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The Quite Interesting Ignorant Books #5
QI: The Third Book of General Ignorance
The Third Book of General Ignorance gathers together 180 questions, both new and previously featured on the BBC TV programme's popular 'General Ignorance' round, and show why, when it comes to general knowledge, none of us knows anything at all.
Who invented the sandwich? What was the best thing before sliced bread? Who first ate frogs' legs? Which cat never changes its spots? What did Lady Godiva do? What can you legally do if you come across a Welshman in Chester after sunset?
Who invented the sandwich? What was the best thing before sliced bread? Who first ate frogs' legs? Which cat never changes its spots? What did Lady Godiva do? What can you legally do if you come across a Welshman in Chester after sunset?
468 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2015
98 people are currently reading
492 people want to read
About the author
John Lloyd
228 books141 followersJohn Hardress Wilfred Lloyd is an English television and radio comedy producer and writer. His television work includes Not the Nine O'Clock News, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Spitting Image, Blackadder and QI. He is currently the presenter of BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
May 16, 2018
Eine sehr unterhaltsame Sammlung obskurer Fakten, ein bisschen wie Neon unnützes Wissen, aber mit mehr Informationen.
January 1, 2018
Quick read, pretty light non-fiction with some interesting facts.
November 21, 2021
“On yıl önce kolları sıvadığımızda tek bir kitabı bile okulda öğrendiğimiz yanlış bilgilerle doldurma fikri imkansız geliyordu. Oysa bugün cahilliğin sihirli kavanozu dipsiz görünüyor.” diyor John LLoyd ve John Mitchinson.
Cahillikler Kitabı 3.5 aslında serinin 4. kitabı ancak, bu seriyi sıralı okumanıza gerek yok. Her Cahillikler Kitabı’nın bir genel teması var ve hepsi okulda ya da gündelik hayatta öğrendiğimiz onlarca yanlış bilginin doğrularını anlatıyor. 3.5’da yaklaşık 180 adet bilgi var ve hepsi birbirinden ilginç. Kitabı okumak için herhangi bir bilimsel alt yapınızın olmasına gerek yok, günlük dille anlatılmış hepimize hitap eden bir kitap serisi bu. Cahillikler Kitabı 3.5 birkaç aydır başucumda duran ve arada alıp 2-3 bilgi okuduğum bir kitaptı, serinin diğer kitaplarına da bu yöntemle devam edeceğim. Keza, bu kitaplar kurgu okur gibi bir seferde onlarca sayfa devirebileceğiniz kitaplar değil, üst üste birkaç konu okuduğumda beynim yanıyor mesela. Fakat bence inanılmaz eğlenceli, öğretici başucu kitapları!
Dünyanın en büyük şelalesi nerede? Tarzan ormanda nasıl dolaşırdı? Sherlock Holmes nasıl akıl yürütür? Meyankökünün temel kullanım alanı nedir? Bir kangurunun kaç bacağı var? Fi Tarihi ne zaman? Ozon tabakası neyden oluşur? Pompei nüfusunun çoğunu ne öldürdü? Coğrafyadan tarihe, bilimden sanata aklınıza gelen-gelmeyen bir çok sorunun cevabını Cahillikler Kitabı 3.5’da bulabilirsiniz. :) Açıkçası ben okurken zaman zaman hayretler içinde kaldım. Meraklısına şiddetle tavsiye ederim!
Cahillikler Kitabı 3.5 aslında serinin 4. kitabı ancak, bu seriyi sıralı okumanıza gerek yok. Her Cahillikler Kitabı’nın bir genel teması var ve hepsi okulda ya da gündelik hayatta öğrendiğimiz onlarca yanlış bilginin doğrularını anlatıyor. 3.5’da yaklaşık 180 adet bilgi var ve hepsi birbirinden ilginç. Kitabı okumak için herhangi bir bilimsel alt yapınızın olmasına gerek yok, günlük dille anlatılmış hepimize hitap eden bir kitap serisi bu. Cahillikler Kitabı 3.5 birkaç aydır başucumda duran ve arada alıp 2-3 bilgi okuduğum bir kitaptı, serinin diğer kitaplarına da bu yöntemle devam edeceğim. Keza, bu kitaplar kurgu okur gibi bir seferde onlarca sayfa devirebileceğiniz kitaplar değil, üst üste birkaç konu okuduğumda beynim yanıyor mesela. Fakat bence inanılmaz eğlenceli, öğretici başucu kitapları!
Dünyanın en büyük şelalesi nerede? Tarzan ormanda nasıl dolaşırdı? Sherlock Holmes nasıl akıl yürütür? Meyankökünün temel kullanım alanı nedir? Bir kangurunun kaç bacağı var? Fi Tarihi ne zaman? Ozon tabakası neyden oluşur? Pompei nüfusunun çoğunu ne öldürdü? Coğrafyadan tarihe, bilimden sanata aklınıza gelen-gelmeyen bir çok sorunun cevabını Cahillikler Kitabı 3.5’da bulabilirsiniz. :) Açıkçası ben okurken zaman zaman hayretler içinde kaldım. Meraklısına şiddetle tavsiye ederim!
