I just received a gift, the book Schott’s Original Miscellany. It is a small, compact book of not-so-essential facts and figures and it is fascinating. And, of course, you never know when your life will depend on knowing the names of Henry VIII’s six wives and how he got rid of them or the recipe for a classic martini. Want to know a selection of Navajo words (and their pronunciations) used by the Code Talkers in WWII? This is where you’ll find it. The weight categories for sumo wrestlers? It’s right there on page 43, along with the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse (and their colors.) You can pick it up and read it for ten seconds or an hour and come way refreshed and a little better informed. I don’t think it will do as a cramming tool for Trivial Pursuit, but the well-appointed bathroom should not be without it.
My current favorite item is a list of Famous Last Words.
Dylan Thomas: “I’ve had eighteen straight whiskeys. I think that’s a record.”
Winston Churchill: “Oh, I am so bored with it all.”
Oscar Wilde: “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.”
My current favorite item is a list of Famous Last Words.
Dylan Thomas: “I’ve had eighteen straight whiskeys. I think that’s a record.”
Winston Churchill: “Oh, I am so bored with it all.”
Oscar Wilde: “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.”