Don't Bother

Some time ago, A. J. Jacobs took up the quixotic quest to read the Encyclopedia Britannica from cover to cover. All 30 volumes. He succeeded and lived to tell about it. Jacobs then proceeded to write a book about his exploits. The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World enjoyed a certain well-received response from the book press. Amazon.com listed it in its "Top 50 Editor's Picks for 2004." I saw other book reviews that commented on Jacob's book favorably.

The one dissenting opinion came from the New York Times. The Times wrote what had to be the most excoriating review I have ever seen of a book. At the time, I ignored the review and decided to keep on reading it.

I should have listened to The Times.

I seldom bail on a book. The last one was Master and Commander. But after 100 pages, Jacob's book has become the most inane thing I have ever read. He fancies himself a latter-day Dave Barry and fails miserably. His letter-by-letter descriptions of things he finds Britannicaly interesting begins to wear woefully thin. It has finally gotten to the point where I find time running backwards whenever I am reading it. The Know-It-All now rests on my basement bookshelf never to be browsed again.

Reading the Encyclopedia Britannica is more interesting.
K-