# a book on common misconceptions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2002, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406 "2002-04-13T06:14:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/1 "2002-04-13T06:14:09Z")
There was a book on I read partly about common misconceptions. It was just a bunch of little facts, that’s all. Like, I think it said the George Washington cherry tree thing didn’t happen (not sure if that was one), and it talked about if lie detecter tests REALLY work. I don’t know the books name, anyone know… It’s like a small bathroom type book… (for people that do that on the potty, I don’t). ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/2 "2002-04-13T06:20:37Z")
There was a book I partly read , it was about common misconceptions. It was just a bunch of little facts, that’s all. Like, I think it said the George Washington cherry tree thing didn’t happen (not sure if that was one), and it talked about if lie detecter tests REALLY work. I don’t know the books name, anyone know… ?? It’s like a small bathroom type book… (for people that do that on the potty, I don’t). –sorry, I hit send by mistake, I hadn’t look over it yet– ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/3 "2002-04-13T16:54:58Z")
I used to have one such book (there are probably a number of 'em out there). The title was something about “I don’t care if Paul Revere rode or not.” It was the second in the series. I thought I still had it, but I can’t find it on my bookshelves. I did a search for “Paul Revere” on Amazon but after looking at the 85 selections, still couldn’t find it. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/4 "2002-04-13T17:18:08Z")
I think that’s called _I Love Paul Revere Whether He Rode Or Not_, or something like that. I used to have one book like that (it may well be the Paul Revere book, can’t remember anymore) that’s mostly pretty good but goes off into a bizarre anti-vegetarianism rant at one point … ring a bell with anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/5 "2002-04-13T18:17:09Z")
The book you’re looking for is [**Fabulous Fallacies - More Than 300 Popular Beliefs That Are Not True**](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1578660653/qid=1018721164/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-6144785-2695235) by Tad Tuleja. On the cover appears the following: "Everybody knows that George Washington was the first president of the United States, that Thomas Edison invented the electric light, and that St. Patrick was Irish. Everybody also knows that blood is red and that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. And everybody is wrong." It’s a really interesting little book, and perfect for the bathroom! ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/6 "2002-04-13T18:34:25Z")
I THINK THAT’S IT One of those books is probably what I’m looking for. If anyone knows of similar books, go on and list them. Thanks a lot people!! ---
**Author:** ![Caesar\_s\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/73ab20/32.png) [@Caesar\_s\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caesar_s_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/7 "2002-04-13T22:11:35Z")
I love books like that; unfortunately the school library doesn’t stock many of them. They have the “Paul Revere” one (which I’ve read about five times) and also one called _One Night Stands with American History_. I’ll have to check out the others. Also, for written-word debunking of popular hoaxes, you can’t beat Jan Harold Brunvand’s UL series. ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/8 "2002-04-13T23:00:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Labdad \* > \*\*The book you’re looking for is [**Fabulous Fallacies - More Than 300 Popular Beliefs That Are Not True**](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1578660653/qid=1018721164/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-6144785-2695235) by Tad Tuleja. > > On the cover appears the following: "Everybody knows that George Washington was the first president of the United States, that Thomas Edison invented the electric light, and that St. Patrick was Irish. Everybody also knows that blood is red and that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. > > And everybody is wrong." > > It’s a really interesting little book, and perfect for the bathroom! \*\* …And so if Mr. Tuleja. Blood is red and George Washington was the first president of the **United States of America** … ---
**Author:** ![partly\_warmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@partly\_warmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partly_warmer)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/9 "2002-04-13T23:54:46Z")
“The Encyclopedia of Delusions” Edited by Ronal Duncan and Miranda Weston-Smith. There’s also [www.urbanlegends.com/](http://www.urbanlegends.com/). A few hours reading, there. ---
**Author:** ![Mersavets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aca169/32.png) [@Mersavets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mersavets)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/10 "2002-04-14T11:17:14Z")
**Daoloth? Labdad**? I don’t get it. Who was the first president if not Washington? ---
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/11 "2002-04-14T11:56:07Z")
I think they’re talking about [this](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mprez1st.html), **Mersavets**. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/12 "2002-04-14T16:02:39Z")
The Uncl John’s Bathroom Readers are always fun… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/13 "2002-04-14T17:47:41Z")
While Tuleja is always interesting, his book is just one in a long line of such books, and very far from being the best. I like Tom Burnham’s _The Dictionary of Misinformation_ and its sequel _More Misinformation_, much better. There’s also Ashley Montague and Edward Darling: _The Prevalence of Nonsense_. There are undoubtedly dozens more but these are classics. ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/14 "2002-04-14T18:07:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mersavets \* > \*\ ***Daoloth? Labdad**? I don’t get it. Who was the first president if not Washington? \*\* Some people consider John Hanson to be the first president of the US, but he was only president of the “United States in Congress Assembled”, thus not the president of the nation we know today. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/15 "2002-04-14T18:48:45Z")
In a more serious vein, and probably not what the OP is looking for, is Martin Gardner’s _Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science_. It doesn’t cover the same kind of stuff as is mentioned above, but is well worth reading. (I just had to plug it, since I’ve been a fan for years.) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-book-on-common-misconceptions/103406/16 "2002-04-14T21:05:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjk \* > \*\*In a more serious vein, and probably not what the OP is looking for, is Martin Gardner’s _Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science_. It doesn’t cover the same kind of stuff as is mentioned above, but is well worth reading. > > (I just had to plug it, since I’ve been a fan for years.) \*\* Gardner also did a follow-up to this book, called _Science: Good, Bad, and Bogus_.