Amazing . . . but False!: Hundreds of "Facts" You Thought Were True, but Aren't

By Monica Hammond

Edison invented the lightbulb--and motion pictures. Camels store water in their humps. Captain Kidd was a notorious pirate. What do these so-called "facts" have in common? They're all false! Every one is a myth that, through time, has achieved the status of reality. Finally, someone is here to set the record straight, once and for all. In this fully illustrated color collection of popular misconceptions, freelance writer and journalist David Diefendorf uncovers hundreds of widely accepted truths in various categories: famous firsts, health and the body, history, misquotations and misusages, people, religion, science and technology, and more. It's fun and informative, and a great gift for any brainiac, trivia buff, or know-it-all. James Randi, the internationally-known debunker of pseudoscience and a brilliant magician, provides the entertaining foreword.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1402737912
• ISBN13: 9781402737916
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Sterling
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.6" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

An eye-popper and a page-turner

This book is a barrel of monkeys, and by that I mean fun. While reading it, I came across a number of things I was already familiar with, but in lots of cases I had to say "Yikes, I never knew that!". And I was not exactly born yesterday. As an American living in Paris, I enjoyed all the "Americana" in this book, which made me a little homesick. The book has been my bedside companion for a couple of weeks now. Each article...

A "candy store for the mind..."

Amazing . . . but False!: Hundreds of "Facts" You Thought Were True, but Aren't I was drawn to this book by its gaudy, eye-catching cover. But once I had a chance to leaf through the pages I found it hard to put down. The book is loaded with fascinating stuff and has pictures on almost every page. It's a kind of "candy store for the mind" (a phrase I've heard somewhere, but exactly where I can't recall). The book is about...

Amazing but False

This is a fun book to read through. It doesn't have to be read in any particular order. One can go from one entry to another unrelated entry without difficulty. It's a good way to learn the real story behind some common beliefs.

Fun Facts and Deft Debunkings

An intriguing way to delve into "Amazing . . . But False" is to open the handsomely designed and illustrated book at random and make discoveries: Leaves do NOT Change Color in the Fall, Lemmings do NOT Commit Mass Suicide, Richard III was a NOT hunchback, The Statue of Liberty is NOT in New York, You do NOT dream only in black and white. But fear not, when you learn the truth, you're not likely to feel insulted to patronized...

Serious fun

Keep a copy of this book handy in your bathroom...but don't use the pages for toilet paper, they're way too interesting! I found bite-size nuggets of enlightenment on such varied topics as Hitler (actually an artistic sort of guy), Bra Burning (it never happened), and Farting (not fatal even if you burp at the same time--whew!). Underneath the somewhat garish cover is a fascinating collection of well-researched trivia tidbits...