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Schott's Original Miscellany
Schott's Original Miscellany
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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1940 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
July 22, 2020
Re-read in 2020 as part of a search for quiz questions. We have a Zoom quiz night each Sunday, part of the new covid 19 normal.
Arcane facts and whimsical lists. This is great for me - I adore arcane and whimsical. A little dated now (getting on for 20 years old), so for instance the list of US presidents is missing a couple.
I spotted a couple of quiz question ideas, so this was an hour well spent.
Arcane facts and whimsical lists. This is great for me - I adore arcane and whimsical. A little dated now (getting on for 20 years old), so for instance the list of US presidents is missing a couple.
I spotted a couple of quiz question ideas, so this was an hour well spent.
July 2, 2009
Schott's Miscellany is a fascinating book of interesting, random, bizarre, hilarious, and informative facts and oddities. From Cockney Rhyming Slang to ways of saying "I love you" in numerous obscure languages (including Braile and Morse code), to sign language and Shakespearian insults, shoelace lengths and airport marshalling signals, the Miscellany is just as fun to pick up and read as it is a great reference source for all manner of things.
November 7, 2022
I used to be a huge fan of The Book of Lists series and The People's Almanac. This is a book from that lineage, but it's a tidy little hundred and fifty pages. The layers of the atmosphere. The order of English succession. Deities of various cultures. A list of left-handers.
Everything you didn't know you wanted to know.
Everything you didn't know you wanted to know.
March 25, 2016
If you know me, you know that I like trivia. And this is a little triumph of trivia. For most readers, there are entries they'll be familiar with, entries that correct their misconceptions, and then entries that are so technical and obscure it's kind of hilarious. This is also surprisingly readable, in that as soon as you get through one section you'll probably (if you're anything like me) want to know what's covered next. I think this was achieved by the utter lack of alphabetical or chronological or any other -logical order. It's just one weird factoid or table after the next.
Having said that, a few of the pieces are maaaaybe a little too glib. Writing of someone's death as due to "overdose of tree while driving," when he was the passenger, seems kind of distasteful. Apart from that, most of the humor is fairly dry, as you might expect. There's also more value to the 'historical' entries, covering something that is firmly set in the past, as opposed to the modern-day ones, which by now are a little outdated.
Having said that, a few of the pieces are maaaaybe a little too glib. Writing of someone's death as due to "overdose of tree while driving," when he was the passenger, seems kind of distasteful. Apart from that, most of the humor is fairly dry, as you might expect. There's also more value to the 'historical' entries, covering something that is firmly set in the past, as opposed to the modern-day ones, which by now are a little outdated.
October 14, 2020
Joa, ganz nett, aber mehr was für Zwischendurch - mir ist jetzt nicht wirklich was kurioses im Gedächtnis geblieben...
February 9, 2008
A less cultured man might refer to this as excellent bathroom reading... and, oh hell, well that it is: But that and so, so much more. From a collection of Euclidian Axioms and Postulates to a list of Academy Award Winners (up until 2002, when it was published); From a listing of the rules and weight classes in Sumo Wrestling to a run down of all the famous people on the cover of The Beatles Sgt. Pepper album, this pocket sized hardback with it's own elegant little red silk bookmark attached to the spine makes a great gift for the terminally nerdy on your list or simply the perfect thing to put on the coffee table when the bong comes out. A book you will read and re-read - most likely, every time you use the bathroom.
January 19, 2016
This is really a book for dipping into rather than reading but I did enjoy my journey through it. The miscellany included often provoked a laugh such as the entry listing some of Anatole's meals (Anatole is the chef of Bertie Wooster's Aunt Dahlia, in case you are not a Wodehouse aficionado). If you have any taste for trivia, this is worth browsing!
February 7, 2015
If you love random tidbits of information, you will adore this book. I’ve taken to keeping a commonplace book, and I copied so damn much from this book it’s ridiculous. Almost all of the information is useful in some way. Heck, I copied out the common alchemy metals — because why not? — which turned out to be handy when I read the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. I have found myself referring to these quotes and snippets of information in my daily life, which is incredibly surprising. A great topic of conversation and the perfect bathroom companion, I can’t recommend Schott’s Original Miscellany enough.
