The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World

We bought this book to listen to on our move across the country, and at first I wasn't interested, but as the story progressed I began to really enjoy it. The personal notes that were included we a very pleasant touch to the book. I thought it was going to be about the encyclopedia more, but turned out to be pleasantly surprised. I found myself sympathizing with the author's duel quests in the book and enjoyed it thoroughly.

I had considered doing the same and I am certainly glad I didnt start. After reading this book you have an appreciation for the feat, you understand the author, and you appreciate the humanity of someone who does something this monumental.

I wasn't sure what to expect but this is one of the most enjoyable listens I have heard. This is probably better than reading even if I had the time. Laugh out loud. Buy it now. Don't wait. I can't wait to get back into my car to listen again.
jp

I kept waiting for this to get interesting...I gave up and didn't finish it. I found the author ego-centric and shallow.

The gaps between laughs are long and deep valleys of boredom. Uninteresting information from Britannica has been specifically selected so that you have to strain yourself to be awake. If one were reading this book as a stand up comic, the deafening silence in the room would have set a record.
However, do not trust this review as I gave up listening to this book after just crossing the half way mark! Driving asleep is dangerous!

Not easy to write a review about a book one has not read. Well I read about 30 minutes of it. And within 30 minutes I found the author to be a bit naive about what constitutes trivia as opposed to more serious knowledge. I was truly curious about this book and would have given the author the benefit of the doubt, forced myself hoping for some kind of revelation after one hour or two. But the narrator gave it the fatal blow. The forced enthusiasm, the loud nasal voice, the unnecessary frantic pace were too much for me to endure. I gave up.

Pretentious, smug and boring. The narrator can't pronounce words of more than two syllables, and he's working with dreck to begin with. The author obviously thinks he's cute--someone MUST disabuse him of this notion, else he kills the next hapless victim he corners at a cocktail party. Less an amusing romp through the alpahabet than a sad and pathetic insight into the things people do to try to give themselves prestige. Mr. Jacobs should have stuck to whatever it was he did at Esquire.

Good premise, but the telling drones on with brief flashes of humor. It "read" like actually reading through the encyclopedia, NOT the best material to hook a reader or listener beyond the first handful of factoids.

This book has a few things going for it, it has several witty facts that are enjoyable, and the narrator is quite good. However, the author grated on my nerves as the book went on. By the time I was four hours into it I thought he was very pompous. He continually reminds the reader how clever he was as a child, and how much he's learning. Even when he seemingly tries to be humble it comes across as him being full of himself. His other books are even worse, especially the ones he narrates himself.

In short, great idea for a book, superior narration, but a pompous and irritating author.

Whats more boring then reading 32 volumes of the enclyclepedia Britannica? Listing to somebody talking about how he read 32 volumes of the enclclepedia Britannica. This book is a horrible listen. Some of the stories are intresting, but you are still listening to a guy go thru the enclyclepedia letter by letter. GOSH, what was I thinking when I ordered this. URGH.