"Yes Minister was more than a sitcom, it was a crash course in Contemporary Political Studies." Armando Iannucci

Introducing the all-new, indispensable collection of necessary trivia, uncommon knowledge, and vital irrelevance from Schott--the inventor of the Miscellany genre.

In A Modern Miscellany: Shanghai Cartoon Artists, Shao Xunmei’s Circle and the Travels of Jack Chen, 1926-1938 Paul Bevan explores how the cartoon (manhua) emerged from its place in the Chinese modern art world to become a propaganda tool in the hands of left-wing artists. The artists involved in what was largely a transcultural phenomenon were an eclectic group working in the areas of fashion and commercial art and design. The book demonstrates that during the build up to all-out war the cartoon was not only important in the sphere of Shanghai popular culture in the eyes of the publishers and readers of pictorial magazines but that it occupied a central place in the primary discourse of Chinese modern art history.

This is NOT a fact-based compendium. Its purely opinion - the opinions of John Rentoul, his readers -- - and, yes, Twitter. Every week in the Independent on Sunday John Rentoul publishes a top ten based on suggestions from the great British public, covering a wide range of pressing issues, such as: which are the books that people buy but never read? Now collected together for the first time, and featuring previously unpublished lists, this is a book of open arguments that will ask readers to continue the discussion and contribute to the great debate online. It addresses essential topics such as: most overrated 1960s bands; meaningless words found on modern menus; great bands with terrible names; films panned as turkeys that are actually quite good; most beautiful British railway journeys; stupid car names; unsung villains; political heckles; words that ought to be used more often; British place names; best prime ministers we never had; visual cliches; political myths; anagrams; misquotations; worst Beatles songs; most interesting politicians. How to Outsmart Sherlock - is a compendium of the answers to such quintessential pub arguments. But who knows best? You, John, or Twitter? Pick up this book and join the debate. Top answers: Long Walk to Freedom; A Brief History of Time; Ulysses; Life of Pi; Longitude; Spycatcher; Gravitys Rainbow; My Life by Bill Clinton; Living History by Hillary Clinton; anything by Jamie Oliver.