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    That Is All
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    That Is All
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    That Is All
    Audiobook16 hours

    That Is All

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    John Hodgman-bestselling author, The Daily Show's "Resident Expert", minor television celebrity, and deranged millionaire-brings us the third and final installment in his trilogy of Complete World Knowledge.

    In 2005, Dutton published The Areas of My Expertise, a handy little book of Complete World Knowledge, marked by the distinction that all of the fascinating trivia and amazing true facts were completely made up by its author, John Hodgman. At the time, Hodgman was merely a former literary agent and occasional scribbler of fake trivia. In short: a nobody.

    But during an interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, an incredible transformation occurred. He became a famous minor television personality. You may ask: During his whirlwind tornado ride through the high ether of minor fame and outrageous fortune, did John Hodgman forget how to write books of fake trivia? The answer is: Yes. Briefly. But soon, he remembered!

    And so he returned, crashing his Kansas farmhouse down upon the wicked witch of ignorance with More Information Than You Require, a New York Times bestseller containing even more mesmerizing and essential fake trivia, including seven hundred mole-man names (and their occupations).

    And now, John Hodgman completes his vision with That Is All, the last book in a trilogy of Complete World Knowledge. Like its predecessors, That Is All compiles incredibly handy made-up facts into brief articles, overlong lists, and beguiling narratives on new and familiar themes. It picks up exactly where More Information left off-specifically, at page 596-and finally completes COMPLETE WORLD KNOWLEDGE, just in time for the return of Quetzalcoatl and the end of human history in 2012.

    16 Hours, Read by Dick Cavett, Patton Oswalt, Jon Hamm, Paul Rudd, Sarah Vowell, Brooke Shields, Scott Adsit,  Robin Goldwasser, Jonathan Coulton, John Roderick, Rachel Maddow, Wyatt Cenac, Stephen Fry, Paul F. Tompkins, Prominent Ragnarok Denier Dr. Elliott Kalan.

    Music by Jonathan Coulton, John Roderick, John Flansburgh, John Darnielle, Cynthia Hopkins

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 2, 2012
    ISBN9781101523346
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for That Is All

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      Slightly more fragmented than the first two volumes in this compendium of (fake) world knowledge...and I am not enough of an uber fan to listen to the reverse looped audio list of unmentionable ones at the end of the book, but overall the topic of the end times allows Hodgman to be at his most zany. Despite the title, I hope that is not all.
    • 4/5
      I adored every word of the first volume in John Hodgman's Compendium of Complete World Knowledge, The Areas of My Expertise. The second volume, More Information Than You Require, was also very good, but fell a bit flat in comparison — though by all means still a thoroughly enjoyable book. This third and finally volume, appropriately titled That Is All, follows the same pattern. While it is very funny and engaging and fun to read, it didn't quite reach the same level that the first book did.Some of the things that made More a bit less than I liked were a focus more on humorous essays and anecdotes, and less of the quirky fake trivia format of the prior book. That Is All remedies this problem by having a much better balance of content, but by now, I suppose it must simply be losing its novelty for me. I confess that I mostly skimmed the listing of the names of 700 Elder Gods, where I had closely read each of the 700 Hobos (and the additional 700 Hobos from the paperback edition) and then the 700 Mole-men. While I find the idea of the list of 700 names amusing and had previously found myself admiring Hodgman's ability to maintain variety in them, even with 2100 listed, I just couldn't find it in me to do it once again. I think it might also have to do with not really finding much appeal in the Elder Gods theme this time around.The Elder Gods do play a large part in That Is All, which purports to be the last and final book of all knowledge before Ragnarok. The marginal feature "This Day in History" from More returns as "This Day in the End Times" and details events of the final year before Ragnarok itself occurs on 21 December 2012, and the contents of the main part of the book include tips on how to survive the Blood Wave and the best things to invest in for future currency.But the End Times aren't the only focus of the book: since this is a complete compendium of world knowledge, Hodgman finally discusses sports (and not just hermit crab racing, the sport of the asthmatic man) and different types of wine. He also provides instructions for becoming a deranged millionaire and the benefits thereof, plus some final secrets and answers to pressing questions. The deranged millionaire character is the driving narrator of the book, while in More, he was a minor television personality, and in Areas of My Expertise, he was a former literary agent. As with the previous books, the narrator's character (who is John Hodgman and yet is also a creation of his) influences and informs the content. In the case of That Is All, it means many digressions and tangents of an absurd nature. The deranged millionaire and the knowledge of the coming Ragnarok also gives many sections a frantic feel, with many uses of emphatic caps lock.One of my favorite parts of the book is also a favorite from the second book, too — the contiguous page numbering and references with the previous volumes. This choice really drives home the idea that these books are all part of one unit, and I like the interconnectedness. In fact, this meta-awareness of the series as a series goes so far to explicitly state that you need to have the paperback editions on hand for some of the reference notes, because of the change in page numbering or edits in the text. I love the subtle pressure to acquire the paperback editions if you haven't already done so. In fact, this third book references the previous two far more heavily than the second did the first, which is very satisfying to me, and provides new reasons to read them, and new ways to look at them.I happen to be a fan of Hodgman's writing, so I did very much enjoy That Is All, but the frantic nature of some of the early sections and the weird deranged and confused nature of some of the latter ones (all part of the meta-story, I should point out) made it a bit difficult for me to read. There's also the way that when you have such a perfect-for-me book as Areas of My Expertise, anything else would pale in comparison. It is definitely a great end to the series, and well worth any fan's time, but it shouldn't be read at all if you've not already read and enjoyed the previous two books, due to the heavy use of references, and the fact that it's more of the same.
    • 5/5
      Complete compendium of world knowledge. What more do you want?
      Not the best of the series, but still better than almost every thing else (in the false-encyclopedia category). Worth it for the reverse dust jacket photo alone.
    • 4/5
      Much in the same vein of his previous books of fake facts.
    • 4/5
      Audiobook Review (June 2013): The audiobook for the most part is better than the regular book book in the same way that is often the case with David Sedaris. It did drag a bit when listening to a few hours of "Today in Ragnarok." But I am looking forward to the Netflix special "Ragnarok" that comes out on my birthday next week.

      Print Review (January 2012): Written by a madman and self-proclaimed deranged millionaire That is All is filled with fake facts, trivia and advice for the coming of the end of the world. The book is crammed with nerdiness and hilarity. If you are a fan of Hodgman you'll definitely enjoy this book.