December 23, 2012
Fabulously wonderful reference book.
How to wrap a sari is in the same book as Degrees of Freemasonry
How to wrap a sari is in the same book as Degrees of Freemasonry
June 22, 2024
I found this book in a second hand book store near me, and being a fan of this concept couldn't leave it.
Whilst it is dated; most of the relevant information only goes to 2002; the book itself is full of random facts that would be perfect as a reference, as well as for those budding pub quizzers.
Some of the facts I never knew, some are no longer required and other oddities.
This book kept me entertained, and I wish I had a copy when I was creating those lock down quizzes as I would of had a lot of interesting questions no doubt.
Whilst it is dated; most of the relevant information only goes to 2002; the book itself is full of random facts that would be perfect as a reference, as well as for those budding pub quizzers.
Some of the facts I never knew, some are no longer required and other oddities.
This book kept me entertained, and I wish I had a copy when I was creating those lock down quizzes as I would of had a lot of interesting questions no doubt.
November 4, 2019
Such a charming book. I learnt some random facts that i will never use but it was a good read
August 16, 2008
Omigosh...just started reading this last night as I'm in the midst of the odd quest to read something from each side of each aisle of Cascades Library.
I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to read this straight thru, but it was either this book--or beginning Word Perfect...which would you choose.
so loving it. It's like my nonsequitar brain has found it's god...and yes...it does want a space ship.
Update:
I finished it and i loved it. I may actually have to buy it...not cuz it's cover to cover...but because it's just fun to open to a random page and learn something odd.
-j
I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to read this straight thru, but it was either this book--or beginning Word Perfect...which would you choose.
so loving it. It's like my nonsequitar brain has found it's god...and yes...it does want a space ship.
Update:
I finished it and i loved it. I may actually have to buy it...not cuz it's cover to cover...but because it's just fun to open to a random page and learn something odd.
-j
November 26, 2014
I came across this indispensable volume of worthless information in a box of giveaway books. It is perhaps altogether appropriate that also in this box were Portuguese-language books on Feng Shui, Spanish-language Bible study materials from the '70s, books on gardening, and an anthology of Chinese poetry. Sad though I was to remove this little book from its motley home, I was glad to let its contents fill my head, and to have some stuff actually stick. For the most part, a fun little read with plenty of inconsequential details and some gems strewn throughout.
August 28, 2014
I finished this book on a Friday evening with a glass of wine, dictionary, Wikipedia, and some jazz, and I'm obsessed. Why aren't there more well-designed, well-written, and humorous miscellanies like this verbal divertissement?
Having been raised in three countries, I always feel like I am lacking in general knowledge and common sense, as most of my formative years were spent mastering a new language and social circle instead of pursuing trivia. Mr. Schott's treatment of miscellany is familiar yet distant -- the perfect way to draw in a reader like me.
Having been raised in three countries, I always feel like I am lacking in general knowledge and common sense, as most of my formative years were spent mastering a new language and social circle instead of pursuing trivia. Mr. Schott's treatment of miscellany is familiar yet distant -- the perfect way to draw in a reader like me.
January 21, 2015
This book of random facts suits me perfectly! I frequently pick it up, read a couple of pages, put it down, and do it all over again. I've read it cover to cover at least 3 full times and I'm still entertained by it.
December 28, 2010
interesting collection of random trivia
November 6, 2011
A good sort of book to have by your bed to read between things. I learned (and quickly forgot) all sorts of interesting facts.
September 27, 2011
great book if you love lists
November 15, 2014
I love trivia so I loved this book :)
September 15, 2014
Fascinating! Answered many questions I didn't even know I had!
May 27, 2019
Il libro su tutte le curiosità del mondo: da come allacciare correttamente la cravatta all'inno d'Italia. Utile!
December 8, 2021
An addictive book... Every page leads to another piece of trivial magic...
February 15, 2011
fascinating, funny, and well presented minutiae
March 11, 2025
I‘d consider Schott‘s Miscellany less of a reference book (like the World Almanac series) and more of a book to read front-to-back, as the trivia is in no particular order.
