Earth (The Book)
Encyclopedia
Earth: A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race is a 2010 humor book written by Jon Stewart
and other writers of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, a sequel to America (The Book)
. It was released on September 21, 2010.
for an alien civilization that discovers Earth after humanity has died out, most likely by its own hands. As such, Earth (The Book) attempts to chronicle the history of the planet and the human race from the beginning to the present day, and also tries to explain human concepts and emotions such as "love" and "work" for its alien readers.
gave the book an A–, praising it as "The Devil's Dictionary
for a new generation" and concludes that the book's humor and writing style might lead the reader to conclude that "this would actually be a fairly comprehensive guide for extraterrestrial visitors", adding "just so long as they have a sense of humor".
As of December 5, Earth (The Book) had spent 10 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list; for four weeks it was number one on the Hardcover Nonfiction list.
On February 13th, 2011, Earth (The Book) was awarded a Grammy from the 2011 53rd Annual Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album.
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
and other writers of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, a sequel to America (The Book)
America (The Book)
America : A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction is a 2004 non-fiction book written by Jon Stewart and other writers of The Daily Show that parodies and satirizes American politics and worldview...
. It was released on September 21, 2010.
Synopsis
Written in the past tense, the book's stated purpose is to serve as a BaedekerBaedeker
Verlag Karl Baedeker is a Germany-based publisher and pioneer in the business of worldwide travel guides. The guides, often referred as simply "Baedekers" , contain important introductions, descriptions of buildings, of museum collections, etc., written by the best specialists, and...
for an alien civilization that discovers Earth after humanity has died out, most likely by its own hands. As such, Earth (The Book) attempts to chronicle the history of the planet and the human race from the beginning to the present day, and also tries to explain human concepts and emotions such as "love" and "work" for its alien readers.
Table of contents
- To Our Alien Readers
- To Our Human Readers
- Ch. 1: Earth
- Ch. 2: Life
- Ch. 3: Man
- Ch. 4: The Life Cycle
- Ch. 5: Society
- Ch. 6: Commerce
- Ch. 7: Religion
- Ch. 8: Science
- Ch. 9: Culture
- Afterword
- Appendix A: Final Scores
- Appendix B: Why We're Not Here
- Appendix C: What We Left Out
- Acknowledgments
- Credits
Reception
Keith Staskiewicz of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the book an A–, praising it as "The Devil's Dictionary
The Devil's Dictionary
The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical "reference" book written by Ambrose Bierce. The book offers reinterpretations of terms in the English language, lampooning cant and political doublespeak, as well as other aspects of human foolishness and frailty. It was originally published in 1906 as The...
for a new generation" and concludes that the book's humor and writing style might lead the reader to conclude that "this would actually be a fairly comprehensive guide for extraterrestrial visitors", adding "just so long as they have a sense of humor".
As of December 5, Earth (The Book) had spent 10 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list; for four weeks it was number one on the Hardcover Nonfiction list.
On February 13th, 2011, Earth (The Book) was awarded a Grammy from the 2011 53rd Annual Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album.
External links
- Earth (The Book) - Hachette Book Group (official website)