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Randall Munroe
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By Randall Munroe What If? Was W??re Wenn? [Paperback] Paperback Bunko

4.6 out of 5 stars 17,162 ratings
4.1 on Goodreads
190,671 ratings

醍狭曝

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00RWNCFS8
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 304 g
  • Part of series ‏ : ‎ What If?
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 17,162 ratings

About the author

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Randall Munroe

Randall Munroe

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Randall Munroe is the creator of the webcomic xkcd and author of xkcd: Volume 0. Randall was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and grew up outside Richmond, Virginia. After studying physics at Christopher Newport University, he got a job building robots at NASA Langley Research Center. In 2006 he left NASA to draw comics on the internet full time, and has since been nominated for a Hugo Award three times. The International Astronomical Union recently named an asteroid after him: asteroid 4942 Munroe is big enough to cause mass extinction if it ever hits a planet like Earth.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
17,162 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the content of the book fantastic, fun, and educational. They also appreciate the humor, saying it explores interesting ideas and scenarios. Readers also describe the illustrations as cute, charming, and perfect for nerdy friends. They describe the writing style as well-written, easy to read, and great to read when they're feeling in the mood for it.

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ContentHumorIllustrationsInterestingWriting style
145 customers mention "Content"138 positive7 negative

Customers find the content of the book fantastic, fun, and educational. They also mention it balances the heavy science with some fun stuff.

"Great book. Very funny and light hearted. BUT... clearly a lot of analysis was applied to all the questions. More so than I was expecting...." Read more

"...Charming and informative and insane, utterly perfect." Read more

"This book was a fun read, and make a long flight that much more bearable...." Read more

"This book was for a birthday present and my son loved it. Great read." Read more

50 customers mention "Humor"50 positive0 negative

Customers find the ideas interestingly and humourously explored. They say the book is written in the classic humour style of Munroe's comic. Readers say the book approaches the obscure and crazy questions that are answered.

"Best book I've read so far this year! Funny, insightful, and just plain odd. Looking forward to the sequel when it comes." Read more

"Awesome book! Interesting, funny and very intelligently written...." Read more

"It's so great when you find a book that's both hilarious and deeply interesting. Home run!" Read more

"Great book. Very funny and light hearted. BUT... clearly a lot of analysis was applied to all the questions. More so than I was expecting...." Read more

30 customers mention "Illustrations"30 positive0 negative

Customers find the illustrations in the book lovely, charming, and informative. They say it's a classic that should be read by everyone. Readers also mention the book is uniquely educational and written for geeks.

"...wondered about. It is a book filled with much humour, funny stick figures and hilarious detailed answers to the questions...." Read more

"Lots of fun. A great gift...." Read more

"...Charming and informative and insane, utterly perfect." Read more

"...Much informative! Very graphics! So stick figure! Wow!" Read more

21 customers mention "Interesting"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting, fascinating, and filled with awe-inspiring takes on interesting scenarios. They say it explores some ridiculous scenarios and gets their imagination spinning. Readers also describe the book as creative, entertaining, and educational.

"Given as a gift. The recipient found it highly amusing. Funny and interesting." Read more

"Interesting, quite imaginative but sometimes goes a bit too much in the ridiculous scale. But still made me laugh quite a few times." Read more

"Creative. Entertaining. Uniquely Educational. Fully Recommend!" Read more

"Nice book to read and some interesting stuff. Sadly, a lot of the content is already on the website so..." Read more

13 customers mention "Writing style"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written, easy to read, and fun to write.

"This is a brilliant book, well written; with wit, humour knowledge and wisdom. A pleasure to read, a pleasure to learn from. More, please...." Read more

"Great book. Writing style is great and I love the way he approaches the obscure and crazy questions that are answered...." Read more

"...It is a book that is great to read when you're feeling in the mood for some education and humour." Read more

"...of other people have already mentioned this, but the writing style is INCREDIBLY accessible for fans of all ages and levels of understanding...." Read more

Top reviews from Canada

  • R
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding book, well worth the purchase!
    Reviewed in Canada on December 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    As a long time fan of XKCD, I thought I knew exactly what I was in for when I bought this book as a gift for my younger brother. In fact, I am very impressed with what I recieved!

    The quality of the book immediately caught my attention after unpackaging it. There are plenty of little jokes added to the dust jacket, cover, and even the end paper inside the covers! Some images of these are included in the 醍狭曝 pictures here, but I didn't look at them to closely before buying the book. Everything is written in the classic humour style of Munroe's comic. The hardcover has a little bit of a gloss to it that I appreciated.

    In terms of the actual content of the book, I was expecting verbatim explanations of the free content from the What-If webpage, with a few added questions that I hadn't seen before to flesh things out. This is more or less what I got. However, as I skimmed through (prior to gifting it to my brother, I just HAD to check out the new stuff quickly) it seemed like it was more detailed than I remembered. I think that some of the text might have been updated or added to, even on previously available explanations. I could be wrong, but that doesn't change how awesome the book is!

