
Reserve it at BN.com & pick it up in 60 minutes at your local store.
Enter a zip code
(Paperback)
Edited by Mark Reiter and Richard Sandomir, and featuring contributions from experts on everything from breakfast cereal and movie gunfights to First Ladies and bald guys, The Final Four of Everything celebrates everything that's great, surprising, or silly in America, using the foolproof method of bracketology to determine what we love or hate-and why.
As certain to make you laugh as it will start friendly arguments, The Final Four of Everything is the perfect book for know-it-alls, know-a-littles, and anyone with an opinion on celebrity mugshots, literary heroes, sports nicknames, or bacon.
Bracketology is a unique way of organizing information that dates back to the rise of the knockout (or single elimination) tournament, perhaps in medieval times. Its origins are not precisely known, but there was genius in the first bracket design that hasn't changed much over the years.
You, of course, may be familiar with the bracket format via the NCAA basketball tournament pairings each March. If you've ever watched ESPN or participated in a March Madness office pool, you know what a bracket looks like.
The Final Four of Everything takes the idea one step further, and applies the knockout format to every category BUT basketball. In areas where taste, judgment, and hard-earned wisdom really matter, we've set out to determine, truly, the Final Four of Everything.
Mark Reiter is a literary agent and writer who has collaborated on books with Twyla Tharp, Phil Dusenberry, Mark McCormack, and Marshall Godsmith.
Richard Sandomir is an award-winning sports television columnist for the New York Times. His previous books include Bald Like Me: The Hair-Raising Adventures of Baldman and The Englightened Bracketologist: The Final Four of Everything, also with Mark Reiter.
Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings
July 04, 2009: Let's put it this way...we were hosting an end-of-school-year cookout at the end of May. I had left the Final Four of Everything on the coffee table in the living room. I was out on the deck, and when I came back in, a vigorous debate had broken out about the best "sitcom" moms and dads, and who was the "best William ever." A lot of fun, and it will get some great discussions going about history, movies, sports, celebrities, foods, etc. Just sit it out on a table where people will find it and watch the fun begin. I'll be awaiting the sequel!
Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings
June 29, 2009: I heard about this book from a radio interview with the author, and it sounded like a fun book. It sits on my coffee table, and friends and family get hooked on it.