The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World is a very funny, informative account of A.J. Jacob's self-imposed quest to read the entire 33 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica.
brilliant...
A quirky concept, the book is broken down into chapters by letter, and further fragmented into sections headed by a specific Britannica topic. Jacobs relates interesting, shocking or amusing anecdotes from the revered tomes and provides commentary on his experience of reading every single entry across 33,000 pages. It's a mammoth task, and although he rarely wavers, there are moments when he questions what exactly he's getting out of it - is he learning more, does he remember what he has read, is it all futile? It's a funny journey and one that I enjoyed sharing. More than just a collection of facts, The Know-It-All provides an insight into the author's life as a journalist living in New York post-9/11, and we follow his growing relationship with his super-brainy father, and his wife's attempts to get pregnant. Jacobs joins Mensa and tries to use his new knowledge to win big on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, as well as impressing/irritating friends and family with facts about obscure Latvian villages or ancient customs. I've retained little of the knowledge I gleaned from Jacob's watered-down version of the Britannica, but as with the author, I think I learned more from the human stories, about the quest for knowledge and how it is not an end in itself.
briefly...
Warm and witty, fact-packed and teeming with humanity too, The Know-It-All is a treasure trove of unexpected pleasures.
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