Advice for A-holes, Interesting history for everyone else
595131
I do not suggest you read this and take its advice seriously, as most of it is 'how to be a jerk and get away with it'. However, I did really enjoy this book, mostly because of its little history blurbs. A lot of his writing seems to be taken from Machiavelli, but I personally did not mind. The book is well-written and interesting.
1474267
If history had been presented in a format this useful in high school I would have paid more attention! For those of us who weren't always dealt the best hand to start the game, the work is to keep at it. These 10 stories both instructed and inspired me to do that. Lincoln had it tougher than I thought; Rockefeller wasn't the angel I imagined; Churchill overcame much more than I guessed. (And Jackson gave some interesting insights to the current political climate). A useful read.
2882467
I really enjoyed this book.  She has a "tell it like it is" writing style that doesn't pull any punches or gloss over things in a way that might make you feel better now, but will hurt you in the long run.

What I really liked about this book is that she tells you what to do and what NOT to do.  Chapter 3, on the habits of UNATTRACTIVE women is funny, until you realize that it's YOU with a few of those habits. :)  To me, that was the most helpful and worth the price of the book.

This book has really helped me to develop myself.  One of the best I've read in the last year.

On a related note,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Why-He-s-Dating-Her-Instead-of-You-Why-He-Didn-t-Commit-Why-He-Left-and-Why-You-re-Still-Hooked-10-Ways-to-Be-the-Woman-Every-Man-Wants/dp/0981803946/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Why He's Dating Her (Instead of You) - Why He Didn't Commit, Why He Left, and Why You're Still Hooked - 10 Ways to Be the Woman Every Man Wants</a>&nbsp;is similar, with the same type of advice.  If you like Make Every Man Want You, you'll enjoy this one as well.
4195908
It was enjoyable to read these amusing stories about athletes whose cards I used to collect, and of the authors good guys list. Its nice to read about athletes who have genuine appreciation for their success.

Some of the things you will learn are:
-the ways in which athletes try to avoid signing autographs
-tips for the autograph collector
-the behind-the-scenes of the autograph industry

The author holds very little back when discussing who has annoyed him or treated the fans unfairly. For example, he writes of Pete Rose: When you're 90 minutes late for a paid appearance, then complain because you had to leave your unfinished round of golf, you're a jerk. (pg. 35).

The author warns the reader about forgeries, but does not go into much detail about it. It is best to seek more modern resources to learn about this in particular, since there have been new card design technologies and scams in the way of fake sports memorabilia since the book was released (e.g. the advent and faking of patch cards).

One of the most important pieces of advice in the book is If you are collecting today you are wise to do it for fun and enjoyment, with less emphasis on value. Enjoy the item. The financial return in most cases will be minimal. (pg. 170). I once received the same advice from one of the staff at a sports card/collectible store five years ago, when I had decided to take up collecting for the second time.

My only complaint with the book is that the author sometimes ends up being too casual, or off-topic:
Of Juan Marichal, the author wrote He has beautiful penmanship that often looks as though it could be a fancy signature by a female. (pg. 71). Im not sure what the author was getting at with this line.
Of Deion Sanders, he wrote His conversion to Christianity appears to be real, as his conversation frequently addresses his faith. (pg. 110). If the topic were Sanders faith, then this statement would have been appropriate. However, it was just thrown in for no apparent reason.

Contents:
About the Author
Introduction
1. The Sports Autograph Industry: Blame the 1980s
2. The Art of Autograph Collecting
3. Has He Always Been a Jerk Like That?
4. My Top Ten Jerks
5. My Top Ten Good Guys
6. Rating Another 100 Well-Known Sports Celebrities
7. Mickey Mantle
8. Close Encounters on the Autograph Circuit
9. The Hounds Have Tales
10. The Future
11. The Conclusion: Whats It All Mean?
Index
Be a Part of Sign This II
3415406
I'm in agreement with the other reviewers here: this book is extremely well researched and written, if not a little on the long side. In any case, it was definitely an interesting read. The book though doesn't really offer any advice or guidance to students like me who want to get into Ivy League schools. It's much more of a history or sociological account than it is a college guidebook. For a book that does the latter, I'd recommend a new book from College Prowler: "Untangling the Ivy League." It offers a bit more in terms of insider information that might be helpful for college bound students and their parents in the application process.
2401602
I like to learn things. I'd like to think I'm getting smarter, not merely older. Listening to Great Courses when I'm driving around in my car, not otherwise overusing my brainpower, has been a wonderful way to achieve that. This book, like all of the other Great Courses lectures I've listened to, definitely made me smarter, and I recommend it without qualification. It put a whole lot of information that I mostly already knew into much better context, and of course taught me much that I did not know, and the theme of comparing and contrasting different civilizations at given periods of human development was an interesting overarching theme.

