QI: The Sound of General Ignorance

By: John Lloyd, John Mitchinson

Narrated by: John Lloyd, John Mitchinson

Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

Listen and learn! The Sound of General Ignorance brings you all the best bits of the number one best seller The Book of General Ignorance in handy audio form. 

Allow yourself to wallow in the misconceptions, mistakes and misunderstandings in 'common knowledge'. Your newfound wisdom will help you to impress your friends, frustrate your enemies and win every argument. Henry VIII had six wives - wrong! Everest is the highest mountain in the world - wrong! Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone - wrong! Everything you think you know is - wrong! 

©2013 John Lloyd and John Mitchinson (P)2013 Faber Audio

Awesome, but most of it was already in QI

If you could sum up QI: The Sound of General Ignorance in three words, what would they be?

Awesome, but I remember a large amount (60%) of the book from stuff that was on QI. Will likely listen to it again.

What did you like best about this story?

The info

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

QI

Believe it or not?

I enjoy this kind of book of "unnecessary" information. Or sometimes it may come handy :) But for this book I am slightly confused whether to believe everything or not. There are so many "facts" turned over that it feels a little unbelivable. But who am I to say anything, I haven't checked them myself and I well know that we humans easily believe the false or misconstrue facts. Also, although I've heard of the QI, I'm not sure of the programmes idea. This book doesn't include an introduction.
So even though I recommend this book and enjoy it myself, I take everything with a grain of doubt.
Because what I do know is that the guide-dogs job is not to listen to the sound of the traffic and then to decide when to cross the road. And the beeping sounds on modern pedestrian crossings are there not for the benefit of the guidedogs, but for the benefit of the severely partially sighted and blind so that they firstly find the crossing and then know when it is (hopefully) safe to cross. At least in Finland guidedogs, mine included, can find the crossings without the sound (they can see, unlike I) and then it is my job to decide when to cross, based on listening to the sound of the traffic. And that's why some sound is necessary even in electric cars...

Unnecessarily essential

I'm a general knowledge junkie and loved how this book flipped my "knowledge" on its head. Well researched and well presented (read).

I have to work hard at not being that annoying guy at parties now. Hmm, how do I use this information for good and not evil...

My teenagers even listened in and enjoyed it so entertaining for anyone!

Interesting facts, but a little dry

if you've watched QI as much as me, you will have heard these facts before with a little more depth than this book explores.

if you like your facts with some humour the NSTAAF podcast by the QI Elves is the place to go.

If you like QI you will probably love this

The switch up between the two narrators is nicely done and keeps you listening. Works really well in audio book form. Facts are -by enlarge- interesting and I've certainly retained more info than I have from the show.
Overall interesting and amusing with some useful facts to wow your friends with...

More Audio Pamphlet than Audio Book

As the title suggests, I found this audio book very short. Also the two narrators are panned left and right which can be annoying when listening on headphones on in your car.

Apart from those two issues I found the book very enjoyable. It is light hearted, entertaining and I learned a lot from it.

Coffee Table Book

This is the kind of book I'd hope to have on my coffee table for people to dip into and learn, or unlearn, something new. Really enjoyed the facts and figures this book holds. I think I personally would prefer just one narrator, but that's just my preference.

Really good fun

What made the experience of listening to QI: The Sound of General Ignorance the most enjoyable?

All the facts were interesting, the order of things was coherent, it never felt like something was dwelled upon for too long or not explained in enough detail.

Any additional comments?

It was excellent, I just wish it had been longer.

As interesting as the show

Would of been good if Steven Fry did the talking. But still a good listen.

Fascinating facts!

Things I thought I knew but didn't. A brilliant cornucopia of abstruse facts loosely linked together. Enjoy!

Excellent book full of amazing facts

Firstly, I liked the way the book swapped between narrators. It was done very well and I enjoyed both narrators. The book is full of interesting facts which correct many, long held misconceptions. I had heard a few before, but a lot of the facts were new to me and I spent a lot of the time saying 'really?', when I was listening to the book. Thoroughly enjoyable and good to dip in and out of because of the way the sections are set up in the book. Good for me and my (short) 20 minute drive to work. Will be looking to see if there are any other books from QI, as I really liked this one.