Pointless yet inforative and interesting.
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Following on from the tome of useless trivia that was Scotts origonal miscellany, this is a slightly more topical book based on the pursuits of sporting, gaming & idling.
Like the other version of Scotts miscellanys this is basically a book full of irrelevant yet interesting facts and bits of information, from notes on curious sporting events such as bog snorkelling and cheese rolling, descriptions of the offside rule for all to finally understand, descriptions of how waves are designated in surfing and how a formula one pit crew are tasked and set out or quotes on idling by various people. All seemingly pointless as a whole, but chock full of interesting tidbits to learn about.
It may not be the definative tome for all your sporting questions (though it may very well hold the answers to many questions) but it is the perfect book to flick through on a hunt for an interesting new fact or to keep you amused sitting on the loo.
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Quite Good
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A very entertaining book, but compared to the first two (Original and Food & Drink), this seems slightly less interesting. Maybe it's because the two other subjects are just more interesting, but nevertheless, what can be said about this book? I feel that it would be ideal for those who have a sporting interest, but it does seem slightly specialised, rather than trivialised. I suppose it can be hard to find a balance between the two, but I havn't found it as interesting as I expected it could be. There lacks an academic element to it (which I hope doesn't sound snobby), which I only find slightly disappointing firstly because the other two contain such an element, and the whole "fun" of these books is the way in which trivial facts and issues can be put into an almost academic presentation. But the above is probably severe nitpicking, so don't be to discouraged from buying this book. It should still be fun, entertaining and enlightening.
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Weirdly addictive
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Sport lends itself to collections of trivia, so I'm surprised Ben Schott didn't publish this collection earlier. The good news is that it's up to the same standard as his previous books with lots of nuggets of information you didn't know you didn't know but which are strangely fascinating. I love the mix of modern up-to-date information (such as details of David Beckham's tattoo collection) with the Victorian-style presentation and quaint illustrations. There is so much possible material on sports facts that hopefully there may even be a second edition.
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The best of Schott's book so far
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Ignore all the cheap imitations there is only one master of Miscellany - Schott. Having dipped in and out of this book for the past week I now feel that I am armed with enough knowledge to take part in a question of sport, be an official spokesperson for the pooh sticks society and generally be the bore of the party who knows more about sports, games and being idle than anyone else. The must have book this winter.
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bundle of fun
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I was initially a bit worried that this book would be too heavy on the sport, but actually so many of the items raised a smile! There is plenty to interest everyone from the best racing line for your pooh stick, to a record of Rocky's fights.
I loved the other two miscellanies and this lived up to expectations and even exceeded them in places.
Great fun!
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