Book title like All you wanted or needed to know about everything?

Question

All you wanted or needed to know about everything?

Back in the 80s I saw an “oversize” book in my local library called something like - but not exactly – “All you ever wanted or needed to know about everything”, or something like that.

It was actually drawn in the style of a comic book, with several – probably 6 to 8 - panels on each page. The drawings were not coloured though, just very plain black and white. They were very rough and very simple.

It was rather like a history of the world with lots of science, philosophy, art and culture thrown in too. How thought and knowledge grew up into what we know today. The drawings were of a very poor quality, very hurried, but I can see that what the author was trying to do was to get ALL aspects of knowledge, from history to nuclear physics, into one illustrated book that was very easy to read – just like a kid’s comic, but for adults who wanted to improve their education! I stress that it was serious and not humorous. It had just about everything you could think of in it.

The author was definitely a man. I think he was a British author.




All you wanted or needed to know about everything?

Back in the 80s I saw an “oversize” book in my local library called something like - but not exactly – “All you ever wanted or needed to know about everything”, or something like that.

It was actually drawn in the style of a comic book, with several – probably 6 to 8 - panels on each page. The drawings were not coloured though, just very plain black and white. They were very rough and very simple.

It was rather like a history of the world with lots of science, philosophy, art and culture thrown in too. How thought and knowledge grew up into what we know today. The drawings were of a very poor quality, very hurried, but I can see that what the author was trying to do was to get ALL aspects of knowledge, from history to nuclear physics, into one illustrated book that was very easy to read – just like a kid’s comic, but for adults who wanted to improve their education! I stress that it was serious and not humorous. It had just about everything you could think of in it.

The author was definitely a man. I think he was a British author.

Answer 1

I, too, have a fuzzy recollection of the book you are referring to. I don't know if there is a reprint, or perhaps a continuation. You can try a couple of these links to books on the Indigo Chapters website.

I think this is the one you mean, though it's not available at Chapters, you might have luck finding a used copy somewhere. http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/books-978091255929/0912559292/Everything+You+Ever+Wanted+to+Know+about+Everything?ref=Search+Books%3a+'Shelley+Stockwell'
Written by Shelley Stockwell and Ormond McGill

This one also seems pretty likely - http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/books-978075284168/0752841688/Trade+Secrets+Everything+You+Will+Ever+Need+to+Know+About+Ev?ref=Search+Books%3a+'know+about+everything'%3aReference+and+Language

This one sounds like fun but not so likely - http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/books-978155192909/1551929090/Everything+You+Need+to+Know+About+the+World+by+Simon+Eliot?ref=Search+Books%3a+'know+about+everything'

Answer 2

I dont know about the 80s but there is a Internet Yellow Pages book available (I grabbed a 2002 edition from the sale table at the library last year)

Have included a couple of other websites as well.

Answer 3

Post your question on the Library of Congress' website at: loc.gov. Any question you have about the written word is in this library as it is the largest library in the world.