July 13, 2018
Yet another great source of information from my favorite people over at QI. I never stop enjoying the TV show, podcast, or books that come from the QI offices. They make me think, make me laugh, and give me an endless supply of random trivial knowledge. QI rocks.
October 19, 2025
In common with the other books in this series, this isn’t a volume to sit down and consume in one go. It’s a pleasurable source of entertainment combined with education that deserves to be savoured so each tasty morsel provides the full flavour and nutrients to the knowledge it contains.
The book is a mix of trivia and profundity, with all the various levels of scholarship between those extremes. The humour is encapsulated in the writing style but also provided in small bites of content from the TV show itself. If, by the way, you’ve never watched this television gem, you really should try it. You never know, you might actually learn something worth knowing.
At the end of the book is a comprehensive list of the names of sources used for verifying the facts contained, and that’s reinforced by the provision of a link to the website where greater detail is given on that issue.
Read it if you dare; it will make you question everything you think you know. In my view, that’s an excellent and desirable state of mind to adopt. Such questioning can lead only to the truth in everything a reader approaches.
The book is a mix of trivia and profundity, with all the various levels of scholarship between those extremes. The humour is encapsulated in the writing style but also provided in small bites of content from the TV show itself. If, by the way, you’ve never watched this television gem, you really should try it. You never know, you might actually learn something worth knowing.
At the end of the book is a comprehensive list of the names of sources used for verifying the facts contained, and that’s reinforced by the provision of a link to the website where greater detail is given on that issue.
Read it if you dare; it will make you question everything you think you know. In my view, that’s an excellent and desirable state of mind to adopt. Such questioning can lead only to the truth in everything a reader approaches.
December 5, 2025
Noble, doomed enterprise, volume 3. The good people at QI (they're Brits) have published a third foray into the wilds of Ignorance, doing battle with falsehoods, half-truths, and other forms of deception, but whether in the fullness of time their battle to rescue truth from illusion will succeed, I would not bet the farm on it. As the poet said, "Man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." But don't disregard this enlightening book. Good for one's self-esteem, as well as pub quizzes.
No, it doesn't take half a year to read. One week would suffice unless one keeps it in that unofficial reading room where the episodic nature of the book's entries fits nicely with the business at hand.
No, it doesn't take half a year to read. One week would suffice unless one keeps it in that unofficial reading room where the episodic nature of the book's entries fits nicely with the business at hand.
June 2, 2019
I love all these books. I learn something new on every page, and I find myself googling so many new interesting things. I listen to the podcast and read tons of fun fact books but these books are still the best and somehow still surprise. The world is a wonderful place and there is always something new and exciting to learn. I don’t like the cover art or the cartoons in the book. I did enjoy the pulled quotes from the tv show. And the British perspective makes it an all the more interesting fact book for me.
What I learned: The nazi salute wasn’t actually a Roman salute, just a French painting convention. The war time US government couldn’t ban sliced bread to save on wrappers it was too popular. Groundhog Day has European roots but with different animals, and its not actually about shadows. Macbeth is the only Shakespeare play to contain the word “rhinoceros.” “Manatee” is from the Carib word for “breast.” Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is a cool lightning magnet and natural beacon! Sunflowers caught on in Ukraine because the oil was a lent substitute.
What I learned: The nazi salute wasn’t actually a Roman salute, just a French painting convention. The war time US government couldn’t ban sliced bread to save on wrappers it was too popular. Groundhog Day has European roots but with different animals, and its not actually about shadows. Macbeth is the only Shakespeare play to contain the word “rhinoceros.” “Manatee” is from the Carib word for “breast.” Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is a cool lightning magnet and natural beacon! Sunflowers caught on in Ukraine because the oil was a lent substitute.
December 2, 2021
Trivia about things you think you know are true that really aren't: The largest pyramid isn't in Egypt, Pythagoras didn't invent the equation, all snakes ARE poisonous, and all fish don't live in water are just some bits I remember.
It's trivia - interesting read while eating a meal, but nothing that's going to get into my brain and change my life.
Also, some of the "humor" interspersed around the trivia articles isn't that funny. Or maybe you need a particularly British sense of humor and I don't have it.
It's trivia - interesting read while eating a meal, but nothing that's going to get into my brain and change my life.
Also, some of the "humor" interspersed around the trivia articles isn't that funny. Or maybe you need a particularly British sense of humor and I don't have it.
July 10, 2017
Trick questions
I am a great fan of QI and all general knowledge books. This was no disappointment. So much what we have learnt in our youth was not the entire story. Thought and analysis is paramount.
I am a great fan of QI and all general knowledge books. This was no disappointment. So much what we have learnt in our youth was not the entire story. Thought and analysis is paramount.
June 26, 2019
A book of trivia. What's different about this book? It's deceitful. The largest river. And it will rant about "river in the sky" and conclude the largest river won't be considered a river by most specialists, but you are certain to impress some less sharp audiences.
