The Book Of Fun

Dive into this vibrantly illustrated history of everything humans have invented to entertain ourselves, from Chess and Nintendo to Drag Queen Story Hour and Burning Man. In The Book of Fun, Polygon co-founder Russ Frushtick divulges the hidden backstories and fascinating facts about your favorite video games, theme parks, festivals, sports, and more. With 80+ digestible, entertaining entries, it's not just fodder for your next dinner party -- you might also discover your next great pastime, be it jousting, stunt acting, cheese rolling, or Swedish Bunny Hopping. For fans of pop-history, pop-science, and the many things mankind has invented to waste time, The Book of Fun explores: Board Games: The world's oldest tabletop games (Senet, Go, Chess) and its most enduringly popular (Monopoly, Dungeons & Dragons, Settlers of Catan) Toys: The history of your favorite playthings, like Barbie, Beanie Babies, Slinky, Furby, and LEGO Video Games: The console wars of the '90s, the birth of game streaming, and unexpected Pokémon Go consequences Theme Parks: Stories behind Coney Island's Cyclone, Disneyland's opening-day woes, and the bizarre parks built in a nuclear power plant and a Soviet bunker Sports: The most fascinating athletic endeavors across the globe, from gladiatorial battles to Lucha Libre, pumpkin boat racing, and sumo wrestling Stunts: Harry Houdini, Evel Knievel, Jackie Chan, and the incredible stunt artists you may not know Festivals: From Carnival celebrations around the world to the stories of Woodstock, Burning Man, and a Spanish baby-jumping festival Dressing Up: The origins of jesters, Halloween, cosplay, drag queen style, and more Roadside Attractions: Wacky spectacles like the 65-foot-tall Lucy the Elephant in New Jersey, the Mystery Hole in West Virginia, and the Cabazon Dinosaurs in California

If you’re not having fun, you’re not fully living. The author of How to Break Up with Your Phone makes the case that, far from being frivolous, fun is actually critical to our well-being—and shows us how to have more of it. “This delightful book might just be what we need to start flourishing.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Adam Grant Journalist and screen/life balance expert Catherine Price argues persuasively that our always-on, tech-addicted lifestyles have led us to obsess over intangible concepts such as happiness while obscuring the fact that real happiness lies in the everyday experience of fun. We often think of fun as indulgent, even immature and selfish. We claim to not have time for it, even as we find hours a day for what Price calls Fake Fun—bingeing on television, doomscrolling the news, or posting photos to social media, all in hopes of filling some of the emptiness we feel inside. In this follow-up to her hit book, How to Break Up with Your Phone, Price makes the case that True Fun—which she defines as the magical confluence of playfulness, connection, and flow—will give us the fulfillment we so desperately seek. If you use True Fun as your compass, you will be happier and healthier. You will be more productive, less resentful, and less stressed. You will have more energy. You will find community and a sense of purpose. You will stop languishing and start flourishing. And best of all? You’ll enjoy the process. Weaving together scientific research with personal experience, Price reveals the surprising mental, physical, and cognitive benefits of fun, and offers a practical, personalized plan for how we can achieve better screen/life balance and attract more True Fun into our daily lives—without feeling overwhelmed. Groundbreaking, eye-opening, and packed with useful advice, The Power of Fun won’t just change the way you think about fun. It will bring you back to life.

The Captain Underpants Double-Crunchy Book o' Fun, now in full color! Includes comics, puzzles, jokes, Flip-O-Ramas, and more! The Captain Underpants Double-Crunchy Book o' Fun is a selection of stories, comics, puzzles, jokes, Flip-O-Ramas, and other fun stuff from The Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book o' Fun and The Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book o' Fun 2, now in full color! Bonus content includes color Flip-O-Ramas from classic Captain Underpants adventures. Come join George and Harold and their wedgie-powered superhero, Captain Underpants, as they show you how to make your very own comic books. Draw your favorite characters, tell cheesy jokes, solve Professor Poopypants's Preposterous Puzzles, race to the finish line in crazy mazes, create your own Captain Underpants stories, read Hairy Potty and the Invasion of the Underwear, watch action-packed Flip-O-Ramas, and so much more -- all in full-color! Tra-la-laaaaa! It's laugh-out-loud-fun!

What's better than another Tom Gates book? Two Tom Gates books in one! This unique volume includes a hilarious new Tom Gates novella AND a whole bunch of doodle-tastic activities. It's a must-have for all Tom Gates fans! It's Book Week at Oakfield school and everyone is very excited. Mr. Keen says there will be an excellent prize for best costumes worn on Book Day, so suddenly making a good costume is vitally important! Of course Delia's not much help (as usual). Then Marcus decides that he is a super hero and can't understand why "Super Marcus" isn't the best name . . . PLUS: There's loads to read, make, and do! In fact, there are 64 pages stuffed full of excellent stuff like drawing guides, fun games, brilliant puzzles, and perfect pranks!

An activity book full of games, puzzles, jokes, and more with Humphrey, everyone's favorite classroom pet! Humphrey has learned a lot from being the classroom hamster in Room 26 at Longfellow School. And although he loves having amazing adventures in and out of his cage, he’s also quite good at solving puzzles and telling the most hilarious jokes! In fact, he’s put together this whole book of his favorite games, brain teasers, and jokes for everyone who thinks they can be as smart (or as funny) as a hamster! Come and have some FUN-FUN-FUN with everyone’s favorite classroom pet! Nominated for twenty-four state awards and the winner of seven, the Humphrey series is a hit across the country. And he's becoming a one school/one book favorite!

Look for Freddie and his friends, surrounded by a variety of zany people and objects, in many interesting settings. Each scene includes a list of objects and characters to find.

Dive into this vibrantly illustrated history of everything humans have invented to entertain ourselves, from Chess and Nintendo to Drag Queen Story Hour and Burning Man. In The Book of Fun, Polygon co-founder Russ Frushtick divulges the hidden backstories and fascinating facts about your favorite video games, theme parks, festivals, sports, and more. With 80+ digestible, entertaining entries, it's not just fodder for your next dinner party -- you might also discover your next great pastime, be it jousting, stunt acting, cheese rolling, or Swedish Bunny Hopping. For fans of pop-history, pop-science, and the many things mankind has invented to waste time, The Book of Fun explores: Board Games: The world's oldest tabletop games (Senet, Go, Chess) and its most enduringly popular (Monopoly, Dungeons & Dragons, Settlers of Catan) Toys: The history of your favorite playthings, like Barbie, Beanie Babies, Slinky, Furby, and LEGO Video Games: The console wars of the '90s, the birth of game streaming, and unexpected Pokémon Go consequences Theme Parks: Stories behind Coney Island's Cyclone, Disneyland's opening-day woes, and the bizarre parks built in a nuclear power plant and a Soviet bunker Sports: The most fascinating athletic endeavors across the globe, from gladiatorial battles to Lucha Libre, pumpkin boat racing, and sumo wrestling Stunts: Harry Houdini, Evel Knievel, Jackie Chan, and the incredible stunt artists you may not know Festivals: From Carnival celebrations around the world to the stories of Woodstock, Burning Man, and a Spanish baby-jumping festival Dressing Up: The origins of jesters, Halloween, cosplay, drag queen style, and more Roadside Attractions: Wacky spectacles like the 65-foot-tall Lucy the Elephant in New Jersey, the Mystery Hole in West Virginia, and the Cabazon Dinosaurs in California