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QI: The Book of Animal Ignorance [Hardcover]

Stephen Fry (Foreword), John Lloyd (Author), John Mitchinson (Author)

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 4 Oct 2007

Meet the water bears that can live in suspension for hundreds of years, the parasite carried by your cat that makes men grumpy and women promiscuous, and the woodlouse that drinks through its bottom. Marvel at elephants that walk on tiptoe, the pigs that shine in the dark, and the woodpeckers that have ears on the end of their tongues.

Here is the eagerly anticipated follow up to the 2006 Christmas bestseller: The Book of General Ignorance. Join the QI team for an off-road safari through 120 of the most interesting members of the animal kingdom, armed with illuminating illustrations, maps and diagrams by award-winning artist Ted Dewan.

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This item: QI: The Book of Animal Ignorance by Stephen Fry Hardcover �8.30
QI: The Second Book of General Ignorance: The Discreetly Plumper Edition by John Lloyd Paperback �6.29
QI: The Book of General Ignorance (The Noticeably Stouter Edition) by Stephen Fry Paperback �6.99

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Product details

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Faber & Faber; First Edition edition (4 Oct 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0571233708
ISBN-13: 978-0571233700
Product Dimensions: 13.7 x 20.6 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 94,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Authors

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John Lloyd

John Mitchinson

Product Description

Book Description

A bestiary for the 21st century from the writers of the hit BBC show, QI.

From the Publisher

Includes a Foreword by Stephen Fry, and a Forepaw by Alan Davies.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Non-stop Onslaught of Fascinating Facts. Most Interesting Even if you Aren't Particularly An Animal Fan 3 Mar 2009

By Mr. T. White TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Even if animal facts aren't particularly your thing, you should still find this book to be nothing short of absolutely fascinating. I dare you to read more than two pages without thinking "wow!" to yourself.

Literally pick an animal, any animal and then prepare to be instantly fascinated by facts which will simply astound you. Squid!? Eh, squid you say...? Well maybe not 'squid', but you will find box jellyfish (whose eyes are permanently out of focus!) But commoner animals are just as fascinating in the hand of this book's meticulous authors: For instance, thought you knew all about dirty rats? You'll rapidly learn that they enjoy peeing on each other, giggling in ultrasound, and that the only place in the world where you won't find any (outside of the polar ice caps) is Alberta, Canada because they have a 400 mile buffer zone against their entering. A quarter of all electrical faults are owing to their teeth cutting into wires; just as they are responsible for most otherwise unexplained domestic fires. And lest you thought they were dirty: they certainly are! Yet still spend half their lives cleaning themselves.

Utterly fascinating is this book - owing to its most interesting compendium of amazing facts regarding all kinds of critters. I just wish that the book included more animals and was, accordingly, bigger; albeit hopefully a future edition will be "noticeably stouter". Still, it remains an unquestionable must buy. 5/5!

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90 of 107 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Far more interesting and far funnier than the first book 12 Nov 2007

By grizzly

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Book of Animal Ignorance is quite different from its predecessor, the Book of General Ignorance. The few people that disliked the first QI book complained that its question and answer style made them feel stupid (although the fact that so many people bought it seems to suggest that people quite enjoyed this). You won't get that feeling when reading the latest edition from the QI team.

The book has lost the question and answer style of the book of general ignorance. Instead it has been organised into two-page sections, each concerning one of 100 animals, organised alphabetically. Hence the focus has drifted away from the ignorance and over to the animal. However, that does not mean that the book is any less interesting.

For someone who religiously watches the TV show which the book accompanies, this book is far more rewarding. The first book lifted much of its material from the general ignorance round in the show. That which hadn't been seen by viewers of the show, probably hadn't made the cut. For this book it is clear that a considerable amount of extra research has been done.

Since much of the research has been done exclusively for the book, you can begin to perceive some of the themes that preoccupied the authors and their elves. The etymology of animal names is a clear example. Understanding how an animal was named gives a fascinating insight into what we believed we knew about the animal in the past and how our relationship with it has changed. The mouse is an excellent example:

"The very name `mouse' ultimately derives from the Sanskrit root mush, which means mouse and also to steal. Hence wherever we went thereafter - on foot, in carts, or by ship - the little thief kept us company."

There's also a very strong focus on evolution and how natural selection produced some of the stranger animals in the book. This makes for some interesting discussion, especially for those animals that have existed in isolation for so long.

If the book makes a reference to barbs, spines, nails or unfolding like a Swiss army knife then something about male genitalia is probably about to follow. The topic of animal reproduction and their reproductive organs is something this book doesn't shy away from. It certainly makes for intriguing discussion. Both men and women will find that this book will create feelings of varying degrees of supremacy and inadequacy. However, one must disagree with the claim that "if the Nine-banded armadillo were human its penis would be 4 feet long". If it were human then it would have a human sized penis.

