From the author of the international bestsellers Schott’s Original Miscellany and Schott’s Food and Drink Miscellany comes the third and most playful installment in the series: a miscellanist’s wisdom from the worlds of sports, games, and idling.
What other sporting book will explain the rules of elephant polo; the perils of the Cresta Run; the link between crosswords and the devil; the story behind the Nike “swoosh”; or why surfing is the “Sport of Kings” (in Hawaii)? Which other volume will list the seven deadly sins of golf; the secrets of Houdini’s Code; or the myriad personalities of the Pac-Man ghosts? Where else will you stumble across an account of Evel Kneival’s broken bones, a detailing of Mike Tyson’s tattoos, the nicknames for classic poker-hands, or every sporting ailment from jogger’s nipple to housemaid’s knee?
You don’t have to be a sports fanatic to enjoy this irresistible volume of factual odds and ends. Schott’s Sporting, Gaming, and Idling Miscellany scores big with its fascinating hodge-podge of sports- and activity-related trivia.
About the Author, Ben Schott
Ben Schott is the author of the international bestsellers Schott’s Original Miscellany and Schott’s Food and Drink Miscellany, which have sold collectively almost two million copies worldwide. A photographer, designer, and miscellanist, he lives in London and divides his time between Highgate and the British Library.
Ben Schott, the master of exotic information, now offers a typically diverting entertainment about sports and leisure activities. Who else but the author of Schott's Original Miscellany could discourse on the importance of snooker to nuns; know the optimal temperature of a hot bath; or explain the rules of elephant polo? Schott provides tips for solving cryptic crosswords and winning pub games (sobriety helps). More low-keyed readers might prefer his list of history's famous sleepers.
Library Journal
are smash successes, having sold more than two million copies worldwide. His idiosyncratic interests, odd discoveries, and subjective selections have endeared these distinctive reference books to many readers. Original Miscellany included such items as a table of international washing symbols, the International Astronomical Union's system of nomenclature for planets and satellites, and a set of descriptions and examples of the various cloud types. When compiling his first collection, Schott didn't believe it would have practical reference value. But he found to his surprise that his listing of wine bottle nomenclature was being consulted by journalists for reference. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