As this book was published before the Internet became ubiquitous, it might have been even more groundbreaking when it was new, as researching information was likely a lot more difficult back in 2003.
Nowadays, the trivia is still interesting and most of the information is still true. The pages are well-designed and illustrations are used when appropriate. The author also does not take the book too seriously and employs some humorous remarks.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to remember everything mentioned in the book. As there are lots of charts and tables in the book, one cannot possible remember the home states of every US president for example (even though I was surprised to find that George W. Bush was born in Connecticut). Moreover, many ”chapters“ contain no useful knowledge, meaning that they are not always super interesting (like a wire gauge conversion table, for example).
That said, the book is still quite cool to flip through.
As this book was published before the Internet became ubiquitous, it might have been even more groundbreaking when it was new, as researching information was likely a lot more difficult back in 2003.
Nowadays, the trivia is still interesting and most of the information is still true. The pages are well-designed and illustrations are used when appropriate. The author also does not take the book too seriously and employs some humorous remarks.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to remember everything mentioned in the book. As there are lots of charts and tables in the book, one cannot possible remember the home states of every US president for example (even though I was surprised to find that George W. Bush was born in Connecticut). Moreover, many ”chapters“ contain no useful knowledge, meaning that they are not always super interesting (like a wire gauge conversion table, for example).
That said, the book is still quite cool to flip through.
July 19, 2025
"Impossible to read at one sitting, but utterly unputdownable, Schott's Original Miscellany is a unique collection of fabulous trivia*.
"What other book boasts an index that includes shoelace lengths, sign language, and the seven deadly sins; dueling and dwarves; the hair color of Miss America and the Hampton Court maze?
"Where else van you find, packed onto one page, the names of golf strokes, a history of the Hat Tax, cricketing dismissals, nouns of assemblage, an unofficial motto of the US Postal Service, and the flag of Guadeloupe?
"Where else but Schott's Original Miscellany will you stumble across John Lennon's cat, the supplier of bagpipes to the Queen, the labors of Hercules, and the brutal methods of murder encountered by Miss Marple?
"A book like no other, Schott's Original Miscellany is entertaining, informative, unpredictable, and utterly addictive.
*TRIVUM
noun [triv.i.um] plural; TRIVIA [triv.i.a}]
[1] The lower division of the seven liberal arts taught in medieval schools, which consisted of Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric.
[2] zoological The three anterior ambulacra of an echinoderm, or spiked sea urchin.
"What other book boasts an index that includes shoelace lengths, sign language, and the seven deadly sins; dueling and dwarves; the hair color of Miss America and the Hampton Court maze?
"Where else van you find, packed onto one page, the names of golf strokes, a history of the Hat Tax, cricketing dismissals, nouns of assemblage, an unofficial motto of the US Postal Service, and the flag of Guadeloupe?
"Where else but Schott's Original Miscellany will you stumble across John Lennon's cat, the supplier of bagpipes to the Queen, the labors of Hercules, and the brutal methods of murder encountered by Miss Marple?
"A book like no other, Schott's Original Miscellany is entertaining, informative, unpredictable, and utterly addictive.
*TRIVUM
noun [triv.i.um] plural; TRIVIA [triv.i.a}]
[1] The lower division of the seven liberal arts taught in medieval schools, which consisted of Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric.
[2] zoological The three anterior ambulacra of an echinoderm, or spiked sea urchin.
May 18, 2025
This was my first miscellany—and I’m hooked like a curious cat at a trivia buffet. Schott’s Original Miscellany is not a book, it’s an experience. A rabbit hole. A magic trick. A literary lucky dip. One moment you’re reading about the hierarchy of British nobility, and the next, you're discovering the collective noun for a group of ferrets (it’s a “business,” by the way). It’s charming, clever, unapologetically eccentric—and completely addictive.
Ben Schott doesn’t just serve facts; he curates them like a madcap librarian with a flair for the delightful and the uselessly essential. It doesn’t try to be comprehensive or logical—and that’s exactly why it works. You don’t read it in order. You flip. You wander. You wonder. And somehow, you come away smarter, stranger, and smiling.
As my first miscellany, it’s ruined me in the best way. Now I crave more books that don’t follow rules, that meander, that surprise. I’ve fallen for miscellanies like one falls for an old bookshop—accidentally, and all at once.
