THE DEFINITIVE COMPENDIUM Since time immemorial, the experts have offered opinions on everything under, including, and beyond the sun. And, as time has shown, their conclusions and opinions are often dead wrong. In 1984, Christopher Cerf, co-editor of The Politically Correct Dictionary and Handbook and former contributing editor to the National Lampoon, and Victor Navasky, publisher and editorial director of The Nation, compiled the first edition of THE EXPERTS SPEAK, hailed by Time magazine as irreverent, unfair and subversive." Since then, an unprecedented amount of egregious prognostication, boo-boos, and just plain lies has fostered the need for an expanded and updated edition of THE EXPERTS SPEAK: The Definitive Compendium of Authoritative Misinformation (Villard/$ 1 5.00/Publication date: August 12, 1998), filled with professional miscalculation from the ages. The rise of the information age¾ the advent of the Internet and 500 channel televisions¾ has made everyone an expert, and created, more than ever, a need for this ultimate resource for skeptics. Divided into sections on "Our Planet Earth," "The Mysteries of Life on Earth," "Man, The Social Animal," "Arts and Leisure," "Homo Faber: Man the Toolmaker," "Of Peoples and Civilizations," and "The March of Science," THE EXPERTS SPEAK proves that the authorities, talking heads, and pundits are willing to pontificate on every topic, often with hilarious results, including:
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THE EXPERTS SPEAK
The Definitive Compendium of Authoritative Misinformation
"Just a fad, a
passing fancy."
—Phil Wrigley, Chicago Cubs owner,
commenting on the advent of night baseball, C. 1935
"Bill Clinton will lose to any Republican nominee who doesn't drool
on the stage."
—The Wall Street Journal, editorial, October 30, 1995
"Race is not, and will not be an issue in this case."
—Robert Shapiro,
during a private conference in the chambers of Judge Lance Ito, October 19, 1994
"There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their
home."
—President of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977
"Can't act. Can't sing. Balding. Can dance a little."
—M-6-M executive, reacting to Fred Astaire's screen test, 1928
"The message of October, 1987, should not be taken lightly. The
great bull market is over."
—Robert R. Prechter, in Business Week, November 30, 1987
"Let me tell you something about this AIDS epidemic. There is not
one single case of AIDS reported in this country that cannot be traced in origin to
sodomy."
—Sen. Jesse Helms, October, 1988
"I am never going to get divorced and that's that.
Whatever people may think and say, I am very happy, thank you very much."
—Lady Diana, Princess of Wales,
quoted in Good Housekeeping, April 1991
"Forget it, Louis, no Civil War picture ever made a nickel."
—Irving Thalberg's warning to Louis B. Mayer regarding Gone With the Wind
"He'll never be any good."
—Robert Irsay, owner of the Baltimore Colts,
after trading newly drafted quarterback John Elway
to the Denver Broncos, 1983
| ABOUT THE AUTHORS | |
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Christopher Cerf is the co-editor of The Politically Correct Dictionary and
Handbook and The 80s: A Look Back at the Tumultuous Decade, 1980-1989. He is a
former contributing editor to the National Lampoon, and he co-edited the newspaper
parody Not the New York Times. Victor Navasky is the publisher and editorial director of The Nation. He is the author of the American Book Award winner Naming Names and Kennedy Justice. email: info@experts-speak.com |
| THE EXPERTS SPEAK The Definitive Compendium of Authoritative Misinformation by Christopher Cerf and Victor Navasky Villard |
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTOPHER CERF OR VICTOR NAVASKY, AUTHORS OF THE BESTSELLING THE EXPERTS SPEAK: THE DEFINITIVE COMPENDIUM OF AUTHORITATIVE MISINFORMATION, CONTACT:
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