Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 288
•
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-4422-1403-3 • Paperback • August 2012 • $19.95 • (£14.99)
978-1-4422-1404-0 • eBook • August 2012 • $18.95 • (£14.99)
Gary Fuller taught at the University of Hawai‘i for thirty-five years before broadening his scope to lecture aboard cruise ships. A former winning contestant on the TV program Jeopardy! and a seasoned world traveler, Fuller is eminently qualified to educate as he entertains. He currently resides in Kailua, Hawai‘i.
Chapter 1: The Effects of Geographic Ignorance on the Modern World
Chapter 2: We Think Big, Sometimes Too Big
Chapter 3: Maps are Flat, the World Isn’t
Chapter 4: Africa Bashing? What’s That?
Chapter 5: Things Aren’t Always Where You Think They Should Be
Chapter 6: State Capitals and American Politics
Chapter 7: The Exception to Everything
Chapter 8: Married to a Stranger
Chapter 9: Why Old Maps Look Funny
Chapter 10: Military Uses of Geography
Chapter 11: Really Big Cities
Chapter 12: Agriculture and Tourism
Chapter 13: Geography and Tourism
Chapter 14: Geographic Pockets of Isolation: Preserving Old Ways
Chapter 15: Geographic Incoherence
Chapter 16: Countries Breaking Apart
Chapter 17: Unity in Disunity
Chapter 18: Maps Fool Us Again!
Chapter 19: Culture Hearths: Ancient and Modern
Chapter 20: Population Decline: Change on the Horizon
Chapter 21: Geographic Differences and Civil War
Chapter 22: New Agricultural Crops
Chapter 23: Domestications
Chapter 24: Continental Tidbits
Chapter 25: Islands Divided
Chapter 26: Oceans and Seas
Chapter 27: Bridges
Chapter 28: Rivers
Chapter 29: Medical Geography
Chapter 30: Border Issues
Chapter 31: Geography of Sports
Chapter 32: Geography and Religion
Chapter 33: The North
Chapter 34: Prison Islands
Chapter 35: Canals
Chapter 36: Land and Sea Battles
Chapter 37: Buildings
Chapter 38: Mountain Peaks
Chapter 39: Lakes
Chapter 40: Outliers
Chapter 41: Cities: Planned and Fiat
Chapter 42: Whatever Happened to . . . ?
Chapter 43: The Wild West
Chapter 44: Spatial Diffusion
Chapter 45: Parks
Chapter 46: Climate and Weather
It is, unfortunately, an oft repeated (and probably true) maxim that most Americans are woefully ignorant about the geography of both their own country and the wider world. Fuller taught geography at the University of Hawaii for 35 years and is also a former winning contestant on the game show Jeopardy. Using a game-show format and trivia questions, Fuller goes beyond short answers to expound on a wide variety of geographic topics that provide enjoyment and enhanced knowledge to general readers hoping to fill in the gaps in their understanding of the world. The chapters are arranged around particular themes, which include state capitals, the why and where of various cities, and the links between religion and geography. Readers can learn why many state capitals were built away from large cities, or which nations, surprisingly, can expect population decline. Although the uninformed will benefit most, even those who consider themselves knowledgeable can enjoy the tidbits in this breezy, informative work.
— Booklist
Fuller hits the road around the world with this accessible and fun guide to global geography. The author couches “trivia” in an engaging narrative, but his knowledge is anything but trivial in an increasingly globalized world, where an understanding of the lay of the land on the other side of the planet may prove as important as knowing one’s neighborhood. He introduces chapters on state capitals, continent-straddling countries, and “Really Big Cities,” and more with questions that are sure to coerce the curious to delve into Fuller’s informative olio—“What is the oldest language in Europe?” (Answer: Basque.) “Where was basketball invented?” (Answer: Springfield, Mass.) Interspersed throughout are fun anecdotes culled from Fuller’s 35 years as a professor at the University of Hawai’i—one student “thought it was unfair to call some lakes ‘great’ and thus, as she put it, ‘to dis other lakes.’” Featuring more than 50 maps and countless bits of miscellany, Fuller’s “Guide to the World” will provide geography buffs with plenty of interesting facts. Folks will be happy to read thru or peruse at random. Maps.
— Publishers Weekly
Facts...make The Trivia Lover’s Guide to the World an intriguing read, but it is also the author’s voice, informative yet entertaining, that will appeal to fact collectors and geography lovers....Packed with simple and understandable maps and diagrams to complement the text, the book encourages a love of learning and a development of logical thinking.
— Foreword Reviews
The Trivia Lover's Guide to the World is far from being trivial. Gary Fuller has written an entertaining and deeply informative book that is a delight to read and an essential antidote to the geographical lacuna that exists in contemporary America (and elsewhere). If you thought geography was about memorizing places on a map, think again, and pick up this book.
— David Zurick, Eastern Kentucky University, and author of Himalaya: Encounters with the Roof of the World
Anyone who has a love for trivia or has been fortunate enough to enjoy Gary Fuller’s university or ocean cruise lectures must have a copy of this book. He draws on his experience in studying populations to give a unique insight to geographic facts and history. An award-winning trivia player himself, he brings his professional and personal studies together to uncover the fascinating background stories behind trivia answers. A great read that should be shared with friends and family.
— David McQuillan, map librarian, University of South Carolina
Anyone who loves geography and trivia will find this book hard to put down.
— South Florida Sun Sentinel
In this enjoyable book Fuller (formerly, Univ. of Hawai'i) explores and answers 150 geographical trivia questions. However, instead of listing the questions and providing the corresponding answers, which would make for a very boring read, he spins his responses into geographical explorations of various topics: climate and weather, maps, islands, rivers, parks, sports, and more. In 46 chapters addressing the questions and associated topics, Fuller does a wonderful job of providing historical context for his answers, in a way that is both entertaining and engaging. So why would Fuller write such a book? For one thing, he was a winning contestant on the television program Jeopardy! and chaired a championship College Bowl team. Trivia is clearly in his blood. In addition, he has a PhD in geography and has taught at universities for 35 years. Being named "Teacher of the Year" by the National Association for Geographic Education probably explains how he does such a great job of telling stories, while increasing one's knowledge of geography as a whole. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers.
— Choice Reviews