Author Description

From the creators of Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, considered by many the greatest trivia collection ever, comes another cool collection of fabulous facts, quirky quotes, and unbelievable-but-true happenings. The coverage includes various historic, literary, artistic, and scientific categories—each supplying its share of the bizarre and the hilarious. Some examples: a list of royal nicknames, from William the Bastard (a.k.a. the Conqueror) to Harry Potty (today’s irrepressible Prince Harry); the longest and shortest wars, from the 100 Years’ War to the Thirty-eight Minutes’ War; the ship’s cat that won a medal; and why the planet Uranus was nearly officially named George.