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How do
you buy a computer from a street vendor? What was history's
first occurrence of SPAM mail? What is the most dangerous
animal in the zoo? Who are the mole men and are they the new
hoboes?
These
are the types of peculiar but somehow important questions
John Hodgman answers in his book of entirely made-up facts,
More Information Than You Require. Serving as a follow-up
to his previous collection of falsehoods (The Areas of
My Expertise) this new book starts exactly where the first
left off, right down to the page numbers. These two books,
together with a planned third, will comprise a compendium
of Complete World Knowledge, erroneously answering all the
questions you never knew you had.
More
Information Than You Require covers a wide range of subjects—everything
from guides to predicting the future, gambling successfully,
and ridding your house of common pests to revelations on America's
presidents and secrets of Hollywood. The book is set up like
an almanac with footnotes, tables, and figures to support
the data. All are presented with the scholarly superiority
of a man who clearly knows more than you. Clearly, since he
made everything up anyway.
Readers
will immediately notice something strange on the pages of
More Information. Hodgman admits one of his greatest
regrets with his first book is not turning it into a "page-a-day"
calendar and he takes special care to correct that mistake
in his second book. On each page of his new almanac, supplemental
to the actual text, Hodgman lists the date in small print
along with a factoid of this day in history. Of course the
historical tidbit did not happen on the day listed; indeed,
it never happened at all. But Hodgman still encourages readers
to read along in the proper way, tearing out each page after
the date passes. For this reason, the author suggests that
you may want to purchase two copies of the book.
Hodgman
may be most widely known for his appearances in Apple's "Get
a Mac" commercials, where he plays the stuffy and dim-witted
PC to actor Justin Long's cool and casual Mac. But in reality,
Hodgman is anything but clueless. In fact, his resume (in
addition to publishing two almanacs of untrue information)
reads like a nerdy intellectual's dream, including guest spots
on The Daily Show as the Resident Expert; segments
on This American Life; articles published in McSweeney's,
Wired, and The New York Times; and cameos on
Flight of the Conchords and an upcoming episode of
Battlestar Galactica. His success (and "enormous wealth"),
he admits, was entirely overnight. Luckily for his readers,
he provides a chapter on how you too can become a "Famous
Minor Television Personality."
Some
other chapters include information on feral Americans, the
secret moon landing, Brooklyn inventions, hangover cures involving
gin, and things to know about babies. Of particular interest
in this election year is Hodgman's section on past American
presidents and the electoral college, including when and how
it came to be, its strange inner workings, and even where
the actual college is located (Electoral, NY, of course).
In some strange way, Hodgman's fictitious account seems to
make more sense than the perplexing reality. It is clear through
the irony and sarcasm in his writing that he is truly knowledgeable
about his subjects, and his mocking fabrications serve to
reveal the absurdity sometimes found in reality. Is it any
more ridiculous to purport that the Electors "predict" the
next president by entering a trance state in a sensory deprivation
tank filled with secret nutrient-rich slime than to admit
that a president could possibly be elected after losing the
popular vote? Well, maybe, but Hodgman's satire will resonate
with attentive readers who realize there might be something
remarkable behind the seemingly mundane.
In fact,
therein lies the heart of Hodgman's book. As he says, everyone
knows deep down that truth really is stranger than fiction.
But we've become so desensitized and unaware of the bizarre
happenings around us that sometimes it takes a little made-up
oddity to remind us that yes, the world is a very peculiar
place. Such an undertaking by a lesser writer could fall intolerably
flat, but Hodgman succeeds with his clever wit and elegant
voice. With its smart and stylish layout, sharp delivery,
and ridiculous facts and figures, More Information Than
You Require is pure joy to explore. It may be almost entirely
untrue, but it's certainly more fun than the Encyclopedia
Britannica.
(December,
2008)
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