I have 3 mild criticisms (which are not meant to dissuade anyone from obtaining this excellent series):
1) A "brief history of the world" is an ambitious concept, if not downright self-conflictory, Of necessity (for "briefness") it glosses over, or completely skips, many major world-historical events that I would have liked to be able to better contextualize, had they been included, which they weren't.
2) At the same time, he spends more time than I would have liked indulging in self-reference - that is, talking about the study of World History itself. This is not a deep criticism - in fact, since the field has changed conspicuously since I was in school in the 70's, it's good to be made aware of the ways in which it has changed. But I felt Stearns invoked this too regularly, and spent a bit too much time on it when I just wanted to know about the historical events themselves. It is not surprising that, as an academician in a recently made-over field of study, that he might be more fascinated with the field of study itself, than those outside the field.
3) Some public speakers fill gaps with 'uhms'. Stearns fills his with the word "obviously". He uses it seemingly hundreds of times during the course of these lectures. Obviously we don't know the material he is presenting. So, obviously, what he is telling us might not be particularly obvious. So, obviously, he shouldn't use the word obviously as much as he does. (Believe me - you'd have noticed it yourself, even if I didn't point it out!)
3127313
Mr. Morris' book is a wonderful addition to the library of any American history buff - no matter the level of personal knowledge.  While the stories are somewhat haphazardly categorized, they are all well written and contain a wealth of information.  I also have to commend the author with being able to cover the sometimes very political points of certain parts of American history in a generally non-political way.  Considering the general media so often slants to the left, it was quite refreshing to read honest, non-political writings on the merits, or lack thereof, of the New Deal, the Vietnam War, the beliefs of our Founding Fathers, and other touchy subjects.

Being a lover of history and especially American history, I read the book from cover to cover and was never bored - even when sections came up about which I was familar.  I especially liked the section that discussed ways in which history repeats or nearly repeats itself - such as the similarities between the Great Depression and the depression 100 yrs earlier during the term of Martin Van Buren (and, some would say, the current financial crises that we find ourselves in).  Considering some of the "history" text books that I've read, that choose to accentuate non-history, slanted bias, or even opinion, it seems to me that this book would be an interesting and welcome companion to many junior/senior high-level history texts.  If nothing else, this book would be a nice addition to a well-read home in which parents want to help their children debunk the popular myth, unverified "facts", and outright legend that are sometimes printed and repeated by today's media.  Case in point is the Kennedy assassination conspiracy myth.  The author carefully and methodically lays out all the points and counter-points that lead the reader to only one fact - there was no conspiracy or 2nd shooter and Oliver Stone just needs to deal with it.

Overall I found the book enjoyable.  As other reviewers, I was distracted from time to time by similar facts being repeated throughout the text.  Obviously this is unnecessary and should theoretically be edited out when the final text is printed, but I still needs to be noted.  I also nicked the book a little for the way that it is organized, or non-organized, in somewhat arbitrary categories.  It's not a huge knock though as many of the stories do not lend themselves to strict or obvious categorization and it could easily be argued to place a story in many different sections of the book.  What pictures were in the proof version were welcome additions and I would probably have to buy another copy to get "the full affect".
2405014
It takes a lot of work and imagination to be someone other people want to remember for all time. We're not talking about eating-a-lot-of-hot-dogs or profiled-by-People-magazine level of awesomeness. We're talking about being the type of person to the history books for learning to grow meat, becoming a superhero, or ruling with an iron fist.

There are plenty of self-help books out there that teach you about building your self-esteem, but that's nothing compared to learning the secret of time travel (hint: head for the future) or walking on fire (know your physics; ashes make great insulators for your tootsies).

For those who want to become the epitome of awesomness, "Be Amazing" is for you. Written by contributors to the Mental Floss website, it's a lot like Cecil Adams' "Straight Dope" books, which combines questions people really want to know the answers to with the research to back it up, plus ample amounts of humor.

For example, to find the mate of your dreams, "Be Amazing" draws on studies of hormonal behavior showing that women prefer very masculine men (considered unfaithful but hot in bed) to have flings with -- think Christian Bale or Alley Oop -- but marry men with softer features, considered better at childrearing and faithful (think Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp).

In addition, the illustrations by Mike Rogalski take the text and put a twisted spin on them -- such as putting a huge Swiss army knife in the hand of a duelist, dressing a llama in a hazmat suit and dressing Andy Warhol stocking grocery store shelves (with Campbell's soup, natch) -- that adds another level of fun.

