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nwhyte's review against another edition
http://nhw.livejournal.com/245373.html[return][return]lots of trivia that nobody ever wanted to know, including such joys as a complete list of US Vice-Presidents, eight fictional movie moguls featured in the works of PG Wodehouse, twelve catch-phrases from the Goon Show, and a list of the real names of various saints (including Simon Templar and Yves Saint-Laurent which is stretching it a bit). I picked up only one total error - comets go around the sun, not the earth - and a few stretched categories (Hereward the Wake wasn't royal, and Ceau_escu [properly Ceauescu] was not really assassinated).[return][return]Given my fascination with book lists, I was amused to see that the 1999 Modern Library readers' poll of the top ten books of the twentieth century included three titles by L Ron Hubbard and four by Ayn Rand! We can take it that the other three (in order, The Lord of the Rings, To Kill A Mockingbird, and 1984) did not have organised backers...[return][return]And it's not just lists. The short entries on parrhesia, the reptiles of Antarctica and the Giant Rat of Sumatra are all very pleasing; though I doubt if I will have occasion to use the phrases suggested for flirting in Turkish or dumping someone in Japanese. Recommended.
bibliocyclist's review
3.0
Some American associations:
Benevolent and Loyal Order of Pessimists. Founded 1975. Purpose: Why bother stating it? Meets annually on April 15, the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. President recently quoted as saying: "I'm pessimistic about doomsday." Abbreviation: BLOOP. Motto: "No matter what it is, don't count on it."
Procrastinators' Club of America. Founded 1956. Purpose: Still seeking to elect first president. Made protest against War of 1812 in 1967. Abbreviation: Undecided. Motto: "We're behind you all the way."
Roman exclamations:
Quaevis numina! By whatever Gods you please! (a favorite of Ovid's)
Latin palindromes:
Si bene te tua laus taxat sua laute tenebis. If you are considered praiseworthy, you, elegant man, will keep your own property.
Benevolent and Loyal Order of Pessimists. Founded 1975. Purpose: Why bother stating it? Meets annually on April 15, the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. President recently quoted as saying: "I'm pessimistic about doomsday." Abbreviation: BLOOP. Motto: "No matter what it is, don't count on it."
Procrastinators' Club of America. Founded 1956. Purpose: Still seeking to elect first president. Made protest against War of 1812 in 1967. Abbreviation: Undecided. Motto: "We're behind you all the way."
Roman exclamations:
Quaevis numina! By whatever Gods you please! (a favorite of Ovid's)
Latin palindromes:
Si bene te tua laus taxat sua laute tenebis. If you are considered praiseworthy, you, elegant man, will keep your own property.
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