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The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman, Hardcover First Edition

RealDecoys
(959)
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Located in: Spring Hill, Florida, United States
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eBay item number:135666033471
Last updated on Nov 01, 2025 13:12:25 PDTView all revisionsView all revisions

Item specifics

Condition
Very Good: A book that does not look new and has been read but is in excellent condition. No obvious ...
Country of Origin
United States
Signed By
N/A
Signed
No
Book Series
No
Ex Libris
No
Narrative Type
Nonfiction
Age Level
Adults
Intended Audience
Adults
Inscribed
No
Edition
First Edition
Modified Item
No
Personalize
No
Series
NO
Type
Illustrated Book
Special Attributes
Hardcover with Dust Jacket, 1st Edition, 2005
Features
Dust Jacket
ISBN
9780525949084
Book Title
Areas of My Expertise
Publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
Item Length
8.5 in
Publication Year
2005
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Illustrator
Yes
Item Height
0.9 in
Author
John Hodgman
Genre
Humor
Topic
General, Form / Parodies
Item Weight
12.4 Oz
Item Width
5.8 in
Number of Pages
240 Pages
Category

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
ISBN-10
0525949089
ISBN-13
9780525949084
eBay Product ID (ePID)
45698139

Product Key Features

Book Title
Areas of My Expertise
Number of Pages
240 Pages
Language
English
Topic
General, Form / Parodies
Publication Year
2005
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Humor
Author
John Hodgman
Format
Hardcover

Dimensions

Item Height
0.9 in
Item Weight
12.4 Oz
Item Length
8.5 in
Item Width
5.8 in

Additional Product Features

Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2005-004532
Dewey Edition
23
Reviews
"Wonderfully absurd." - New York Times "Hilarious...Nabokov's Pale Fire as directed by Wes Anderson." - Time Out New York "If Borges and Ben Franklin got drunk and decided to write a book together, the result might have been something a lot like this freaky 'almanac'." - Tom Perrotta "Even if you buy this book for the 700 hobo names alone, you will have gotten more than your money's worth." - Dave Eggers "A book of absurd tall tales, tables and charts spun from the warped brain of John Hodgman...Impressively eclectic." - Los Angeles Times
TitleLeading
The
Grade From
Twelfth Grade
Grade To
UP
Dewey Decimal
818/.607
Synopsis
In the great tradition of the American almanac, The "Areas of My Expertise" is a brilliant and hilarious compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom on all topics large and small. Although bestsellers such as "Poor Richard s Almanack" and "The Book of Lists" were certainly valuable, they also were largely true. Here is a different kind of handy desk reference, one in which all of the historical oddities and amazing true facts are sifted through the singular, illuminating imagination of John Hodgman which is the nice way of saying: He made it all up.John Hodgman brings his considerable expertise to bear in answering all of the questions book buyers have been asking: -What are the mottoes of the 51 United States?THE ANSWER IS PROVIDED-Who were the U.S. presidents who had hooks for hands?THE ANSWER IS PROVIDED-What role does the Yale secret society Skull and Bones play in the secret world government?THERE IS NO SECRET WORLD GOVERNMENT-What was the menu at the first Thanksgiving, and did it include eels?Technically, that is two questions, but do not apologize, for John Hodgman shall answer them both... LATER.-Aside from a compendium of fake trivia, what is the best kind of book to write?A SIMPLE TABLE OF THE 55 MOST DRAMATIC LITERARY SITUATIONS PROVIDES THE ANSWER, and John Hodgman is the author of that table.Imagine if "The Book of Lists" had been rewritten by Peter Cook and Jorge Luis Borges under the pseudonym of John Hodgman and then renamed "The Areas of My Expertise," and you will only begin to have a sense of the dizzying, uproarious, sublimely weird, and strangely wise journey that is contained within this book (along with all the pages and words).Perfect for anyone who thirsts for knowledge, and especially for collectors of books of fake trivia, The "Areas of My Expertise" offers through absurdity a better understanding of the world we share and recognizes that while the truth may be stranger than fiction, it is never as strange as lies...or as true.Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.", In the great tradition of the American almanac, The Areas of My Expertise is a brilliant and hilarious compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom on all topics large and small. Although bestsellers such as Poor Richard's Almanack and The Book of Lists were certainly valuable, they also were largely true. Here is a different kind of handy desk reference, one in which all of the historical oddities and amazing true facts are sifted through the singular, illuminating imagination of John Hodgman--which is the nice way of saying: He made it all up. John Hodgman brings his considerable expertise to bear in answering all of the questions book buyers have been asking: -What are the mottoes of the 51 United States? THE ANSWER IS PROVIDED -Who were the U.S. presidents who had hooks for hands? THE ANSWER IS PROVIDED -What role does the Yale secret society "Skull and Bones" play in the secret world government? THERE IS NO SECRET WORLD GOVERNMENT -What was the menu at the first Thanksgiving, and did it include eels? Technically, that is two questions, but do not apologize, for John Hodgman shall answer them both... LATER. -Aside from a compendium of fake trivia, what is the best kind of book to write? A SIMPLE TABLE OF THE 55 MOST DRAMATIC LITERARY SITUATIONS PROVIDES THE ANSWER, and John Hodgman is the author of that table. Imagine if The Book of Lists had been rewritten by Peter Cook and Jorge Luis Borges under the pseudonym of "John Hodgman" and then renamed The Areas of My Expertise , and you will only begin to have a sense of the dizzying, uproarious, sublimely weird, and strangely wise journey that is contained within this book (along with all the pages and words). Perfect for anyone who thirsts for knowledge, and especially for collectors of books of fake trivia, The Areas of My Expertise offers through absurdity a better understanding of the world we share--and recognizes that while the truth may be stranger than fiction, it is never as strange as lies...or as true. Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.
LC Classification Number
PN6165.H64 2005

Item description from the seller

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RealDecoys

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  • by nwjeffco48
    Sep 16, 2016

    Maybe

    I wish there was a "maybe" option for the recommend, value, and compelling questions. It really does depend if you are into reading about bizarre (often made up) stories and observations.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-Owned

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