As a self-help book, it shouldn't be taken seriously (unless you really do want to learn how to drive a tank, or become an American icon). But if you ever need to know how to operate on yourself, build an inland sea, become a ninja or become an American icon, "Be Amazing" will show you how. It won't be easy; it may even be freakin' impossible; but it will be amazing.
3231502
After my last painful breakup, I finally bought a few books about dating to see where things went wrong: Doc Love's The System, David Deangelo's Double Your Dating e-Book, and this one. In the process, I learned a lot of extremely important concepts that every man should know. The painful breakup was over two years ago and it was, indeed, the last.

The System teaches several critical things about filtering out bad women. It can save you a ton of time and money by "testing" girls to see if they're using you and/or straight up toxic, despite their blinding beauty. It also has a lot of great info on being mysterious and challenging through the course of an entire relationship to keep a woman interested. For example, after getting a number (and until she asks to be your girlfriend), Doc says to wait 5-9 days to call -- and no weekends. The users and abusers forget your name or never answer. The good ones are thrilled to hear from you. He also teaches to always let the woman do the touching and mushy talk before you even think about doing either (and never really get mushy). Good stuff.

Deangelo's material seemed to contradict Doc Love in a lot of ways. He focuses more on _what_ you do or say than _when_ you do or say it. He emphasizes that women are genetically programmed to respond to men who are in control and not emotional (i.e. they're cocky & funny and never needy, sad, or angry), and ultimately how to completely avoid the romantic suicide of acting like a wuss. While Doc Love left out a lot of details on exactly how to behave around women, Deangelo nailed it on the head with the sort of "unpredictable and upbeat alpha male" concept. Learning both authors' sides has made a huge difference in my dating life and made me very aware of where I screwed up before. Being "nice" gets them out of the room; being cocky & funny gets them on top of you. I say it from experience, to my own amazement.

Back to "How To Succeed With Women." There are several good points throughout the book, but I feel like it's contaminated with a dangerous amount of bad advice (actually teaching wussy behavior). What really threw me were the parts about touching women early on to let them know you're interested (she already knows you like her and you may be on very thin ice if she hasn't touched you beforehand), how to apologize to a woman if you ever offend her, and that you should "promise" to never do what offended them again. What!? This sort of butt-kissing will quickly lead you to being dominated by a woman who will dump you as soon as someone with cajones shows up.

I believe a "real man" constantly pursues his goals and has fun along the way. He works to feel accomplished and complete, and is independent as a result. This man does not go chasing after women like we see in every stupid Hollywood movie -- he talks to them playfully and _lets_ the good ones (or good one) into his exciting life. He's respectful, but still calls it like he sees it and doesn't plead or apologize when somebody is offended by his honesty. And unlike the other two books, in my opinion, this one simply misses the mark too many times.
2691482
Very entertaining read. I found it a little repetitive throughout but overall it was a good read.  As long as you're not offended by the title of the book,then go ahead and get it. Also, if you are an a-hole, read this and change your ways!!
634778
This book provides a good overview of world history.  If you find yourself feeling that your knowledge of world history from school is insufficient, this book would be a good one to use to help bolster your background in world history.  I would recommend reading World History for Dummies and/or Gombrich's "A Little History of the World" before reading this book.  Mental Floss History does not really have any prerequisites, but this book does not contain a single map, so I think that it would be very helpful to have a little background in geography or history before reading it.  It is definitely worth reading, and is not only a compilation of gossipy asides.  It is primarily a good history of the world, and the (sometimes gossipy) asides do provide some nice material for cocktail party conversations.  Definitely worth reading, and definitely will help to bolster your background in world history in about as entertaining a way as you are likely to find.
457385
A lot of great insights and anecdotes.  It is somewhat repetitive, but very engaging and easy to read.  I recommend this book for anyone who is going through the college admissions process (parents and students).  It made by over-achieving, incoming-high-school-senior mad, but I found it very reassuring.
3967278
Interesting information for all - parents, educators et al
4167100
I came across this book while looking for something else and picked it up because it looked interesting. It is not only interesting but very readable.  It is full of excellent insight into topics from Graduate School and the job hunt to "Slouching toward Tenure," etc. As a graduate student in a technical area I was totally clueless about the politics of academia. I wish I had run across this book then. As I read through it, I had many "aha!" moments: "Aha! so _that_ is what was going on in such-and-such a situation!" Even men in academia could profit from much of the insight in this book, which is funny and well-written. Much of the advice about finding one's way through the tenure maze, for example, applies to anyone in that situation.  The book contains some left-wing politics and some fairly extreme feminism. Those who enjoy that sort of thing will find it here. Those who don't will not find enough to obviate the other excellent features of this book.  If you are in that political jungle called academia, and particularly if you're just starting out in it, you will find it worthwhile to read this book.
760953
This book takes the middle road, with a blend of Wikipedia, Book of Lists, Reader's Digest, Zinn's People's History, Lies My Teacher Told Me, and Uncle John's Bathroom Books.

