Bonus Feature: Book

From the author of The Year of Living Biblically, comes The Know-it-All. It’s the other way ‘round actually. The Know-it-All came first. It’s one man’s humble quest to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. Which begs the question… why? Author A.J. Jacobs explains quite honestly “I used to be smart.”

With that, he sets out to read 32 seemingly endless tomes of knowledge. Some interesting: You only need three rambunctious people to legally qualify as a riot. Some not: Scrabble is also available in Braille.

And while I can’t this is an always enjoyable read—it’s exhaustive—Jacobs’ acerbic wit is ready when you need it most. Amid is retelling of EB entries, are personal stories of meeting Alex Trebek, the quest to be a Mensa member, appearing on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, and his wife’s infertility. Occasionally, both the author and reader will stumble upon something truly extraordinary (origin of bedlam or the misguided determination of the freezing point). But Jacobs’ really hits his stride in the mini-diatribes on things like the wisdom of Ecclesiastes, Goethe (who he says makes Leonard di Vinci “look like a lazy bum”) and vexillology.

The Know-it-All is surprisingly honest. Jacobs’ personal reflections are real, sometimes profound, but always true. An amusing, well-crafted read.