Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of the New York Public Library

by New York Public Library, Barry Blitt (Illustrator)

The New York Public Library staff answers questions remarkable and preposterous, with illustrations by Barry Blitt.

Have you’ve ever wondered if you can keep an octopus in a private home? Do you spend your time thinking about how much Napoleon’s brain weighed? If so, Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers is the book for you. The New York Public Library has been fielding questions like these ever since it was founded in 1895. Of course, some of the questions have left the librarians scratching their heads…

“In what occupations may one be barefooted?”
“What time does a bluebird sing?”
“What does it mean when you’re being chased by an elephant?”
“What kind of apple did Eve eat?”
“How many neurotic people are there in the U.S.?”

In Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers , the staff of the NYPL has dug through the archives to find thoughtful and often witty answers to over one hundred of the oddest, funniest, and most whimsical questions the library has received since it began record-keeping over seventy-five years ago. One of The New Yorker ’s best-known and beloved illustrators, Barry Blitt, has created watercolors that bring many of the questions hilariously to life in a book that answers, among others, the question “Does anyone have a copyright on the Bible?”

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Books About Books, Reference, New York, Adult, Education

168 pages, Hardcover

Published October 22, 2019

Reviews

[Carolyn F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, especially with the words Whimsy and Wisdom in the title. However, it came across mostly as "look it up yourself" with a lot of sarcasm and making fun of the people who wrote the questions. In my opinion what may have saved this book would have been to see what answers were provided in the years the questions were originally written compared to the answers given when this book was published. I know some of the questions were ridiculous but people sincerely thought the library would give them answers minus the snark. 2-1/2 stars.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful book between reads. . . .a chaser, so to speak.

Turns out, and who knew?, New York Public Library has been keeping card catalogs of questions inquiring patrons have submitted to the higher intelligence of librarians over these many years (starting in 1895!). This is a small book of a few of their more interesting responses.

Sweet, droll and reminded this reader how much she loves humans and their wide ranging wonders about life.

[Lizzie S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really wanted to like this book. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about what questions people ask librarians and enjoyed the illustrations. I was put off, however, by the answers to the questions in this book. It was jarring that the questions were posed in the 1960s and then answered using information from 2019. I also disliked that the answers sometimes seemed to mock the question askers. While I understand that this was meant humorously, it came off as unkind and I would have preferred an actual answer to the questions asked. I think this book would have been much more successful with answers presented as though they were from the time the question was asked, without judgement. Alternatively, I would have enjoyed seeing the questions asked without any answers at all.

With that being said, I appreciated the spirit of this book and the role that librarians play as confidential guides towards information.

[Erin Elizabeth]

Read a few of the Q & As. I was hoping the old questions (many from the 1940s) would include the original answers from the 1940s librarians, but instead was only given the current answers.

[Ken Ronkowitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came across Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of the New York Public Library in my own public library. It's the perfect book to find in your library, not just because it feels meta, but because this is a browsing kind of book. I would never sit down to read this book cover-to-cover because it's a collection of questions from the NYPL archives. I'm not sure I would want to own it.

Several years ago, New York Public Library staff discovered a box filled with file cards of written questions submitted to librarians from the 1940s to 1980s. Not all peculiar questions have practical or witty answers, but they went into the archive to select those that the staff felt were peculiar and that had interesting answers.

I doubt that you have had most of these questions yourself, but wondering if anyone has a copyright on the Bible does make sense to me as a question someone might have in mind.

Barry Blitt, known as an illustrator for The New Yorker, created great watercolors for many of the questions.

"May a funeral be held on July 4th?"
"Can you keep an octopus in a private home?"
“In what occupations may one be barefooted?”
"What does it mean when you’re being chased by an elephant?”
“Can you give me the name of a book that dramatizes bedbugs?”
“What time does a bluebird sing?”
"How much did Napoleon's brain weigh?"
"How many seeds are in a watermelon?"
“What does it mean when you’re being chased by an elephant?”
“What kind of apple did Eve eat?”
"What is the life cycle of an eyebrow hair?"
“How many neurotic people are there in the U.S.?”
“In what occupations may one be barefooted?”
“What time does a bluebird sing?”
“What does it mean when you’re being chased by an elephant?”
“What kind of apple did Eve eat?”
“How many neurotic people are there in the U.S.?”

Have you ever wondered about these kinds of things? I guess you should dip into this book.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a small short book that looks like it was made to be a stockingstuffer. I won it in a goodreads giveaway. Fortunately it did not take long to read.

I would have given it one star book if I only rated it on the "practical answers" but the book gets an extra star for the cute illustrations.

Many of the answers were totally useless and made fun of the people who asked the questions. For example someone asked how many acres are in a mile. The answer pointed out that miles are distance and acres are area then said that the original definition of an acre was the amount of land two oxen can till in a calendar day which is a sort of fun fact. However there was no mention that a square mile has 640 acres which is surely what the questioner wanted to know.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bizarre, cute and kind of meta book -- that I wanted to love because it being of Whimsy and wisdom. It's not quite big enough to be a coffee table book. Maybe it's a new genre? A..scone book?

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bizarre questions that have been asked of the New York Public Library (Can you keep an octopus at home?). Interesting. Loved the illustrations.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute illustrations but it gets monotonous.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This cute little collection of interesting questions posed to the librarians at the NYPL from 1940 to today will raise eyebrows and entertain librarians and people who love random facts in particular. It wouldn't appeal to anyone else.

I think it could've been more interesting if questions posed in the 1940's had answers that were available at the time, rather than using modern resources and modern answers, but that's the library nerd in me with my esoteric interests.