Accompanying the section on each animal is at least one picture drawn by Ted Dewan. Reading a book as interesting as this, it would be easy to rush onto read about the next animal without glancing at these excellent illustrations. Don't! These pictures don't just illustrate what is described in the text but also include some of the most interesting pieces of information in the book. They range from mechanical drawings (Ted Dewan trained as an engineer) to illustrate an owl's ability to move its head around 360 degrees, to the life-like drawing of a catfish. Some will set you laughing out loud like the sketch of a brown bear wandering around a supermarket. Also, don't miss the extra facts and quotes in the grey boxes. The best one accompanies the section about humans.

"Human beings, who are unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so" Douglas Adams.

The book includes at its start a foreword by Stephen Fry, a `forepaw' by Alan Davies (which is far bigger than his contribution to the first book) and an introduction by the authors John Lloyd and John Mitchinson. All three are well worth reading and avoid skipping straight into the main text. As they explain, QI is as much a philosophy as a TV show and animals are the bread and butter of interestingness. A quote from Henry Beston in the book:

"In a world older and more complex than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with the extension of the sense we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings: they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time."

The amazing illustrations, the tireless research by the elves and the philosophy of QI have combined to create an excellent book. You can dip into it and be confident that you will always be rewarded with something you didn't know. I sincerely suggest that you take up the author's invitation to "come down to the waterhole of ignorance and wallow with us for a while". Read more ›

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33 of 42 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Animal Thoughts move on! 16 Nov 2007

By Jon

Format:Hardcover

I did enjoy Stephen Fry's book which certainly got me thinking.
However, something which has done so even more recently is Peter Cave's Can a Robot be Human. If you want to really get your cells working buy the two! Both are extremely readable and remind you that using your brain can be fun!

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling 28 Mar 2009

By Yorkney

Format:Hardcover

This was a present for my dad for Christmas - he loves it. Read through it in one day & is constantly re-reading parts when mum's watching the soaps. A worthy buy

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous 22 Jan 2008

By JP

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fabulous fabulous fabulous fabulous fabulous book. Fabulous. Ideal for reading to your other half when lying in bed after an overly heavy meal.

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4.0 out of 5 stars I wondered lonely as a snail 8 April 2014

By Barry aire

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

All that stuff you never knew about animals but still wondered
Well thanks to QI I now know and can bore everyone else with my superior knowledge

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5.0 out of 5 stars fry does it again 29 Mar 2014

By Marie Brice

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

a very entertaining and informative book. just right for xmas when you want to entertain a roomful of people with a lot of information

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5.0 out of 5 stars Quite Interesting! 4 Sep 2013

By Sarah Hazledine

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I watch QI on television a lot, as i find it so fascinating with all the facts they say about things. Being an animal lover this book is incredible to read about animals and the interesting facts about them. It's great to read whilst having lunch. A really good book for anyone who likes animals or watches the programme on a regular basis.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars How little we know.

A perfect way to pass some time and learn things you didn't know you need to know. Enlightening and fun.

Published 8 months ago by Nicholas P Savell

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Fun

Nice book just to dip into if you want to pass a few minutes.
Interesting quite funny and suprising facts

Published 11 months ago by broadway baby1944

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice read, not the normal animals you would see.

Very good read. Would tell friends about it, also fun to blurt out random facts. The ant part was an eye opener didn't think they were so like humans.

Published 11 months ago by Helen

5.0 out of 5 stars Book

Bought this book as a gift for my partner, who advises its a very good and enjoyable read, so would recommend.

Published 13 months ago by Jo

4.0 out of 5 stars Another funny one

Funny and informative, great xmas stocking filler gift for my kids. Kept em quiet for ages, just the job
!

Published 15 months ago by TC

4.0 out of 5 stars Good interest

another one for the collection

Epson - TOO expensive ...that's why people go for some compatibles. Read more

Published 15 months ago by R. J. Hobby

5.0 out of 5 stars quite interesting!

great fun little book. having a 10 year old animal fanatic in the house can make gifts tricky, but this has done the job fantastically well. Read more

Published 16 months ago by jayfo

5.0 out of 5 stars such fun to read and learn

Not read it yet but a bargain for so much information to share facts with friends. Never too old to learn about life

Published 16 months ago by marrone 54

5.0 out of 5 stars Really interesting!

The book is really interesting (at least for me, I must confess I am fascinated by strange facts and trivia), and the incredible feats and qualities of all these animals are not... Read more

Published 19 months ago by chiarums

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent

Another great read from Messrs Mitchinson and Lloyd. If you think you know animals, get ready to be amazed at some of the ignorance you hold in your head. Read more

Published 24 months ago by eck4355

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