The Book of Fun

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