Futility Closet 2

Here's a second helping of entertaining oddities in history, literature, language, art, philosophy, and mathematics from Futility Closet, the online catalog of beguiling curiosities: joyous dogs, soul-stirring Frenchmen, runaway balloons, U-turning communists, manful hummingbirds, recalcitrant Ws, intractable biplanes, vengeful whales, hairless trombonists, abusive New Zealanders, unreconstituted cannibals, mysterious blimps, thrice-conscripted Koreans, imaginary golf courses, irate Thackerays, and hundreds more. Plus the amusing inventions, curious words, puzzles and oddities that regularly entertain millions of website visitors and podcast listeners. Editorial Reviews "A wild, wonderful, and educational romp through history, science, zany patents, math puzzles, wonderful words (like boanthropy, hallelujatic, and andabatarian), the Devil's Game, self-contradicting words, and so much more. Buy this book and feed your mind " -- Clifford A. Pickover, author of The Mathematics Devotional "Futility Closet delivers concentrated doses of weird, wonderful, brain-stimulating ideas and anecdotes, curated mainly from forgotten old books. I'm hooked -- there's nothing quite like it " -- Mark Frauenfelder, founder, Boing Boing