The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World

Great read!

A journey through the author's attempt to read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica. This book is at time hilarious, touching, and chock full of useless information with the author's humorous take on it. It's a laugh out loud type of book that is extremely difficult to put book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that love witty observations with a of the twisted! truly a great read!!!!

I just started reading another of Mr. Jocobs books and so far it's another laugh out loud work.

A great book by a great author!!!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A Very Humorous - and Philosophical - Memoir !

A.J.Jacobs' The Know-It-All was one of the best books I read in 2009. In it Jacobs tells the story of his (ultiimately successful) attempt to read the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica. However, the better story is how he is able to keep his job, his fiance, and his social life, as his goal becomes almost all-consuming. Additionally, Jacobs pauses along the way to ask himself (and the reader) what knowledge is, what is its value, and what role reading plays in its acquisition. I recommend the book highly!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I loved this book!

I listened to this while driving to and from work, and I couldn't wait to get back to my car to keep 'reading' it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

What a hoot

Despite the occasional self-reflective silliness on his belief, as a child, that he was the smartest kid in the world, AJ Jacobs' romp through the Encyclopedia Brittanica is wry and hilarious. Structuring the book around his observations on EB entries, Jacobs displays a killer sense of humor, great ability to describe his quirky family and occasional 'real intelligence' on what matters most in life.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

How to read an encyclopedia

When I was a kid I owned an encyclopedia that my grandpa had given us. My family owned many other reference works as well, and a little nerd that I was I had spent many hours reading and browsing those thick books that contained more knowledge than I could ever hope to absorb. There was something really appealing about the idea that all of the knowledge can be systematized and presented in a coherent, all-encompassing whole. And yet, the sheer size of those thick volumes made me wonder if I will ever be able to read it all. Apparently, there are a few brave souls out there who had stopped wondering and decided to undertake the task of reading the entire encyclopedia, and not just any old encyclopedia. Alan Jacobs, the author of this book, decided at the ripe old age of thirty five to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, the gold standard of encyclopedias. This was a monumental task by any measure. Thirty three thousand pages, spread across thirty or so big hard-bound volumes, is probably more text than most of us will absorb in our lifetimes. He chronicles his adventure in this book, interspersing mostly entertaining and curious bits of information from Britannica with personal stories and anecdotes. He recounts meeting Alex Trebek (and mistaking him for a gardener), his (mis)adventure on "Millionaire," and many very personal tales about his very accomplished family. It is precisely through these vignettes that we are able to truly relate to his adventure with Britannica. Jacobs makes it seem that almost anyone could do this, just wake up one morning and read the whole encyclopedia. His writing style is very fluid and entertaining, and he is very good at endearingly deprecating himself. He makes vivid the very human side of knowledge, even when it is at its driest.

Fascinating Read, But Very Poor CDs

You will learn so many interesting things you never knew before. The author uses a lot of humor and weaves in stories from his own life which makes this a really interesting book. However, a major problem is one of the discs has lots of static on it - at times it prevents one from hearing the material clearly, or at all; at other times it's just irritating. That disc also skips quite a bit even though there are no scratches or other damage on it. That's why I've given this only 3 stars. But over all, this is a good read.

Pretty funny in spots, but otherwise a snoozer.

Having read and enjoyed Jacobs' "The Year of Living Biblically", I picked this book off the bargain deals rack with some enthusiasm. My thought process went something like, "I would be bored senseless if I tried to read the Encyclopaedia Britannica straight through, so how is someone going to do that AND write a book about it without putting me to sleep?" Unfortunately, it did just that. It has its shining moments, particularly Jacobs' interactions with his family, but the majority of the entries are simply "clever" anecdotes to said entry's definition. Honestly, if I wanted to pick up some fun facts, I'd prefer to watch Jeopardy or hit up sporcle.com for a few minutes.

In the end, if you see this one on the bargain rack for a fraction of the cover price and need something to kill a few hours, then I would recommend it. Otherwise, meh.

Taking a Trip With the Know It All

My niece and I listened to The Know It All as we drove to and from Florida. It was a great book for the ride. We were albe to stop and start it without losing track of the sverall story.

The book brought back my own memories of the Encyclopedia Britanica. As I grew up we had the large white-gold edged volumes and I did every school report with them -- from 6th grade to 12th... I wish I still had our set. There was something amazing about those volumes. AJ Jacobs perfectly captures that feeling as he shares his experiences in reading the entire set. The book is a combination of information gleaned from the pages of the Britanica and experiences from his life. The mix works well. So well that I would like to know how things are going with him now! Enjoy.

Interesting book about a monumental task.

Jacobs does a good job of incorporating the [daily] events of his life with the gigantic amount of information he is taking in from reading the encyclopedia. It's a good book for anyone who likes random bits of trivia, even if, like Jacobs himself, I can't recall all the parts I found so interesting when I read it.

loved it

Hilariously different.

