The Importance of Being Trivial, By Mark Mason

The clever thing about this is how someone managed to string together an amusing book about trivia, just as the clever thing about QI is how someone managed to make a TV programme about it.

But Mason's examination of the allure of trivia is overwhelmed by the examples. Some are well-known (the only UK road where you drive on the right is the approach to the Savoy), others are vaguely annoying (anyone who has seen the Grand Canyon will readily accept it could hold every living human) or dubious (does Holloway derive from a "hollow way" caused by cattle en route to Smithfield? Wikipedia says the claim is "disputed".)

But however much we may carp, the fact remains that trivia is utterly irresistible - at least for the males who would fill half of the Grand Canyon.