Workshop on "How to Be a Know-It-All" with Esquire Editor and Author A. J. Jacobs, at New York Public Library November 20

New York, NY, November 5, 2004 -- A. J. Jacobs, senior editor of Esquire magazine and author of the just-published book The Know-It-All, will present a workshop entitled "How to Be a Know-It-All: The Secrets to Sounding Incredibly Knowledgeable" at The New York Public Library on Saturday, November 20, at 2 p.m. The workshop, which is presented by NYPL's Library Shops, will be a lively exploration of Jacobs's assertion that "you don't have to know it all; you just have to know one fact about every topic under the sun." The workshop will take place in the Humanities and Social Sciences Library's South Court Auditorium, at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. Admission is free.

At age 35, Esquire editor and NPR commentator A. J. Jacobs realized that he had forgotten nearly everything he learned in high school and college -- though his command of pop culture seemed unaffected. His ensuing quest to read all 32 volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica led to the publication of The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in The World (Simon & Schuster, 2004), a humorous chronicle of his grandiose pursuit of knowledge. A. J. Jacobs is also the author of The Two Kings: Jesus and Elvis and America Off-Line, and he has written for The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, New York Magazine, The New York Observer, and other publications.

This workshop is part of an ongoing series presented by NYPL's Library Shops. Subjects have included book care and repair, visual journals, the history of pens, and creating a home library. The workshops are intended to engage the public in book-related activities and to introduce them to the personalities behind some of the innovative publications and products carried by The Library Shops, which are located at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, and 455 Fifth Avenue at 40th Street, or on the Web at www.libraryshop.com. For further information about The Library Shop workshops, call 212.930.0641.

Contact: Tina Hoerenz, 212.221.7676.