Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Michael O'Mara Books (2011), Paperback, 192 pages
Description
An entertaining compilation of important, but half-forgotten facts, figures and knowledge from our school days, presented in bite-sized chunks. Has wisdom come with age... or do you struggle to remember the things you were taught at school? From which Shakespeare play comes the phrase 'the winter of our discontent'? Can you explain photosynthesis? Can you calculate fractions, decimals and percentages? When was the Battle of Trafalgar? And who was involved? What is the capital of Chile, or of Denmark? What is an adverb? So if, like me, you have been exclaiming "I used to know that!" while reading the above, you need this book. Ideal for your pub quiz knowledge, helping the kids with their homework or just reminding yourself how smart you once were, here is all the old-school knowledge you will ever need in a gorgeous nostalgic format. Knowledge.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Tmtrvlr
I Used to Know That is a fun and interesting book with many tidbits of information that can be used for a quick reference guide or to brush up a little on the major subjects of Math, Literature, English, Science, History, Geography, and General Studies.
Authors of classic literature, fractions,
This is an entertaining book for those interested in trivia. It would also be good for quizzing school-aged children or to just remember facts that haven’t been needed for a few years.
Authors of classic literature, fractions,
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geometry, algebra, the skeletal system, periodic table, U.S. presidents, countries and their capitals, and planets are just a few of the topics covered in this jammed packed little book. This is an entertaining book for those interested in trivia. It would also be good for quizzing school-aged children or to just remember facts that haven’t been needed for a few years.
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LibraryThing member VickiLN
The information-presented in easy-to-retain, bite-sized chunks-is accurate and up-to- date. It will touch a chord with anyone old enough to have forgotten half of what they learned at school. Here is a perfect gift for every perennial student.
This is a very informative fun book that brought back to
This is a very informative fun book that brought back to
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mind things I'd long forgotten. It is a great book to have sitting on your desk for reference. I plan to frequently read random chapters of this book just to give my brain a workout. Show Less
LibraryThing member nmhale
The premise of the book is that we all learn a wealth of information in school, but forget a great deal of it, because it doesn't pertain to our everyday life. This book promises to refresh our memories of generally known subjects of information, that are probably familiar to us, but the details
As the introduction indicates, I did find that I knew much of the material covered or had studied it at some point. If I could, I would be a perpetual student - too bad no one actually pays me for that - so I rather enjoy reading scholastic material, even a book like this that doesn't go deep, it just skims the surface of stuff you should know. Perhaps the best use for the book, though, is for a bit of fun trivia quizzing amongst friends, or to relieve boredom on road trips. Indeed, we did use it for that latter purpose. There's nothing special about this book, but it does make you feel a touch smarter, and can offer entertaining quizzing games with creative application.
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are lost in the recesses of time. As such, the book is divided in sections according to subject matter, such as reading or math. The most common areas of school study are utilized, followed by a final chapter that collects bits of knowledge from a variety of the elective type studies, the fine arts and mythology and the planets and so on.As the introduction indicates, I did find that I knew much of the material covered or had studied it at some point. If I could, I would be a perpetual student - too bad no one actually pays me for that - so I rather enjoy reading scholastic material, even a book like this that doesn't go deep, it just skims the surface of stuff you should know. Perhaps the best use for the book, though, is for a bit of fun trivia quizzing amongst friends, or to relieve boredom on road trips. Indeed, we did use it for that latter purpose. There's nothing special about this book, but it does make you feel a touch smarter, and can offer entertaining quizzing games with creative application.
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LibraryThing member bergs47
Hardly anything new here. Can't see how in today's modern age that you would need it as a reference as anything said is very easily obtained with 2 clicks.
LibraryThing member Tam2603
Unfortunately it got rather boring for me in the chemistry section as I had advanced courses in Chemistry in school. The physics and biology part were interesting.
All in all it was rather superficial (which wasn't so surprising given the length of the book and the complexity and vastness of topics
All in all it was rather superficial (which wasn't so surprising given the length of the book and the complexity and vastness of topics
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to cover). Show Less
LibraryThing member martensgirl
I'm not sure what the author was trying to achieve. It is too lightweight to be a reference book, nor did it make me nostaligic about my school days.
LibraryThing member PhillipThomas
More a small collection of answers to pub trivia questions than a serious reference. Most of the contents I never learned at school but afterwards. The book seems to focus on the US and Europe.
Language
Physical description
192 p.
ISBN
1843176556 / 9781843176558