    This book is great for anyone who appreciates a good laugh, or is curious about science and the world around them! Lots of other people have already mentioned this, but the writing style is INCREDIBLY accessible for fans of all ages and levels of understanding. My brother is only 12, but he loves the book and regularly gets excited talking with me about things he's read in it. I'm an Engineering student myself, and really appreciate the way technical accuracy and accessibility manage to be combined. It's not an easy thing to do!
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Charles W.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Still an excellent book, now with added marginal notes
    Reviewed in Canada on May 21, 2025
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    There's not much difference between this and the original, but the original was excellent, and Randall's additional notes make it worth re-reading for sure.
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  • Gord Mc Pherson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good book but marred by kindle errors
    Reviewed in Canada on October 27, 2020
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Good book but marred by the fact that the kindle version kept crashing and asking me to re-download it. It did this on my Paper White Kindle (10th) and also on my brand new Kindle Oasis (10th) even after downloading it multiple times. Other than that, it's a quick and interesting read and worth the time and effort.

    (1 star deducted because of the crashing problem)
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  • Michelle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
    Reviewed in Canada on September 6, 2022
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    I've read this book multiple times and it is hilarious even for someone whom does not understand science and physics. The author is hilarious and the situations are eternally entertaining. I've also gotten this book as an audio book through my library and it is a wonderful way to pass a long car ride or a series of dog walks. Charming and informative and insane, utterly perfect.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Erin
    5.0 out of 5 stars So fun to read, makes a lovely gift
    Reviewed in Canada on April 8, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This book is incredible! Such fun/funny questions and well thought out scientific answers. I always imagine that this must have been very fun to write when I am reading it. Each Question/Answer pair is quite short (ranging from around 1 - 3 pages). I first received this as a gift, and have purchased multiple copies since then to gift to others. Because each entry is short, my ex used this as a toilet reader...

    If you are at all curious about the world around you, if you were a child who asked a lot of questions, if you think science is at all interesting (or if you want to be convinced that science is fun and interesting) this is the book for you!
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Kelly
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Dad Gift!
    Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    As usual, I was stuck on what to buy my father for Christmas, but these books offered the right about of humour and scientific knowledge to keep him busy for weeks! Just be ready to listen patiently when he decides to tell you about every single question.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Clyde
    3.0 out of 5 stars Three stars
    Reviewed in Canada on October 26, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This book is great, my only complaint is that most of the questions asked are from his blog, which you can read for free. 3/5, but would still recommend
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Carolyn
    4.0 out of 5 stars funny stick figures and hilarious detailed answers to the questions
    Reviewed in Canada on November 2, 2014
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    What If is written by a former NASA scientist. He employs physics, chemistry, mathematics and human biology to answer ridiculous most people have never thought of asking or even wondered about.
    It is a book filled with much humour, funny stick figures and hilarious detailed answers to the questions. I had to read it one or two chapters at a time to keep my brain from exploding. I could imagine Sheldon and his gang from the Big Bang Theory spending countless hours checking on the accuracy of the very convincing answers. Highly entertaining.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • S13_Mills
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book! Well worth a read!
    Reviewed in France on November 2, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    The tagline says it all really - "Serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions" - this book is very accessible, and will be enjoyed by anyone with a high-school level of science knowledge. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and am certain I will read it again in the future, with the same amount of child-like glee I read it with the first time through!

    A great gift for a geek or scientist you know - they'll get laughs and smiles out of it, and proudly place it on the coffee table afterwards.
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  • Dr Beverly R Vincent
    5.0 out of 5 stars Making Science Entertaining with Explosions and Destruction
    Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2014
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    A reader comes away from Randall Munroe's book, which is subtitled "Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions," with the sense that Munroe likes to blow things up and burn them to the ground, and that may well be the case. Many of his answers are accompanied by the standard disclaimer！do not try this at home！except when says, "If you do do this at home, please send me the video."

    Munroe is a former robotics expert with NASA who "dropped out" to draw web comics. His most famous creation is xkcd, where three times a week he publishes a new comic, many of them presenting a fascinating！or ludicrous！take on math, physics, technology or life. His drawing style is at once simplistic and instantly recognizable. His people are stick figures, but that doesn't diminish their cleverness. This book is illustrated with similar drawings, often to provide the punch lines to jokes delivered in the text or to demonstrate a point.

    Since he's obviously very clever and resourceful, and seems willing to tackle enormous questions, his readers and fans often ask him questions. Some of these are, quite frankly, disturbing. These he relegates to interludes between batches of chapters with the appropriate heading "Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Inbox." Usually he answers these questions with a simple NO! or a scream, or a comic of the author reporting the questioner to the police, the FBI or Homeland Security.

