Promotional Information

By the author of the number one best-selling SCHOTT'S ORGINIAL MISCELLANY the publishing sensation of 2002500,000 copies of SCHOTT'S ORGINIAL MISCELLANY soldThe perfect stocking filler - move over Nigella, Delia and Jamie - make room for SCHOTT'S FOOD AND DRINK MISCELLANY!

About the Author

Ben Schott is the author of SCHOTT'S ORIGINAL MISCELLANY. A photographer, designer and miscellanist he lives in London, and divides his time between Highgate and the British Library.

Reviews

are smash successes, having sold more than two million copies worldwide. His idiosyncratic interests, odd discoveries, and subjective selections have endeared these distinctive reference books to many readers. Original Miscellany included such items as a table of international washing symbols, the International Astronomical Union's system of nomenclature for planets and satellites, and a set of descriptions and examples of the various cloud types. When compiling his first collection, Schott didn't believe it would have practical reference value. But he found to his surprise that his listing of wine bottle nomenclature was being consulted by journalists for reference. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

By now, readers may have finally gotten around to reading every last drop of trivia in last year's oddball bestseller (here and in the U.K.), Schott's Original Miscellany. Just in time, the London "miscellanist" returns, bestowing upon hungry readers every random thing they've ever wondered about the culinary arts and then some. It's just as addictive and enlightening as the first book, as Schott uses his signature objectivity to relay such obscure facts as "The Romans developed a taste for the edible dormouse (Myoxus glis), which they fattened in special cages (gliraria) before stuffing and roasting." Servants' wages, rates of digestion, blessings for wine and bread, dining times for monks, cognac nomenclature, Laotian cooking measures, ways to ask for the bill in 22 languages, microbial count in raw meat, Latin names for herbs-Schott addresses all these subjects and more, hopping between completely useless (though always fascinating) information and eminently practical tidbits. The "Some slang for drunkenness" entry (which lists, among other terms, "got a crumb in his beard," "wankered" and "sniffed the barmaid's apron") makes the book a wise choice for placement on the coffee table, while the "Measuring spaghetti" diagram suggests it is an indispensable kitchen reference. (Aug. 23) Forecast: Schott's quirky book will take off, bolstered by a radio satellite tour and ads in the Wall Street Journal and the New Yorker. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.