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Great collection of imponderables in the form of questions and answers. ( )

Loved this and started collecting all of the books like it. ( )

"For the girl who's always asking why"
Is the inscription my mother put in this book before giving it to a fourteen-year-old me. This series has answered many questions for me and prompted many more. It's truly fascinating and well written. ( )

4247 Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise? and Other Imponderables Mysteries of Everyday Life, Explained by David Feldman (read 17 Dec 2006) I suppose this book is not intended to be read cover to cover, but I did, anyway. It discusses quirky things, and gives answers--some of which did not sound too likely to be accurate. It sort of explains 232 things and lists a few things it cannot explain. These questions are of varying interest. One he does not answer is "Why are buttons on men's shirts arranged differently from those on women's shirts?" He tentatively suggests it was because it was easier for maids dressing women to have the buttons the way they are on women's clothes. And he asks "Why are cows usually milked from the right side?" He says it is easier for right-handed folk, and that a cow doesn't care. But most of the cows I milked did. This was an easy book to read, but I fear I will forget most of the explanations. ( )