James Innes-Smith

Quick, fun book. The origins of many common items -- from book to vodka -- are outlined in clear prose with delightful illustrations. I learned a lot of trivia: When is a book not a book? (When it is less than 49 pages long ← wonder who determines that??) What is arachibutyrophobia? (The fear of having peanut butter stick to the roof of one's mouth) Americans consume more than 90 million pounds of marshmallow every year. Glue is officially considered a dairy by-product. Gelatin is extracted from the hooves of barnyard animals. The male silkworm can smell a female silkworm from seven miles away. Pennsylvania is said to produce the best potatoes for potato chips, because of the richness of the soil. And so on and on... (Of course, how -much- of this fascinating, but relatively useless information, this reader will actually retain is another matter altogether!) Very enjoyable!… (altro)