Schott's Sporting, Gaming, and Idling Miscellany - Hardcover

Schott, Ben

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 158234406X ISBN 13: 9781582344065

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA, 2005

Synopsis

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 this title

From the Publisher:

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.

From Publishers Weekly:

Following on the heels of Schott's Original Miscellany and Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany comes this compendium of trivia of the recreational persuasion, packaged to look not unlike a 19th century almanac or reference guide. Included are Naismith's original rules for basketball (dating from 1892), the contestants and winners of every Superbowl through XXXIX, a glossary of fox hunting terms, different types of fish bait (and the fish each are most likely to attract), a list of questions used by Gamblers Anonymous to assess the degree of a person's addiction and innumerable other morsels. Devoid of any organizational logic, the book is not intended for serious, cover-to-cover reading, but serves as a bet and argument settler that will find itself at home next to the cash register at sportsbars.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 158234406X
• ISBN 13: 9781582344065
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160