Written by Brie
January 17th, 2010

The Know-It-All was yet another terrific memoir by AJ Jacobs, this time exploring the Encyclopædia Britannica, from A to Z. (And yes, I did learn that the æ symbol is known as a ligature…)

While the book is more about Jacob’s personal life during the year it takes him to read all of the volumes of the reference collection, this memoir can be read as a CliffsNotes version of the encyclopedia. And it is a very entertaining study guide. There were entries that I wanted to dog ear, in order to go learn more about them - such as Sternberg’s theories on intelligence, Ecclesiastes, and Victoria Woodhull (whom I dimly recall was the subject of one of my high school history projects).

I see lead ups to another work by Jacobs, which I loved (perhaps even a bit more than The Know-It-All) - The Year of Living Biblically. He is set to figure out the human aspect of the world, and where each individual has learning opportunities, in both scholastic endeavors and moral endeavors.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to learn, who loves to be reminded of all there is to learn in this world, and who is able to reconcile the fact that they don’t and can’t know everything with the amount of joy a challenge to grow can bring to them.

Posted in Books, Personal
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