Marcus Berkmann drew attention to the over-abundance of similarly themed books (to which the QI title—and series—clearly owe a certain debt), commenting that: A book of the show has become all but necessary, if only to allow us to ingest this information at normal brain speed, and because such fine and creative research genuinely deserves to be captured in print. So it's slightly disappointing that the book arrives in the question-and-answer format made so familiar by last year's big hit Does Anything Eat Wasps? There are actually about 20 such books out this year, all asking these quirky questions (Do Sheep Shrink in the Rain? Do Fish Drink Water?), all piled up in Waterstones, making book-buyers feel a bit depressed. [24] Every Wednesday the Elves appear on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show where they answer the ponderings and wonderings of BBC Radio 2's most inquisitive listeners. Schillinger, Liesl (2 September 2007). "The Book of General Ignorance: Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong". The New York Times . Retrieved 23 April 2008.

Berkman's complaints, however, are countered by his admission that "this book is already the amusing trivia success of the season," containing many "eye-watering" and "eyebrow-raising" facts, even if he thinks it a little smug. [24] Doug Brown reviewed the book for Powell's Books, noting that it has a "UK-heavy emphasis", and that "Overall The Book of General Ignorance is a lot of fun, and you're guaranteed to learn something you didn't know (but thought you did)." [20] On 1 November 2007 another QI spin-off title was produced: The QI annual, intended as a continuing work focusing on the Series' alphabetic themes. [26] The annual featured contributions from most of "QI"s guest panellists and the comedian Rowan Atkinson. In 2010 the second book of General Ignorance was released. This book is for people who know they don't know a lot." reviewed by Aileen Marshall. Accessed 10 February 2008

QI merchandise

The Book of General Ignorance contains a list of 230 questions, most of which previously appeared in episodes of QI. Each question explains the correct answer, and usually attempts to show why people tend to make the wrong assumptions, or believe certain myths. Each book contains two forewords, one by Fry, the other by Davies. Davies' initial "foreword" was credited as "Four words," which read simply: "Will this do, Stephen?" [17] Critical reception [ edit ] An earlier version of the cover, playing on the idea of ignorance with a typo

This is the 23rd QI title to be published by Faber. Worldwide, QI titles have sold almost 4.5 million copies. Mitchinson, John; Lloyd, John (5 October 2006). QI: The Book of General Ignorance. Faber and Faber. pp.xv. ISBN 0-571-23368-6.

As well as correcting these "all-too-common" mistakes, the book(s) attempt to explain how the errors have been perpetuated, and why people believe incorrect 'facts' to be true. [4] Publication history [ edit ] Kay, Jennifer (30 July 2007). "Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 11 January 2008 . Retrieved 1 August 2007.