    The other questions are of the sort that college kids might come up with late at night in dorm rooms or geeks would get into heated arguments over at ComicCon. No one asks Munroe who would win in a fight between this superhero and that one, but maybe he's keeping those for the follow-up.

    Many questions are about a matter of scale. How many of these objects would you need to do that? What would happen if something this big suddenly showed up or plummeted to the earth? A disturbingly large number of them ask what would happen to a person if something cataclysmic happened, like the sudden disappearance of all of their DNA (his answer unexpectedly segues into the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer).

    Some questions have straightforward, simple answers. "What would happen to the Earth if the Sun suddenly turned off?" Everyone would freeze to death. However, Munroe is rarely content to stop there. He expands on these answers, taking them to a logical (or, some might say, illogical) extreme. He ups the ante, going far beyond what the person submitting the question had in mind！far beyond what is even remotely possible, so the answers become thought experiments. Many of his answers end with the extinguishing of life on earth or the destruction of the planet.

    But there's a method to his madness. He isn't just speculating. Okay, he does occasionally speculate, but he usually relies on hard science, with a few assumptions. While the book is entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny, it is also educational. There are very few formulas (the book does have an extensive bibliography where there are, no doubt, more than enough equations to satisfy those who demand more rigorous proofs), and Munroe takes some numerical shortcuts, but one is left with the impression that he has given these questions a great deal of thought and conducted considerable research.

    This would be a terrific book to give to someone with a burgeoning curiosity about the nature of things, as it demonstrates how entertaining science can be. Many of the answers are astonishing and counterintuitive, until Munroe lays out the reasoning behind them. What would happen to a glass of water if the lower half of the liquid were suddenly replaced by a vacuum. Not at all what a person might anticipate. If humanity were to die off (there he goes again), what would be the last remaining manmade source of light? Again, he digs deep, pursuing some unexpected avenues.

    Plus, for people who appreciate Munroe's unique, twisted sense of humor, the book is drop dead funny. But, as humorist Dave Barry often says, don't try to duplicate his experiments at home. By his own admission, he is not an expert on these subjects. Because he is willing to consult true experts, he just sounds like one.
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  • T. Leao
    5.0 out of 5 stars An│lises meticulosas de perguntas que voc┷ nunca pensou em fazer
    Reviewed in Brazil on November 7, 2014
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Esse livro traz um tipo de entretenimento diferente do que └ comumente encontrado no mercado editorial, j│ que ele se disp?e a responder perguntas altamente incomuns e improv│veis, atrav└s de uma an│lise muito bem fundamentada. N?o se engane, por└m, ao pensar que isso s┏ pode ser feito de forma ma?ante e enfadonha, as ilustra??es (familiares para quem acessa o xkcd diariamente) d?o o toque de humor necess│rio para completar as respostas ┐s perguntas "E se?". Recomendo fortemente pra quem se interessa por ci┷ncia e tecnologia.

    Como mencionado em avalia??es anteriores a minha, o e-book decepciona bastante ao n?o fazer com que as cita??es funcionem, visto que elas s?o parte fundamental da resposta e sendo largamente utilizadas em alguns casos. As constantes viagens ao fim do cap┴tulo se tornam um pouco trabalhosas demais.
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  • まさし
    5.0 out of 5 stars 岑議挫謎伉がくすぐられました
    Reviewed in Japan on May 7, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    圷NASAのロボットエンジニアであり、繁櫂ΕД屮灰潺奪仝xkcd々の恬宀でもあるランド`ル?マンロ`による〆What If?〇は、仝もしも?だったら拭垢箸いν誌wな夘にして、@くほど寔中朕かつ親僥議に基えるユニ`クな匯圓任后

    セ`ル嶄だったのであまり豚棋せずに杭秘したのですが、誅駲塢呂Sしめました。ウェブコミックのi宀から篠せられた謎iな嵎諒に寔に基えており、房わず丶ってしまう魁中も謹く、揖扮に親僥の茶膿にもなります。

    もともと徨工鬚韻吠蕕れているため、ところどころに方僥や晒僥の壇喘囂は竃てきますが、畠悶としては峠叟な燕屬謹く、蹐圭}のおかげでスム`ズにiみ序められました。
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  • thereader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Serious science presented in a hilarious way!
    Reviewed in India on December 5, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    You will probably find this book in many 'best books of 2014' type lists, and putting it in such lists is completely justified. This book is hilariously entertaining and scientifically correct (in an approximate sense). What makes the book work is Randall Munroe's smart sense of humor that makes lot of the science in the book utter fun.

    For somebody like me from a Physics background, there is always an apprehension when picking up a book which has 'serious scientific answers' in its title. But it was a joy to read through Munroe deconstructing absurdly hypothetical questions while making it a whole lot of fun. This book is enjoyable at different levels depending on the technical expertise of the reader, but I'm sure the book will appeal to anyone with its humor and science.

    Definitely one of the best books I read in 2014. Highly recommended.
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