The Real Thing

The Real Thing

Bison Books Edition

Paperback (09 Jan 2009)

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Publisher's Synopsis

You may already know that Belgium is the most boring country on planet Earth, but do you know why? Or what makes the Mark 44, Model O Lazy Dog Missile Cluster, the sexiest piece of military hardware on wheels? Or how LSD edged out all contenders as the Platonic Ideal of illicit drugs?

From cities to sitcoms, from scotch to soda, from English monarchs to French movies, The Real Thing is a compendium of the quintessential, providing definitive answers to some of the most compelling questions of our time: What confection out-cholesterols the competition? Why is The Country Club the country club? Which Charlie Chan proved the least scrutable?

Author Kurt Andersen's pithy pronouncements sparkle with wit, sophistication, and a healthy dose of skeptical good humor as he strips world culture of accumulated hype and accepted wisdom, laying bare the sine qua nons and the ne plus ultras in a sassy series of satirical essays that give credit where credit is due while simultaneously foreclosing on the bogus, the ersatz, the would-be, and the has-been. The Real Thing is the real thing. These days, that's really something.

Book information

ISBN: 9780803220553
Publisher: Bison Books
Imprint: Bison Books
Pub date:
Edition: Bison Books Edition
DEWEY: 818.5407
DEWEY edition: 22
Language: English
Number of pages: 180
Weight: 222g
Height: 198mm
Width: 132mm
Spine width: 10mm