In chronological order, the authors summarize significant people, events, and situations throughout America's history. Occasionally challenging conventional wisdom, but, in my opinion, just as often reinforcing conventional wisdom, albeit in an accessible, memorable format. Featured short articles are punctuated by highlighted boxes with trivia or related information.

My only complaint is that some sections counter established "Lies" with opposing "Facts"(which I like), but offer no sources for their claims, unlike Wikipedia, Zinn, and Loewen's "Lies" books (I am reviewing an uncorrected proof).

Nevertheless, I can recommend this book as a fun and educational read for those who like history, or anyone with short attention spans.
339032
It is obvious, of course, that one cannot contain the history of the world in a 400-page book, so the question is why would one ever try?  But try they have, and Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur have delivered a humorous and fairly enjoyable trip through the history of the world in their 2008 book "The Mental Floss History of the World: An Irreverent Romp through Civilization's Best Bits".

There are several good points about the book.  I thought they did a very good job in breaking history down into the different periods and did their best to keep the reader informed as to what was going on around the world during those times.  Of course, lack of history for some areas certainly prevented them from doing as much as one would have liked, but the fact is they did better than most in providing more than just Western history.  Another plus is the way they included small interesting tidbits along with the overall historical perspective.  These provide most of the humor in the book, and it helps keep it more interesting for the reader as well as help hide all that they are leaving out.

Probably the best thing about the book is the way they were consistent in the presentation in each section.  They open with the "In A Nutshell" section, which briefly describes the most significant events of that period of history.  This is followed by their "What Happened When" section, which provides a timeline for that period of history.  Next they have their "Spinning The Globe" section, which tries its best to give the reader a view of what was going on in each of the regions around the world.  The next section they title "Who's Up, Who's Down" which looks at what fared well during that period and what didn't do so well.  The next section they titled "So Long And Thanks For All The" which looks at what happened during that period which had a lasting positive impact, at least for the most part.  This is followed by the "And Thanks, But No Thanks For" section, which looks at what came from that period which we would rather not have had.  The last of the repeated sections for each period of history is called "By The Numbers" where they throw significant numbers at the reader for that period.

While they did a number of things very well, it was difficult for me to get past all they were leaving out.  As someone who loves history, I would like to see them give the periods of history a more in depth treatment, somewhat along the lines of what Larry Gonick has done with his "Cartoon History of the Universe", which has now turned into "The Cartoon History of the Modern World".  Still, any book which helps people enjoy learning history isn't all bad, and so I give this three stars and it probably deserves right around 3 .  It is certainly a good book for people who want an overview, though there is a lot left out, and they oversimplify a great deal of what took place.
2106959
In short, the book is a good primer on how to play petty games that won't land a quality man.  Still, there are some good points that one can take away, suchas one should value one's self and not be over-eager to jump into the sack until you really know someone.

As a male, I enjoyed reading the rules, because I thought it was hilarious, although it was not intended to be.  My biigest source of amusement was picking out which rules made me LESS likely to want to date someone.  Then again, I'm the kind of guy who enjoys open, honest communication and am self-aware and confident.  My guess is many of these rules will work wonders with guys who have self-esteem issues, rigid expectations of gender roles and are willing to chase someone, because they don't have a lot of options in their dating life.  Me?  I prefer a woman who doesn't play games, is an equal in a relationship and seems to like me as much as I like her, but I guess there are all kinds of men out there who will respond well to these sorts of things.  I'm just not one of them.

It send up a red flag anytime a book says to not discuss it with your therapist.  Let's see, should one talk to someone who is an expert in interpersonal communication, or listen to a book about dating and marriage written by a divorced woman and her single friend?  Talking with one's therapist about relationship issues seems like a good idea. By the way, there's a whole chapter devoted to why you shouldn't listen to your friends and family if they tell you the book is nuts. Anytime someone tells you not to trust your friends, family and therapist, follow that advice at your own risk.

I'm a guy, so perhaps this advice won't fly--but I'd say the best way to find someone you like is to be yourself, love yourself and don't be afraid to take some risks.  Games like "The Rules" probably won't lead you to a relationship with true emotional intimacy, but if you enjoy playing catty games and screwing with people's heads, this book is for you.