''Advanced Banter: The QI Book of Quotations'', known as ''If Ignorance Is Bliss, Why Aren't There More Happy People?'' in the United States, is the third title in a series of books based on the intellectual British

panel game A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on ''The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as on ' ...

'' QI'', written by series-creator John Lloyd and head-researcher John Mitchinson. It is a book of "quite interesting" quotations.

Publication history

''Advanced Banter'' was first published by Faber in hardback on 1 October 2008. A paperback version of ''Advanced Banter'' was published on 5 November 2009. The book was released in the United States under the title ''If Ignorance Is Bliss, Why Aren't There More Happy People?'' on 4 August 2009.

Structure

Of the previous ''QI'' books, the structure is akin to the second book, ''

The Book of Animal Ignorance ''The Book of Animal Ignorance'' is the second title in a series of books based on the intellectual British panel game '' QI'', written by series-creator John Lloyd and head-researcher John Mitchinson. It is a trivia book, consisting largely of ...

'', which is an encyclopaedic listing of 100 animals, compared to the first book, ''

The Book of General Ignorance ''The Book of General Ignorance'' is the first in a series of books based on the final round in the intellectual British panel game '' QI'', written by series-creator John Lloyd and head-researcher John Mitchinson,

'', which was written in a question and answer format. ''Advanced Banter'' contains a series of quotes which are divided into over 400 separate topics, such as "Acting", "Action" and "Adventure", which are listed alphabetically. However, there are no topics under the letter "X". As with the two previous books, there are also contributions by two television stars of ''QI'': host

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

and panellist

Alan Davies Alan Roger Davies (; born 6 March 1966) is an English stand-up comedian, writer, actor and TV presenter. He is best known for his portrayal of the title role in the BBC mystery drama series ''Jonathan Creek'' (1997–2016) and as the only per ...

. Fry writes an introduction entitled "Prologue", while Davies writes a section called "Proverb", which contains a

proverb A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbia ...

which he himself has written: "A small pie is soon eaten."

Reception

Boyd Tonkin Boyd Tonkin Hon. FRSL is an English writer, journalist and literary critic. He was the literary editor of ''The Independent'' newspaper from 1996 to 2013. A long-time proponent of foreign-language literature, he is the author of ''The 100 Best Nov ...

in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' wrote of Lloyd and Mitchinson: "They prove in spades that the distinction between reference and entertainment has collapsed, with no exact sources given and a preface that styles the book as a 'manifesto' for pithy wit rather than a monument of scholarship. For all that, Lloyd and Mitchinson – the Two Horsemen of the Apocryphal, maybe – manage on every page an Oxford- and Chambers-beating ratio of gems to duds when it comes to imperishable one-liners. Quotation of the year for 2008? Thomas Jefferson on high finance: 'I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.' Give that man an overdraft."

References

* Lloyd, John and Mitchinson, John. ''Advanced Banter''. London, 2008.

Notes

External links

"Quote Interesting"
an article from ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' written by Stephen Fry, containing quotes in the book. {{QI Books of quotations Books based on QI Trivia books British books Books by John Lloyd (producer) 2008 non-fiction books English-language books