The Straight Dope Tells All

The Straight Dope Tells All is the fourth Straight Dope book. Each is a collection of articles written by Cecil Adams for his column of the same name, in which questions of cosmic importance such as “Why did kamikaze pilots wear helmets?” and “My cat seems to be left-handed. Is that possible?” are answered with large doses of fact and humor.

The Straight Dope books are great for when you need a break from heavier stuff. This one in particular suffers a bit from the inclusion of various net-related items (thestraightdope.com had just been launched), but aside from that this book is as strong (though shorter) than the other Straight Dope books.

Maybe there's a limit....: I've always enjoyed Cecil and have, over the years, purchased his first four books. And it's true--each volume is a bit less fascinating than the previous. It really seems that the most familiar, universal, and entertaining imponderables were addressed in the earlier volumes. Odd, but seemingly true. Still, keep going Cecil!

Although this book is smaller then it's earlier counterparts, I must say it's one of the best. Among other things, the smiley-face saga; Who knew the origin of the smiley face would bring so much response/excitement? I loved it!

Weak, not worth the time.