Last year Stephen Pile attempted to deliver a daring blow to the success ethic that so pervades Western culture. To his dismay, The Ultimate Book of Heroic Failures sold many copies and even became the Sunday Times 'Humour Book of the Year.'Nothing daunted, Stephen returns with a new selection which brings together the very best of his original classic titles - The Book of Heroic Failures and The Return of Heroic Failures.The heartwarmin...

THE SUNDAY TIMES HUMOUR BOOK OF THE YEAR'One of the few books to make me laugh out loud' Sunday ExpressWith Stephen Pile's The Ultimate Book of Heroic Failures, celebrate the very best in failure with this all new collection of outrageously funny misadventures from the author of the classic number one bestseller The Book of Heroic Failures.Anyone can be a success, but it takes re...

Did you know… The Sumerians were the first to brew beer, and all the brewers were women? If you didn't - then read on. If you are intrigued by the odd, fascinated by the fantastic or tickled by trivia, then this is the book for you. The Useless Information Society was formed by some of Britain's best-loved journalists, writers and entertainers, including Keith Waterhouse, Richard Littlejohn, Suggs, Noel Botham, Ken Stott and Brian Hitchen. They meet regularly to swap new nuggets of trivia....

If you have ever attempted to swallow a mattress or have forgotten to remove clothes before ironing them then this book will become a vital survival tool. For the rest of us it is a collection of the oddest, funniest and frankly most worrying instructions taken from genuine products around the world. Manufacturers from Turin to Tokyo seem truly concerned that we know their products may be hot after heating, that we should not place fireworks in our mouths or that we should really not use a...

The perfect gift for all those big and little kids in your life who ask 'why...?'.WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ZOE BALLPre-order the next book in this series, 222 QI Answers to Your Quite Ingenious Questions, published in paperback on 3rd November.'QI have outdone themselves!' ALAN DAVIES'Fabulous . . . A cracker of a book!' SUE PERKINS'The QI Elves are barnstormingly brilliant.' ZOE BALL

Napoleon's Buttons is the fascinating account of seventeen groups of molecules that have greatly influenced the course of history. These molecules provided the impetus for early exploration, and made possible the voyages of discovery that ensued. The molecules resulted in grand feats of engineering and spurred advances in medicine and law; they determined what we now eat, drink, and wear. A change as small as the position of an atom can lead to enormous alterations in the properti...

Many strange events defy explanation. This book is a compendium of some of the world's most mystifying conundrums, which are guaranteed to bewilder and intrigue.From the mysterious disappearance of Lord Lucan, by way of paranormal powers, to bizarre phenomena thrown up by nature, this fantastic collection of off-the-wall investigations also features scary curses, uncanny prophecies, weird medical marvels, alien abductions, lost worlds, and much more.

The Third Book of General Ignorance gathers together 180 questions, both new and previously featured on the BBC TV programme's popular 'General Ignorance' round, and show why, when it comes to general knowledge, none of us knows anything at all.Who invented the sandwich? What was the best thing before sliced bread? Who first ate frogs' legs? Which cat never changes its spots? What did Lady Godiva do? What can you legally do if you come across a Welshman in Chester...

Celebrate the big 3-0 with this thrilling 30th edition of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader—and cheers to 30 more!2018 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award Gold Winner in HumorWhat's even more trusty and awe-inspiring than Old Faithful, the Yellowstone geyser that erupts 17 times a day? Uncle John and the Bathroom Readers' Institute! Every year for the past three decades, Uncle John and his team of tireless researchers have delivered an epic tome packed ...

What's the strangest question employers have been asked during an interview? Among the responses:* What is it you people do at this company?* Why aren't you in a more interesting business?* Will the company move my rock collection from California to Maryland?* Does you company have a policy regarding concealed weapons?--from Idiots at Work: Chronicles of Workplace StupidityLeland Gregory once thought crooks, politicians, and lawyers ...

'I love these books ... the best books ever. Brilliant' Chris EvansThe fourth in QI's bestselling facts series - 1,234 QI Facts to Leave You Speechless is filled to the brim with astonishing facts that will leave you befuddled, bemused and bewildered.The QI team have blown your socks off, made your jaw drop and knocked you sideways. Now they return with 1,234 brand-new mind-blowing facts that will leave you utterl...

There's an epidemic sweeping the nationSymptoms include:*Acute embarrassment at the mere notion of 'making a fuss'*Extreme awkwardness when faced with any social greeting beyond a brisk handshake*An unhealthy preoccupation with meteorologyDoctors have also reported several cases of unnecessary apologising, an obsessive interest in correct queuing etiquette and dramatic sighing in the presence of loud teenagers on public transport. If yo...