I'm glad that my purchase supported the library and that I now know about the smallest skyscraper, in Wichita Falls, Texas and a few other useless facts, but ultimately this will go into the "donate" pile.

[Elizabeth Seals · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book of whimsy this is indeed. Have you ever wondered if you could have a funeral on July 4th or the nutritional value of human flesh? Look no further because people actually asked these questions from the 1940-1980s. The NYPL found these questions that had been stowed away and decided to answer them. And I found myself typing in web addresses and attempting to put books on hold. If you're curious about what readers had questions about eighty to forty years ago than this is a small little book for you!

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This librarian loved it! Thankfully no one has ever asked me if an octopus can be kept in a private home.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having worked at a bookstore and a library I am familiar with getting some unusual questions from customers and patrons. (i.e. Do you have a book on the Philippine harpy?) This collection of questions received at the New York Public Library was fun to peruse. Although the original answers given were not recorded, answers are given by librarians in recent times. To whet your appetite here are some examples of questions to be found within the book:

Looking for practical, if somewhat obscure advice:
"What do you feed a salamander?" and "What is the therapeutic value of essence of pine needles?"

Unusual:
"How much did Napoleon's brain weigh?" and "What is the life cycle of an eyebrow hair?"

Interestingly different:
"Do you have any books on the science of athar which is the science of deducing information from camel tracks?" and "What horsepower is required to cover all the mechanical equipment in WWII?"

There are even some questions that make you wonder about the asker:
"Where can I rent a guillotine?" and "Can the NYPL recommend a good forger?"

The answers supplied are informative and sometimes funny and make for a delightful read.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read that contains questions asked of the New York Public Library reference librarians throughout the years. It's insightful if you've never worked a reference desk in a library, and amusing if you have.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish the answers included had been the original ones or at least answers accurate to the time period the question was asked. It's still a fun, light collection of wide-ranging topics, though.

Note: I received a finished hardcover copy at an ALA conference.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little gem of a book!

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some pretty funny, and interesting, questions the NYPL received from the 1940-70s. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the responses given by the current librarians!

[Carol Youssif · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's interesting to think about how librarians at the time have answered these questions that we now point to many websites for answers, but what I liked about this book is where the answers can be found!

[Janell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t expecting to find historical questions with modern answers, and it didn’t quite work for me. I guess it does make sense that a typical answer from a reference librarian would be, “Here’s where you can look up the answer,” but it’s sometimes not a very satisfactory answer in a book like this.

[Eileen Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my non fiction book this week. It was fun to read the questions and answers dating back from 1944 to present. I learned some fun facts and maybe they will help me with trivia nights?

[Krista | theliterateporcupine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute illustrations and some fun questions and answers, but overall, I was disappointed in this book. I was under the impression that the answers would be from the same time period as the questions, or at least pose to be, instead of from today's Reference Services. Many of the answers contain links to websites, which would't have existed decades ago... So how would the librarians of that time have answered these "peculiar questions"?

[Kimberly (spacetoread) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute little read. It features questions asked of the NYPL throughout the years. The answers given at the time didn’t survive, so the answers are all from today. But the illustrations are funny; it was a perfect book to pick up right before bed and read a few questions and answers!

[Annabel Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

This genuinely made me snort into my coffee a few times. People are completely daft and it's wonderful. I also learned a lot of interesting trivia that I will never ever need to know again... But as a writer, filling in the backstories as to why these questions were asked in the first place is a fascinating creative exercise!

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little book filled with quirky questions that staff at The New York Public Library have encountered from their patrons over the decades. Answers are based on information available to today's reference seekers, which makes the reader wonder how the answers might have been given, especially to those from early on.

[Chelsea Rash · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has an interesting conceit where actual library patron questions going back to the 1940s are answered by New York Public Library librarians in 2018. They provide answers you would expect from librarians (i.e., here's how to do more research on your own), so I didn't find the answers themselves particularly notable: the original patron questions are the actual point of interest.

The best feature of this short book was the collection of watercolor illustrations by Barry Blitt that accompanied various topics, and I feel this book would have benefited from being fully illustrated throughout, which might have added a bit more whimsy to the otherwise dry answers. Where else can you find a watercolor painting of King Kong nomming on a carrot the size of the Empire State Building?

[Lisa Cobb Sabatini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of The New York Public Library from Goodreads.

Readers of all ages will have a fun experience reading Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of The New York Public Library. This book is full of interesting facts and humor as the librarians answer questions that were asked of the NYPL through the years. Readers will chuckle at a few of the inquiries, learn some fascinating tidbits, and, perhaps, finally discover the answer to a question they have harbored for years.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a fun and quick read of questions sent to librarians at the New York Public Library. The art work is great and the questions were interesting. I agree with other reviewers that it would have been fun to see the original answers given to patrons.

[SplkdancerReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating little book of library queries from the past, and answers for today's readers.
Some are useful, some are enlightening and some are just plain headscratching. 1-2 page questions and answers, its perfect to read in segments. (Some might call it a bathroom book, if you read in there). Excellent gift book for the know-it-all in your life.

*I received a copy as part of a goodreads giveaway. This did not affect my review.

[MKF · Rating 2 out of 5]

New York Public library found a box of questions from patrons and has chosen to answer them. The patrons are probably near death or dead but that won't stop the library. They even wrote the answers to look like an actual response directed to the patron asking the question. The flaw though is the modern references which I will admit confused me when I first read it. Maybe they should of written a book of just the questions and allowing curious readers to search for the answers themselves.