Ben Schott doesn’t just serve facts; he curates them like a madcap librarian with a flair for the delightful and the uselessly essential. It doesn’t try to be comprehensive or logical—and that’s exactly why it works. You don’t read it in order. You flip. You wander. You wonder. And somehow, you come away smarter, stranger, and smiling.
As my first miscellany, it’s ruined me in the best way. Now I crave more books that don’t follow rules, that meander, that surprise. I’ve fallen for miscellanies like one falls for an old bookshop—accidentally, and all at once.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2022
I will forget most of what I read by tomorrow, however, it sure was fun to read. There were a lot of “hunh”s, that we’re often followed by “…Really!”
There were a couple of entries which had me doing some research - for example, the four horsemen of the apocalypse in Schott’s book were Death, War, Famine and Slaughter - where I thought it included Pestilence. And he has War riding a white horse, but I though my War rode a red one. Now…my knowledge comes from The Incarnations of Immortality, so who knows? I refuse to spend any more time or headspace finding out what was right, it’s enough that I had a great time talking with my friend about it. Speaking of which, how can you have a list of common French words/sayings without including hors d’œuvres or déjà vu?
All in all, it was fun to read. I even read the Riot Act 🙂
There were a couple of entries which had me doing some research - for example, the four horsemen of the apocalypse in Schott’s book were Death, War, Famine and Slaughter - where I thought it included Pestilence. And he has War riding a white horse, but I though my War rode a red one. Now…my knowledge comes from The Incarnations of Immortality, so who knows? I refuse to spend any more time or headspace finding out what was right, it’s enough that I had a great time talking with my friend about it. Speaking of which, how can you have a list of common French words/sayings without including hors d’œuvres or déjà vu?
All in all, it was fun to read. I even read the Riot Act 🙂
July 9, 2017
A small book of sometimes useful trivia. Unfortunately a proportion sufficient to irritate has been made out of date by events relatively quickly. The Miscellany was produced in 2002/2003 so that misses us a few Bond films, British Prime Ministers and Christmas Number 1 Singles.
Any future edition should contain only material that is purely historical or which does not rely on new data to be complete. Otherwise, its value will be much diminished. Nicely produced but not short of the rare literal despite its pretensions.
Any future edition should contain only material that is purely historical or which does not rely on new data to be complete. Otherwise, its value will be much diminished. Nicely produced but not short of the rare literal despite its pretensions.
November 2, 2018
Absolutely adore this book and everything in it. I would reccomend it to everyone, as there is information and trivia within for the layman and sophisticate alike.
Within this collection of miscellany, Ben Schott has embodied the art of skimming over reading. Many may pan this work based solely on its premise, but those people are missing the point in my eyes. No matter who you are, get this book. Put it in your bathroom, on your shelf, on a nightstand or open on a coffee table.
You will not be disappointed.
Within this collection of miscellany, Ben Schott has embodied the art of skimming over reading. Many may pan this work based solely on its premise, but those people are missing the point in my eyes. No matter who you are, get this book. Put it in your bathroom, on your shelf, on a nightstand or open on a coffee table.
You will not be disappointed.
November 27, 2023
A fun little miscellany!
Somewhat repetitive with Anglo-American specific trivia at times (English monarchs, Churchill’s rhetorical flourishes, American presidents, and US state birds just to name a few) but all in all beautifully designed, just delightfully self-aware enough (even the copyright page contains trivia!) and brief.
Favorite piece of trivia?
Under ‘Curious Deaths of Burmese Kings’:
“Nandabayin laughed to death when informed, by a visiting Italian merchant, that Venice was a free state without a king.”
Somewhat repetitive with Anglo-American specific trivia at times (English monarchs, Churchill’s rhetorical flourishes, American presidents, and US state birds just to name a few) but all in all beautifully designed, just delightfully self-aware enough (even the copyright page contains trivia!) and brief.
Favorite piece of trivia?
Under ‘Curious Deaths of Burmese Kings’:
“Nandabayin laughed to death when informed, by a visiting Italian merchant, that Venice was a free state without a king.”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews