The Most Interesting Book in the World

A miscellany of strange-but-true facts and curious trivia, compiled by Edward Brooke-Hitching, one of the team behind the BBC television programme ‘QI’ and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Pithy lists and profiles include jaw-dropping facts such as: that 50% of human DNA is shared with bananas; that 24th July 1904 saw Maurice Garin, the winner of the Tour de France, accused of having taken the train for part of the course; that the first human cannonball was a 14-year old German girl called Rossa Richter (1862-1922) performing in 1877; that ‘abiblophilia’ is the fear of running out of books to read; that it is impossible for astronauts to whistle while they work in space; and much more. Mixing history, science, geography, arts and culture: page-after-page of entertaining and obscure wisdom to startle and astound.

Hardback
22.5 x 14cm
319 pages
With 129 black-and-white illustrations
FSC accredited paper
Recommended for age 16+