The Importance of Being Trivial: In Search of the Perfect Fact - Softcover

Mason, Mark

3.68

99 ratings by Goodreads

9781847945174: The Importance of Being Trivial: In Search of the Perfect Fact

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847945171 ISBN 13: 9781847945174

Publisher: Random House Books, 2008

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If you’re not remotely interested in the fact that Pete Conrad was the first man to fall over on the moon or that the stretch of road between the Strand and the Savoy is the only public highway in Britain where you are legally obliged to drive on the right, then The Importance of Being Trivial is very definitely not for you. If on the other hand you’re intrigued by these pearls of information - and more importantly, intrigued by why you're intrigued by them - then Mark Mason’s book will be required reading. An exploration of why little facts hold such a big fascination (interviews with the likes of John Sessions), it examines what our love of trivia says about us. The book touches on subjects as diverse as autism and the history of science, and features contributions from medical experts such as Simon Baron-Cohen. Mason sets out to discover the perfect fact - but along the way he learns how memory works, why Einstein and Picasso had more in common than you'd think, and - in asking why trivia is such a male pursuit - he uncovers fundamental truths about how men and women relate to each other.

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Review:

'If you love facts and figures this book will be a treat.' -- Sun, 11 July 2008

'The first book to ask why we're obsessed with trivia.'
-- Zoo, 27 June 2008

'To the growing number of trivialists, I suspect this book may be fascinating.' -- Spectator, 12 July 2008

Book Description:

An entertaining and trivia-filled guide to our obsession with trivia

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