Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of the Planet Earth, 73rd Edition | 
 enlarge | Author: The Onion
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: $27.99
Buy New: $18.47
You Save: $9.52 (34%)
New (30) Used (18) from $8.79
Rating:  110 reviews
Sales Rank: 6494
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 73
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4
Dimensions (in): 11 x 8.6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0316018422
Dewey Decimal Number: 081
EAN: 9780316018425
ASIN: 0316018422
Publication Date: October 30, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of The Planet Earth, 73rd Edition features incorrect statistics on all of the Earth's 168, 182, or 196 independent nations. It also features maps, including a fold-out world map at actual size. Readers will learn about every country from Afghanistan, "Allah's Cat Box," to the Ukraine, "The Bridebasket of Europe."
Today's news-parody consumer cannot possibly understand made-up current events without the context of fake world history and geography. That is why The Onion is publishing a world atlas: to help us.
Our Dumb World is an invaluable tool for any reader interested in overthrowing a weakened government in East Asia, exploiting a developing nation in Africa, or for directions to tonight's party at Erica's. It is a reference guide to 250,000 of the world's most important places, such as North Korea's Trench of Victory, the Great Human Pyramid of Egypt, and Saudi Arabia's superhighway, the Mohammedobahn.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 105 more reviews...
 Our Dumb World December 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Quick delivery and perfect condition. This book follows true Onion fashion. It's hilarious and gives descriptions of every place in the world. Don't expect it to be politically correct, which is what the Onion never is, and which is also what makes the Onion absolutely hilarious. Enjoy!
Exactly what I expected December 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My BF got this to give to his grandfather, who loves politics but has never seen or heard of The Onion. We took a look through it and it was just as good as the issue that comes out every Thursday. I don't know if he will end up giving it to his grandfather, however, since there are frequent inappropriate pictures (child porn, anyone?). But this would make a great coffee table book in any young household, and you can be sure that it will engender quite a conversation.
Gut buster December 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sure, not every line in the book is funny. But sometimes you are reading along and read something you just aren't expecting. So, expect to bust a gut at random times.
Stress-Busting Laughs for the Literate December 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In these time of global economic crisis, there aren't too many people out there who wouldn't benefit from some laughter. If you like your laughs delivered via the written word instead of the television, this book is for you.
The Onion's atlas of the world delivers laughs for anyone willing to read it. The essays are offensive and xenophobic; it's as if the stereotypical Ugly American wrote the summaries of each locale. This book does need to be read in small doses, because an overload of the material is possible. If you buy a rich cheesecake it's best eaten in small doses. You'll still get lots of enjoyment but the joy will be spread out over a longer period of time.
Recommended, and quite highly!
Hilariously Funny December 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (1/08)
"Our Dumb World" is The Onion's "Atlas of the Planet Earth" and definitely will not disappoint! Anyone who is familiar with and appreciates the humor of The Onion will enjoy reading this book! I am sure that to some people the way that some of the events and people are made light of in this publication may seem insensitive and cruel but that is the type of humor that The Onion uses. If you easily offended or sensitive to things like that then this is not the book for you. You will not find any political-correctness in this book!
"Our Dumb World" starts out with a "How to Use This Atlas" section which is as funny as the book itself! My favorite part of this introduction is "A Note to Barnes & Noble Browsers" which begins with "What do you think you're doing? Seriously, what does this look like to you? Some kind of library? Did you really think that you could just come in here and spend the afternoon reading the book for free? The line to pay is over that way, buddy. What's that? Just trying to decide whether or not you want to buy the book? You don't think we're really that stupid, do you?" (p. 004) The humor takes off from there and holds strong throughout the rest of the book that focuses on every region of the world.
The remaining part of the book is divided into seven sections: North America, South America, Africa, The Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Although I enjoyed the book in its entirety, I would have to say that my favorite part was the section on North America just because obviously from living here I have more familiarity with the area and the things that were being poked fun at. From the history timeline informing us that in 1980 "A Plague of Pac-Man Fever ravages the U.S. Treasury's quarters supply" (p.12) to the individual features making fun of different aspects and occurrences in each state this section will absolutely have you laughing out loud! I haven't read a book this funny in some time!
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