story, it's sure to be wicked fun.
Sparrow
Sparrow rated it
This was a little more like actually reading the Encyclopedia Britannica than I was really prepared for. I think it took me longer to read this book than it took Jacobs to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, too. So, I’m not sure what that says about my reading stamina. It took Jacobs someth...
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