Do you know . . . . . . how to milk a cow? . . . the symptoms of a venomous spider's bite? . . . where to find the fastest rollercoasters? You won't find such an eclectic collection of fascinating facts anywhere else. Whether you want to know how to beat an alligator in a fight, ways to speak in secret code, which insects are edible, or what the heck scolionophobia means, this is the book for readers both young and old.

Do you know... ...how to hypnotize a chicken? ...why the sky is blue? ...which animals are most commonly named "Jaws"? ...how to make invisible ink? ...where to find the town of Ding Dong? ...how to turn your watch into a compass? ...what you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman? Find out, in this essential collection of the smart, the silly, and the strange. You won't find such a collection of bizarre knowledge and fascinating facts anywhere else. Whether you want to know how to talk to foreign animals, what to do if zombies attack, when to eat jellyfish, what a cryptid is, or how to be a phrenologist, this book is for you.

Packed with fascinating facts, Literary Miscellany is sure to please both professor and pleasure reader alike. Wouldn’t it be great to be a fly on the wall as the great writers took pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)? While reading this work, you’ll be just that. Here are behind-the-book stories and facts about authors, publishing and everything literary that will entertain both casual and serious readers. Among the questions asked and answered: • When Did Literature Finally Get Sexy? • Is Coffee or Opium Better for Literary Creativity? • Why Are the Best Autobiographies so Embarrassing? • Why Do Some Detectives Use Their Minds and Others Their Fists? Who knew that bestseller lists and children’s books could be the source of intense controversy? Or that even the biggest writers had to scrape by, with odd jobs and inventions like the Mark Twain Self-Pasting Scrapbook? In Literary Miscellany, examine the trend of “fake memoirs,” with a list of who lied about what, and a rogues’ gallery of hoaxers dating back centuries. From epic poetry and Homer to pulp fiction and Harry Potter, Literary Miscellany, now available for the first time in paperback, is a breezy tour through the literature of today and yesterday, packed with enough interesting facts to entertain both the erudite professor and pleasure reader.

Introducing a compendium of weird, wacky and wonderful facts that are essential for every boy to know.

Discover the meaning of the season’s traditions! Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Christmas the way we do? In this whimsical book, Jonathan Green tells you all about the fascinating stories behind our most beloved holiday traditions. Make yourself cozy by the fireplace, open up this fully illustrated treasure trove, and learn: Why we sing carols Why we burn Yule logs Why we hang stockings Why we kiss under the mistletoe Why we send greeting cards Why there are twelve days of Christmas And what is figgy pudding? Each chapter explores a different custom and its history: when and where it started, how it has changed over the centuries, and why we still love to recreate it today. You’ll learn why holly and ivy are important symbols, who Good King Wenceslas was, and why we eat turkey for Christmas dinner. Additional fun facts and trivia are sprinkled throughout, accompanied by classic illustrations. This is the perfect gift or stocking stuffer for curious-minded friends and family this holiday season!

Half of our planet is covered by the ocean, yet we've only explored 5 percent of this vast underwater realm. Originally published in Portugal, and awarded a highly coveted BolognaRagazzi Mention by the Bologna Book Fair, this visually compelling miscellany offers readers a tsunami of aquatic facts. Which ocean is the largest? Who was the first explorer to sail around the world? Is the ocean truly blue? Beautifully designed and rich with information, Ocean will satisfy enthusiastic readers who enjoy taking a deep dive into a subject as well as more reluctant readers who prefer to dip in and out of a book.