Smartypants!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am getting a copy for a friend -- the one I'd have on my 'help line' if I ever got on Who Wants To Be A Millionare. I thought this friend was the world's compendium of obscure knowledge -- now I know that he's only #2! Not a deep book, but very funny, a good airplane or beach book, as long as you don't mind people staring when you laugh out loud. Like Augusten Burroughs and David Sedaris, the author exposes his idiocyncracies and fallibility for humorous effect. If there is a message, it is that the author makes a nice distinction between knowledge and wisdom. I was not going to review the book until I saw the last review -- more an ad hominem attack (see, I can use highfalutin' words too) than a review -- which is like criticizing Sedaris or Burroughs for being a tad neurotic. Hopefully, other readers whose humor functions are operative, and do not view the world through a dialectical, intellectualist paradigm (yup, I went to college) won't miss the slim point, and the broader chuckles.

WOW, great book

This book kept me interested throughout. I hope Mr. Jacobs writes another book soon.

Just Bought 4 More for Friends

I picked the book up only after reading A.J.'s letter to the NYT Book Review telling them that they made the review of his book not only unfavorable but a personal dis. The letter had me laughing so hard I had to read the book. If only all learning could be this much fun. Now I too bore my friends with A.J.'s knowledge. (I identified the roots of the word Gazebo just this weekend.) Added benefit.. you can pick it up and put it down anytime -- the ultimate hypertext. The reaeder gets a clear and poignant picture of the author at the same time they begin to understand that learning is at its best when the facts are told in a context. A.J. has provided a fabulous context. He ought to be writing school curricula!

Who knew the encyclopedia could be so good?

The concept of the book seemed interesting (a man trying to read the entire encyclopedia) so I decided to buy it. After reading it, I am glad I made the purchase; this book is unique, informative, and extremely funny. Jacobs does a great job of intertwining random encyclopedia facts/entries with events in his own life. The stories in his real life are comical and interesting. He does everything from join Mensa and attend a crossword convention to being interviewed on Crossfire and going on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?'. The random facts had to be my favorite part of the book. He picks some of the strangest entries but ties them into the book flawlessly. Overall, this book was a quick and very enjoyable read with a unique setup and concept.

THE MAN WHO WOULD KNOW EVERYTHING

Remember when 'Smarty!' was a pejorative epithet? No more, thanks to A. J. Jacobs's highly entertaining look at himself and his unusual feat - reading all 32 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica. (For the uninitiated, that's 33,000 pages). Of course, he began this onerous taSk before the days of 'Google' and other almighty internet search engines, at a time when many believed the Encyclopedia to be the repository of all knowledge. Nonetheless in his quest to become the smartest man in the world, Jacobs, an Esquire editor, recounts the effect this herculean effort had on his job, his family, friends, and perhaps most of all on his wife. Obsessive, you say? A bit. However, Jacobs relates this experience candidly and sometimes hilariously (Imagine him trying to fit in at a Mensa meeting or interest fellow party guests in his latest accumulation of fact). 'The Know-It-All' is a comic, touching story of one man's Everest. Voice performer Geoffrey Cantor reads it with grace and good humor. Enjoyable listening? You bet! - Gail Cooke

Laugh & Learn at the same time!

I love this book. I plan on buying a copy for all my reader friends. Right from the Introduction, I fell in love -- remembering how I wanted to read every volume of the encyclopedia when my parents bought a set when I was 12. This book is very entertaining, very informative, and VERY creative.

I bought two copies!

When I read the description of this book, I knew I had to read it. You see, like Mr. Jacobs, I'm quite sure that I'm the smartest person in the world. I have yet to read the entire encyclopedia, but he's given me and idea... Anyway, back to the book. It's freakin' hilarious. His transitions from every day life in one sentence to obscure facts from the encyclopedia in the next made me laugh out loud more than once. I just could not put this one down -- I think I read it in record time!

I Laughed Out Loud

It was brilliant and funny. The good reviews I read every where else were absolutely on target. It was a great read. I laughed out loud. I will definitely share it with my frie

Very Funny!

This book is hilarious. I had to stop reading it in public because people were staring. The author's quest to become the smartest person in the world by reading the entire Encyclopedia is admirable. I found myself becoming interested in some of the more obscure information he discovered. Now if only I can retain it so I can impress people at cocktail parties. He mixes his facts with amusing personal anecdotes, some of which are laugh-out-loud funny. Can't wait for the movie!! Very entertaining.

Everyman's Quest for Literacy in the Contemporary World

The Know-it-All is the engaging and touching tale of one man's quest for literacy, employing one of the most widely-available information sources, the Encylopaedia Britannica. I read the book raptly in two or three sittings, and learned an immense amount from it. At the bottom of this account of one man's encounter with the Britannica, laced with related events from his life, is a pep-talk so many of us need to hear: You can gain genuine culture and breadth of knowledge if you only take advantage of the rich resources no farther away than the nearest library or your computer screen. This is a highly recommended read.