Peter’s Verdict
An audiobook about a guy reading the encyclopedia could be a real snoozer, but Jacobs’ self-deprecating humor makes it a great, often laugh-out-loud listen.
The Know-It-All is a memoir of the year one man spent reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica from A to Z (or, more precisely, from a-ak to zywiec). The book follows the alphabet, which lets Jacobs share the funniest, most fascinating and most profound facts he uncovers in those 33,000 pages.
He complements the project with a series of intellectual adventures, including competing in a crossword-puzzle tournament, going on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and attending a Mensa convention. Along the way we learn a lot about Jacobs himself: his career at Esquire, his relationship with his wife, their ongoing fertility troubles, his playfully combative relationship with his brother-in-law, and his relationship with his dad.
I found Geoffrey Cantor’s nasal voice perfectly suited to a memoir that juxtaposes quirky, sardonic wit with oddball trivia, and I particularly enjoyed the many different voices he does. Some reviewers on Audible were annoyed by the voice, so listen to the sample before you commit.
Quirky, sardonic wit meets oddball trivia.
Jacobs is also willing to discuss how his eccentric endeavor affects his life, and vice versa, which gives the book real heart as well as laughs.
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Listen if…
- You love trivia and quirky facts
- You enjoy self-deprecating, sardonic humor
- You like funny memoirs about one-year experiments
Skip it if…
- Nasal or very characterful voices grate on you: try the sample first
- You want a faster, shorter listen: it runs over 15 hours
Where to listen to The Know-It-All
Audible has the Geoffrey Cantor recording.
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