Russ Kick, the compiler of this book (and a few others) is, unfortunately, no longer with us, however, his work still is. And because I value his books very highly – books like Psychotropia or Outposts, those I’ve been lucky to either own and/or read, there’s no reason not to talk about books like these here.
You know, before the internet kicked in, those kind of books were important, they were like concise encyclopedias, bringing to you detailed info about selected topics already researched.
Obviously, today you only need to type a keyword to the browser search field and here you go – instant fact. Or, maybe not.
True, you can find websites dedicated to the various topics like these presented in Disinformation Book of Lists. Some you just don’t find at all. One of the reasons is – you wouldn’t even think of such a topic, the other reason is – some of those topics are usually totally US-centric or they are simply not that interesting or relevant. Let’s have a look at some.
In the section titled Drugs we have a couple of lists and while I don’t give a rat’s ass about “39 Famous People Who Used Drugs” (because, although it’s not the case here, one just need to think about 39 rock musicians and you basically done such a list yourself, not to mention the obvious choices like Charles Manson, Timothy Leary and other obvious choices), or “42 Famous Drinkers of Vin Mariani” (call me uneducated, I haven’t even had a clue about the brand), I can’t be bothered about “A Dozen US Politicians Who Have Smoked Pot”, “12 Songs About Drugs”, “82 Brands of Heroin” or “10 of Chong’s Bongs”. But on the other hand, interesting lists are those such as “31 Products Containing Hard Drugs”, “6 Illegal Substances That Occur Naturally in Our Bodies” or “42+ Things That Have Been Made Out of Hemp” among others.
In the section Crime and Punishment, I certainly don’t give a shit about “3 States Where Cockfighting is Legal” (although I believe it should be fucking banned already), or “36 Botched Executions”, however, lists such as “8 Handmade Prison Objects” or “14 Criminal Cops and Their “Punishments”” are interesting and recommended.
And the topics and lists go on and on.
Despite some of my negative comments above, I believe there is a list of interest for anyone here. Obviously, no one will buy such a book for one list, but that’s not the benefit of it here. The actual benefit is the education of oneself about things you might not even think about. And that’s important, especially in the age of disinformation we live in.
I still collect them (and books on the so-called “useless facts” which there aplenty, as well as similar books) and I still value them highly. And you should too. Why?
To have a handy volume on your bookshelf to peruse when necessary (given that you actually remember it contains some info about topic you are dealing with) is always a welcome bonus.