May 12, 2020
I saw this setting on the library shelf. Did a quick scan of the pages and took it home. This book is a hoot. Light reading. Interesting reading. And you'll learn a bunch of things. Highly recommended for all.
February 14, 2017
Good, fun read. The world is always more interesting than we can ever imagine! Who would think we have undersea waterfalls?
July 21, 2018
Informed and amusing in parts
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2018
Superb.
October 24, 2018
Always fun and informative!
April 1, 2019
I love useless yet fascinating facts, I just wish I could remember them all!
December 19, 2019
It's well informed and also funny.
February 23, 2020
Surprising information, but sometimes uses "baiting" questions to make a point.
April 29, 2020
An antidote to the fake information floating around out there. Not only informative and interesting, but downright fun.
August 12, 2020
Excelente, easy and mind blowing facts. It’s a nice afternoon book
May 30, 2021
I love these books, I got into a bit of reading slump after getting really busy for a period but I still adored this book as well as all the others in the series.
June 13, 2021
15/20.
January 7, 2023
A better class of loo book where the research is worn lightly.
May 18, 2024
This an Excellent set of unexpected questions and answers.
April 22, 2020
A really fascinating book. I love the series ans have watched it for years. I found this book good to read alongside another book. It was light and could be dipped into at any time.
October 9, 2016
A great book to read on a plane. You can dip in and out at any time. It's engaging but short and sharp so when turbulence makes you lose your place, it doesn't really matter. It's humorous while being curiously educational.
Really, it's the book version of television's QI and the podcast, 'No Such Thing as a Fish' rolled into one pocket version. There are even dialogue boxes giving us the by-play from Stephen Fry, Allan Davies et al in places to add to the amusement.
Really, it's the book version of television's QI and the podcast, 'No Such Thing as a Fish' rolled into one pocket version. There are even dialogue boxes giving us the by-play from Stephen Fry, Allan Davies et al in places to add to the amusement.
April 14, 2016
I picked this up because I love the podcast No Such Thing as a Fish, which is run by some of the people who wrote this book, and who write/check questions for QI. I would say that if you've watched a lot of QI, then you've heard most of the facts in this book -- I was recognising a lot of the facts as I read along, and I think if I'd been more familiar with the show it would have really annoyed me to go back over them.
The tone is light, and it reminds me of those 101 COOL FACTS for COOL KIDS kind of books I used to read as a kid -- limited referencing (although a reference list is provided online), short, sharp bursts of facts that range over a wide variety of topics, easy to dip in and out of. They're interesting facts, too; there's not so much of the tired old stuff, and quite a broad range that I think would appeal to many readers. That said, I think these kind of things work better in the format of QI or No Such Thing as a Fish, where the facts are talked about, laughed and joked about, and enjoyed together. There's an attempt to bring some of this conversation into the book through quotes from the TV show, but I prefer to listen to this kind of material, rather than read.
The tone is light, and it reminds me of those 101 COOL FACTS for COOL KIDS kind of books I used to read as a kid -- limited referencing (although a reference list is provided online), short, sharp bursts of facts that range over a wide variety of topics, easy to dip in and out of. They're interesting facts, too; there's not so much of the tired old stuff, and quite a broad range that I think would appeal to many readers. That said, I think these kind of things work better in the format of QI or No Such Thing as a Fish, where the facts are talked about, laughed and joked about, and enjoyed together. There's an attempt to bring some of this conversation into the book through quotes from the TV show, but I prefer to listen to this kind of material, rather than read.
February 12, 2016
QI: The Third Book of General Ignorance
John Lloyd
This book is an exercise in lateral thinking and creative explanation as well as being filled with facts and figures. There are so many amazing topics covered from, 'Where is the Worlds Largest Waterfall? to 'What Happened to Crime during the Second World War?' and everything in-between. All responses contain facts and twists which makes this book entertaining and not your usual read. It is also great to start discussions at breakfast on the weekend or the dinner table at night!
Brilliant for the hard to buy for but curious in your life, I highly recommend this book to help you keep the wonder!
John Lloyd
This book is an exercise in lateral thinking and creative explanation as well as being filled with facts and figures. There are so many amazing topics covered from, 'Where is the Worlds Largest Waterfall? to 'What Happened to Crime during the Second World War?' and everything in-between. All responses contain facts and twists which makes this book entertaining and not your usual read. It is also great to start discussions at breakfast on the weekend or the dinner table at night!
Brilliant for the hard to buy for but curious in your life, I highly recommend this book to help you keep the wonder!
June 7, 2016
After spending the past few months reading way too many dystopian novels (Station Eleven, White Noise, Pride and Prejudice) it is nice to take a little bit of a break to read something that is purely trivial. One day the BBC will actually make it easy for me to watch episodes of QI but until then I will have to rely on the books. Or I can just try to imagine Stephen Fry telling me that everything that I believe is not actually true.
November 21, 2016
It's more of the same, but that's not a criticism. Perhaps I rate this better than the second book because I have watched these episodes of the tv show less, and thus it feels fresher? I don't know. Eiter way, worth checking out if you like the genre.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews