Mental Floss: Genius Instruction Manual

by Mental Floss and Editors of Mental Floss

Book Overview

Remember that time you bumped into Stephen Hawking at the clambake and his monologue on string theory went completely over your head? Man, was that awkward. Or remember the time you were at a party and someone asked, Who knows how to perform open-heart surgery? and you were the only one who didn't raise your hand?

Well, put all of that embarrassment behind you. Want to dazzle crowds with your wondrous knowledge of Shakespeare and surgeries?...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060882530
• ISBN13: 9780060882532
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

genius instruction manual

Bought as a little holiday gift for my son. He loves mental floss and this one did not disappoint.

Quick, fun, informative!

Easy to read, fun, interesting, and informative. Great for car trips... or on an end-table... or in the bathroom, lol.

Going from Jeopardy Smart to Genius Is Easier Than You Think

For anyone who is addicted to Jeopardy or likes to show off their vast knowledge of all things this is the perfect guide to help you achieve a higher level of "geniushood". It gives interesting and enlightening tidbits on a vast array of topis (rocket science to Shakespeare). This book really win take your genius to infinity and beyond. If you are smart you will purchase immediately, if your not then this isn't the book for you anyway...

Lots of Fun

This book is a quick read but lots of fun. It has interesting trivia, short overviews on a lot of topics. It continues to demonstrate why "Mental Floss" is such a fun magazine with off the wall, smart humor.

Better Than an Encyclopedia.

The GENIUS INSTRUCTION MANUAL is the latest book from those fun and crazy people at Mental Floss, the magazine and publishing organization that tries to make trivia and learning cool (well, they are as close to cool as a trivia organization can get). Following the pattern from other Mental Floss books, e.g. COCKTAIL PARTY CHEATS, GENIUS INSTRUCTION MANUAL is full of little informational tidbits to make you at least appear to be a genius after reading the book. The book starts off with some of the hobbies that famous geniuses of the past have had as well some pastimes that famous geniuses have had that led to their ultimate demise. There's a section about time travel, modernism vs. postmodernism, the basics of rocket science, famous artists, string theory, relativity, famous artists, and some great savants of history. There are also sections on how to dress like a right-brained genius and how to dress like a left-brained genius. About every twenty pages or so, there's a page that tells you how far you are to becoming a genius, e.g. "Congratulations! You are now 60% of the way toward full-fledged Genius." I found the GENIUS INSTRUCTION MANUAL to be a very educational, entertaining, and rewarding book. I learned some things I didn't know before. For instance, I never knew that Beethoven probably suffered from lead poisoning. A great gift for any person who likes learning and who has a sense of humor (smart people with no funny-bone wouldn't get this book), e.g. a gag gift for college students.