Book Description 

Once in a blue moon, a book comes along that changes the world. The Origin of Species. War and Peace. 1984. And now, Cunk on Everything: The Encyclopedia Philomena, by Philomena Cunk.

Philomena Cunk is one of the greatest thinkers of the 21st century, and in Cunk on Everything she turns her attention to our biggest issue: why are there so many books? Wouldn’t it be better if there was just one? This is that book — an encyclopedia of all human knowledge, delving into not only life’s greatest mysteries but our most important political figures and cultural touchstones. 

Read it, and you’ll never have to read another book again.

My Review 

I was very excited about the opportunity to read this book because my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the Cunk specials on Netflix. 

The book is set up like an encyclopedia with alphabetical entries on all manner of topics. Each entry features Crunk’s unique take on the subject, full of misunderstandings and digressions and hilariously illogical conclusions. For example, Cunk declares that the War of the Roses is too hard to explain, and that Richard III tried to escape by burrowing under a car park, where he died of tarmac poisoning. 

This book is hilarious, but it has a problem. It’s rather dull as an e-book because of the format and the default of reading the book in alphabetical order. Yes, I know about the table of contents and skipping around, but I’m going somewhere with this. I actually checked out the audiobook from the library app; it’s read by Cunk herself, but it is like listening to someone read the encyclopedia. It’s funny whilst doing housework, but it would probably be better suited for a road trip. I think where this book would truly shine would be a physical copy that someone could just pick up, flip to a random page, and entertain themself or their guests. Preferably guests. 

I would absolutely recommend Cunk on Everything to fans of this style of humor. I’ve already noted my format preferences, but maybe others will feel differently than me. And that’s okay. Either way, this is a nice little diversion to keep fans happy between Netflix specials.  

I received a digital ARC of this book from Grand Central/NetGalley.