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benburns's review against another edition
5.0
I always wanted to write this book: a guide to how you could recreate the inventions and progress of society if you had to do it all yourself. But I wouldn't have had the stamina to research it all - and I wouldn't have thought of such an ingenious premise, namely that this is a manual written for when your time machine breaks down and you're stranded in the past. And of course, Ryan North being who he is, he milks this premise for an incredibly high average of about 1 actual out-loud-laugh per page.
Read this book to learn things like how to create language, numbers, and logic; how to farm, breed livestock, and treat illnesses; how to tell what past time period you're stranded in based on what kind of dinosaurs, people, or constellations are around; how to develop increasingly interesting technologies like charcoal, kilns, waterwheels, glass, bikes, engines, and airplanes, all literally from scratch; and how to appreciate how embarrassing it is that it took humanity 200,000 years after we showed up - and 12,000 years after we invented farming - to come up with any of this stuff.
I now know way more about everything than I did before, and I had a great time learning it. Plus, if some sort of apocalypse or time travel mishap ever puts me in a situation where I have to rebuild civilization and its knowledge from scratch, I'll be in a much better spot.
Read this book to learn things like how to create language, numbers, and logic; how to farm, breed livestock, and treat illnesses; how to tell what past time period you're stranded in based on what kind of dinosaurs, people, or constellations are around; how to develop increasingly interesting technologies like charcoal, kilns, waterwheels, glass, bikes, engines, and airplanes, all literally from scratch; and how to appreciate how embarrassing it is that it took humanity 200,000 years after we showed up - and 12,000 years after we invented farming - to come up with any of this stuff.
I now know way more about everything than I did before, and I had a great time learning it. Plus, if some sort of apocalypse or time travel mishap ever puts me in a situation where I have to rebuild civilization and its knowledge from scratch, I'll be in a much better spot.
davidgilani's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the concept! I often daydream about what I'd do if I could go back in time with all the info I have now... and this book brings it to life fairly well. If you went back in time, what would 'invent' and bring to society. I also thought that the book was just really hilariously written. Great sense of humour that made even the instructions for how to build the best types of fire pits really entertaining. I did find a few of the invention tips a little bit repetitive for the stuff I wasn't as interested in, but overall a really enjoyable read.
regwiebe's review against another edition
funny
informative
slow-paced
A delightful book, akin to a TEDTalk (or a series of several TEDTalks). Your interest may vary depending on the section, but the book is always enjoyable and informative. Even if you don’t enjoy North’s narrative comedy comics, there’s a lot to love here.
jenmcmaynes's review against another edition
4.0
Very fun! The premise, that it is a "repair guide" in a time travel machine which doesn't actually include information for repairing the machine but for rebuilding civilization from scratch, is silly and really just a vehicle (heh, pun) for quick factoids and silly jokes, which I was totally down for. So there is a lot of information on how to tan hides, produce charcoal, weld, basic healing, write music, fly, and more; everything your civilization will need! And it is peppered with snarky jokes and eye-rolling puns, so yeah. It was fun, I laughed, and maybe learned a little.
courthompson's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.0
This turned out to be a book that I couldn't just sit down and read, but rather had to do a few pages at a time because it got incredibly dense with information. However, it was very clever and thought out and I really enjoyed the wit and humor
chris_sanny's review
5.0
Both entertaining AND enlightening. An incredible perspective-making book, putting so many elements of civilization into historical/scientific/societal context. I love seeing the complex made simple, and know how hard that can be. This book does that really well.
thealpacalypse's review against another edition
3.0
Drags a bit but it’s very informative about how relatively long it took for us to discover certain things that are in modern day quote simple. Your average elementary school student carries more knowledge than most of classical minds.