The Big Book of Big Secrets - the Uncensored Truth About All Sorts of Stuff You are Never Supposed to Know

by William Poundstone

The uncensored truth about all sorts of stuff you are never supposed to know. Learn the answers to hundreds of questions such as . . . What's the best way to beat a lie detector test? What's really in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0760727074
• ISBN13: 9780760727072
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Barnes and Noble
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great fun, spooky, witty, silly, and interesting...

Imagine a collection of the most fun gossip columns you can think of, but take out most of the celebrity sex stories and replace them with "cool" stuff that you can try out (or always wondered about) at home. Maybe there are just little things you always wondered about (what exactly is "mystery meat" and what's in it?) but didn't know where to go to find out, were too embarrassed to ask, or just too lazy. Well now somebody has gone and done the work for you, so now all you need to do is sit back and enjoy... Sure, these days, you have places like Snopes and "The Straight Dope" to get your fix of urban legends, little known facts and speculation about head scratching topics that aren't exactly the philosophical cusp of human knowledge. There's a little bit of paranoia in there, and lots of curiosity... From the recipes of fast food, to how credit card security works, to which celebrities "starred" in porn before they made it big in show biz, to what the eye-charts and ink blot tests look like, to various rumors (was Walt Disney cryonically frozen?). Bear in mind this is a collection of two books ("Big Secrets" and "Biggest Secrets") from the 80's combined into one volume with no additional material (the original page numbers and indexes are even included). There's one book missing from this collection "Bigger Secrets" which apparently was left out due to space (I don't know how good or bad it is compared to the other two). By the end of this one you should be satisfied, and some of the questions may already be answered. Even though you can get practically all this information on the internet, this is a nice quick way to get it all in one package and it's entertaining to read. As others have said, it's good "time filler" or "bathroom reading" or fun for gossip on a stormy night or a dreary afternoon. Maybe you'll be tempted to try some of the recipes for coca cola or KFC (obviously they couldn't have gotten it right or they'd be sued, right?) or twidling the dial of your radio to listen for those "mysterious stations." Some of the personalities mentioned in the section on magic tricks are still around (David Copperfield, Uri Geller). For a buck or two, it's well worth it, or if you see this volume at the library, give it a whirl. I have nostalgia for this since I read "Big Secrets" in my youth and greatly enjoyed it then, as most of the stuff was completely new to me at the time.