Queer Questions and Ready Replies: A Collection of Four Hundred Questions in History, Geography, Biography, Mythology, Philosophy, Natural History, Science, Philology, Etc., Etc., with Their Answers

A delightful time capsule of Victorian curiosity. This 1887 compilation presents four hundred questions that educated readers in the late 19th century actually wanted answered: Why do we say 'teeth' and not 'tooth'? What killed Socrates? Why is the sky blue? The answers reveal a world on the cusp of modern science, where phrenology still had adherents and the ages of ancient civilizations were wildly exaggerated. Oliphant corrects the misconceptions of his era with the confidence of a scholar, though some of his own 'facts' have since been corrected in turn. The questions themselves are sometimes surprisingly modern, sometimes charmingly period. For readers who love vintage trivia, antique encyclopedias, and the peculiar pleasure of seeing what people once believed, this collection offers both enlightenment and gentle amusement.