Before the Internet of Things, encyclopedias were the reference books we used to learn about things. Websites like Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica often source information from them. The boomer generation relied on these books for classroom learning materials. Encyclopedias were well-researched, factual, and varied in series, brands, and volumes. Britannica was the most popular. Owning a series of Britannica was a sign of status, as they were expensive. Selling them door-to-door was a top sales job as they provided residual income streams. Most people who bought them paid for them with credit on a monthly contractual basis.
Encyclopedias covered facts on nearly every topic you could think of. Updated books with new things were added each year so there was always another book to buy.
With the rise of the Internet, the paper versions began to decline. They were beautiful hardcover (often leather) books but were quite large and heavy and took up a great deal of space.
The Encyclopedia Britannica websites offers updated snippets of information. For example, at the current moment you can find a lot of interesting facts about Halloween. That is spooktacular!
Quick fact books gained popularity among young adults and children around the same time period as encyclopedias because they provided factual information in smaller snippets. They were less detailed and focused mainly on fun, odd, quick facts. They often started with questions like, “Did you know?” They still exist and are extremely popular with individuals who like to challenge themselves or others with oodles of useless information or trivia. In some ways they mirror the reasons we like the Internet so much: we can get information quick with a few simple searches and they satisfy our thirst for knowledge at the same time.
Publications International Ltd. (PIL) publishes a series of these quick fact books on Amazon that are definitely worth reading and collecting. They are called The Book of (subject inserted here). The complete set has twenty two different books that focus on providing facts on just about everything from this day in history, random oddities and yes, even cats! The most popular books in the set are, “The Book of Useless Information and “The Book of Strange but True Science.
The books have a familiar cover design which mimics an old style encyclopedia (of course they do) and contain hundreds of pages (approx. 700 in each book) of quick facts like deadly diseases, unusual museums, dangerous jobs and many more useless but interesting and quirky facts. These books are perfect for long trips to keep your children entertained or for a unique family discussion on different facts especially when the batteries on your smart devices decide to phase out.
They are also a great way to assist individuals with disabilities related to reading or concentrating for long periods of time. They may need information to be provided in a faster, more focused and direct manner. Did you know? There are many different types of illness associated with this including brain fog, cognitive fatigue and even people with diabetes can often find it difficult to concentrate and focus.
The Book Of series has 22 separate subjects in the set including:
Bizarre Truths, Amazing History, Useless Information, MIs-Information, Amazing Curiosities, Random Oddities, Strange but True Science, Unusual Knowledge, Weird and Unusual Trivia, Criminal Minds, Big Secrets, The Truth behind the Story, Incredible Information, Cats, This Day in History, Amazing History, Extraordinary Facts, Mysteries of the Unexplained, Incredible Information, Who Said that?, Unsolved Mysteries, History’s Mysteries and 10000 Incredible Facts.
These are the perfect books for people with curious minds who do not want to spend a great deal of time on one topic.
I suggest starting with a subject that interests you and then move on to things you may not have considered learning about before. I am certain that you will want to collect all twenty two books because they are fun and highly addictive. Even better, young people love to read and share information with friends and it is for this reason that I highly recommend them.
To read detailed information on each book please visit the Publications International website on Amazon.
****All images have been screen captured from the Publication international website indicated above in an attempt to help promote the books.
Writing has always been her passion and a voice for those who cannot speak. She considers herself fortunate to write every day and says her mantra is, "I drink coffee, write, and I know about people and technology." Her writing is diverse and can be found online on websites like LifeHack, You Have a Calling, Medium, TechCrunch and, She Knows.