William Hartston – författare

HERE ARE MANY, MANY THINGS THAT NOBODY KNOWS . . .Why are so many giraffes gay?Has human evolution stopped?Where did our alphabet come from?Can robots become self-aware?Can lobsters recognize other lobsters by sight?What goes on inside a black hole?Are cell phones bad for us?Why can't we remember anything from our earliest years?Full of the mysteries of life, the universe and everything, The Things that Nobody Knows is a fascinating and unputdownable exploration of the limits of human knowledge of our planet, its history and culture, and the universe beyond.

The books in this bite-sized new series contain no complicated techniques or tricky materials, making them ideal for the busy, the time-pressured or the merely curious. Brilliant Chess is a short, simple and to-the-point guide to learning the basic principles in a few short steps. Even if they have no idea about the rules or the moves, in just 96 pages readers will discover the basic strategies of chess, gaining just enough knowledge to get inspired and begin playing.

There are many, many things that nobody knows... Do animals have a sense of humour? Why do we have five fingers? What did Jesus do in his youth? Has human evolution stopped? Can robots become self-aware? What goes on inside a black hole?Bringing together The Things That Nobody Knows and Even More Things That Nobody Knows, this bumper volume takes us on a guided tour of 1,001 gaps in our knowledge of cosmology, mathematics, animal behaviour, medical science, music, art and literature.

How old is the sloth? How do sloths have sex?How did a sloth save Dublin?The answers to these questions, and more, are found in this wonderfully entertaining celebration of the sloth. Walking readers through the sloth's evolutionary history - from the prehistoric ground sloth to modern pygmy - William Hartston reveals the sloth's fascinating journey from maligned mammal to cause célèbre. Playfully peppered with science and filled with factoids, Sloths is a love-letter to the most anachronistic, and just a little bit ridiculous, of animals.'Riveting... Sloths is as comprehensive a look at the instincts, lifestyle and capacities of this curious creature as you are ever likely to need.' Daily Express

Renowned presenter, author, and journalist William Hartston unveils the first mainstream history of humor in his latest book Knock, Knock: In Pursuit of a Grand Unified Theory of Humour. Packed with meticulous research and delightful anecdotes, this book presents a captivating journey through the enigmatic realm of laughter. Humor, an essential aspect of the human experience, has always evoked curiosity and perplexity. Why do familiar catchphrases trigger laughter while repeated jokes fall flat? What's the connection between humor and words containing the letter K? William Hartston ventures into uncharted territory, skillfully exploring the evolution of humor and our ever-shifting perceptions of it, as he embarks on a quest for a Grand Unified Theory of Humour. In this captivating exploration, Hartston delves into a multitude of topics, from the comedy of ancient Greece and the jests of ancient Rome, to the profound significance of laughter in biblical texts. Unearthing the secrets of comic delivery and unveiling how humor transformed in the aftermath of the American Civil War, the book also examines Mark Twain's profound impact on written comedy in the English-speaking world. No stone is left unturned as Hartston strives to comprehend the essence of what tickles our funny bones. Knock, Knock: In Pursuit of a Grand Unified Theory of Humour is a meticulously crafted and highly entertaining work that sheds light on the fascinating history of humor. With its insightful exploration and witty storytelling, this book promises to engage readers from all walks of life. As the perfect gift for those seeking laughter and knowledge, Hartston's latest masterpiece guarantees an unforgettable reading experience.

A delightful and witty treasure trove of utterly useless information by the author of The Things That Nobody Knows.Most encyclopaedias are boring. They are so packed with worthy but dull facts that a great deal of weird and wonderful material is squeezed out. The Encyclopaedia of Everything Else takes the opposite approach and leaves out all the dreary stuff you can find elsewhere. The result is the most fascinating, astonishing, varied and utterly useless collection of information ever assembled and organized between two covers. From aardvark tooth bracelets to the genus of tropical weevils known as Zyzzyva, via Mark Twain's views about cabbages, this is a quarter of a million words of sublime pointlessness.

There are many, many more things that nobody knows...!Why do we have five fingers? Do animals have a sense of humour? Did the universe have a beginning? What causes déjà vu? Why do cats purr? How fast did dinosaurs move?In Even More Things That Nobody Knows, William Hartston once again explores the limits of human knowledge, revealing 501 further mysteries in subjects as diverse as cosmology, mathematics, animal behaviour, medical science, music, art, language and literature.From the trivial to the profound, this is an enthralling and enlightening investigation into the things we just don't know, and which lurk tantalizingly beyond the bounds of our understanding.