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See this item's eligibility during checkout.History | Home » » » The Areas of My Expertise | | | | | | | Description: | | Borges meets the bathroom book in John Hodgman's bestselling almanac of complete (and fabricated) world knowledge.
Abridged CDs - 4 CDs, 5 hours | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| John Hodgman | | Paperback:
| 256 pages | | Publisher:
| Riverhead Trade | | Publication Date:
| September 05, 2006 | | Package Length:
| 8.1 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.4 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.6 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.5 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 144 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
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 Hodgman at his bestOct 08, 2009
John Hodgman has a very dry, archaic wit that lends itself well to the material presented in his book, a selection of conspiracies, falsified history and goofy blink-and-you'll-miss-them historical one-liners. Often the joke is what he's decided to include itself - lycanthropic timetables line every page, and the list of 700 hobo names (and a rich hobo history) is continuously inventive despite its formidable length.
It's a very wordy, full book to go through (much more so than the sequel), and completely suitable for fans of Hodgman's TV shtick and dry, deadpan McSweeney's sort of persona. I recommend it, if only for its innovative use of spine space.
So, so brilliant.Sep 03, 2009
John Hodgman is, above everything else, a brilliant writer. This book is so rich with laughs it borders on the sickening. Buy it!
Wit beyond measureSep 01, 2009
The smartest thing i have ever placed my hands on. People say that truth is stranger than fiction... but lies are way more interesting.
You'll enjoy reading some of these historically "accurate" pieces to your dull friends, such joy when they nod their head in agreement.
Hodgman is a genius (no really that is true).
The book includes lists and essays that you will find very helpful such as: "Here are the 700 Hobo Names You Have Requested", "Nine Presidents Who Had Hooks For Hands," "History's Worst Men's Haircuts," and "Jokes That Have Never Produced Laughter"
So If you wish to attain Complete World Knowledge definitely pick up this book!!
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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Off the WallJul 15, 2009
This book is so odd and funny. If you let your mind run with what the author is saying it will take you in all different directions. You almost start to think he is rational until you catch yourself. If it wasn't recommended by a friend I wouldn't have ever heard of it and thought to read it.
 Sad but true, John Hodgman isn't a funny writer nor is he a hobo or werewolfJul 04, 2009
I really wanted to like this book. I think Mr Hodgman is hilarious on the Daily Show and I was hoping for some truly side splitting laughs. Plus he has a whole chapter on hobos and seems to have a werewolf fetish, how could this be bad? He even mentions ninjas!
Well, let me tell you, it is pretty bad. He makes hobos humorless. The book starts out well enough, but around the middle of the first chapter he states, clearly, that he is going to make almost everything up. Ok, that can work. However if you are going to make it up, you best have some type of grounding. You need to pull in things that relate but are not quite right. You can't simply pull in the kitchen sink and hope for the best. Simply making up things like the Hobo King and the Hobo war on America aren't inherently funny. Describing hobos as if they were subhumans also isn't helping with the laughter. Nor does saying that FDR put the polio virus into the water in order to stop the hobo army. This really wasn't funny.
Making Chicago a mythical city that rises from the water also isn't funny. It makes no sense. If you are lying simply to lie, the humor tends to get lost. I don't think this fact got into the equation for this book.
Take for example the funniest line in the book. This line takes place in the last section on the states and talks about how Idaho and Oregon tried to form a super state - Or-Ida. Now that was hilarious since it had some grounding. The ninja section was also funny in a haha kind of way. There were a few funny tables towards the front but the laughs, small as they were, were few and far between.
The book was disappointing. I still love Mr Hodgman on TV but I don't think I'll read any more of his written works.
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