Imponderables The Solution to the Mysteries of Everyday Life - Softcover

David Feldman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0688059147 ISBN 13: 9780688059149

Publisher: William Morrow, 1987

Synopsis

Imponderables
The Solution to the Mysteries
of Everyday Life

Did you ever wonder why you never see baby pigeons? Or why a thumbs-up gesture means "OK"? At last the solutions to some of life's most baffling questions are gathered here in one volume. Written in an informative and entertaining style and illustrated with drawings that are clearly to the point, Imponderables gets to the bottom of everyday life's mysteries, among them:

• Why is a mile 5,280 feet?
• Which fruits are in Juicy Fruit' gum?
• Why does an X stand for a kiss?
• Why don't cats like to swim?
• Why do other people hear our voices differently than we do?

Dictionaries, encyclopedias, and almanacs don't have the answers --Imponderables does! And in answering such questions, it touches on an astonishing variety of subjects, including sports, science, history, politics, television, radio, and much more. No trivial pursuit, Imponderables takes a surprising, illuminating, and humorous look at ourselves and the world around us.

About this title

About the Author:

David Feldman is the author of twelve books, including the Imponderables® series -- Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise?, When Do Fish Sleep?, Do Penguins Have Knees?, and others -- as well as Who Put the Butter in Butterfly? and How to Win at Just About Everything. He has a master's degree in popular culture from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and consults and lectures on the media. He lives in New York City.

From Publishers Weekly:

Feldman, a media consultant and lover of the obscure, here addresses scores of questions that one may have contemplated, but to which no answers are readily forthcomingwhy certain traffic jams occur and clear up without apparent reason, why the word "Filipino" is spelled with an F and not a Ph, why unleaded gasoline costs more than leaded. In an engaging, sometimes jocular manner, Feldman communicates an impressive amount of information: a piece on popcorn develops into an examination of the economics of running a movie theater; the answer to a question on laundry bleach is worthy of an encyclopedia. Occasionally, Feldman offers such a fresh way of looking at a phenomenonas when he discusses why people cry at happy endingsthat he makes us see it as if for the first time. This is an entertaining collection of trivial and not so trivial information. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0688059147
• ISBN 13: 9780688059149
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 264
• Illustrator: Kas Schwan