The Smartest Book in the World: A Lexicon of Literacy, A Rancorous Reportage, A Concise Curriculum of Cool - Hardcover

"This book is plenty glib, plenty sly, and pretty damn wise. It is also quick, funny, and, often, pointedly true." -- Vinton Rafe McCabe, New York Journal of Books "A terrifically random appreciation of cultural touchstones." * Publishers Weekly * "Greg Proops's bold, never-boring voice takes center stage in this live recording of his renowned podcast." * New York Times on "The Smartest Man in the World" podcast * "Some of the boldest comedy on the podcasting frontier right now. Proops proved himself a keen improviser on Whose Line Is It Anyway?... but his performance there only hinted at how nimble he is." * Rolling Stone on "The Smartest Man in the World" podcast * "It turns out Whose Line Is It Anyway? only hinted at its former in-house player Greg Proops' gift of gab, which is constantly on display in the weekly soliloquy he calls a "Proopscast." Armed with a lifetime of accumulated trivia, reckless tales of youthful adventure, exquisite diction, and an unflappable comic pomposity, Proops dissects both consequential and ridiculous news items while unburdening whatever is bothering him. From crowd interactions to any given newspaper headline, each bit of stimulus serves as a way to take a mad flume ride through the sluices of Proops' brain." * Rolling Stone "The 20 Best Comedy Podcasts Right Now" on "The Smartest Man in the World" * "Snarky history and piquant criticism as delivered by the smartass in the back of the classroom." * Kirkus *

Greg Proops is an internationally renowned comedian, best known for starring on the hit improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and for his popular award-winning podcast, "The Smartest Man in the World," which Rolling Stone called "some of the boldest comedy on the podcasting frontier right now." But Proops is also a fountain of historical knowledge, a wealth of pop culture trivia, and a generally charming know-it-all. The Smartest Book in the Worldis based on Proops's sensational, iTunes Top 10 podcast that has been downloaded more than nine million times, in which his "bold, never-boring voice takes centre stage" (The New York Times). The book is a rollicking reference guide to the most essential areas of knowledge in Proops's universe, from the noteworthy names of the ancient world and baseball, to the movies you must see and the albums you must hear. Complete with history's juiciest tales and curious back-stories, Proops expounds on the merits of poetry and proper punctuation, delivering this wealth of information with his signature style and Proopsian panache. An off-beat and exuberant guide to everything, The Smartest Book in the Worldgives you everything you need to know to always be the smartest person in the room. Well, unless the Proopmaster is there, too.