The Book That Has No Story

Somewhere along the way, the Department of Nothing to See Here decided it would be a good idea to publish a book without a story. No hero, no villain, no dramatic plot twists, and absolutely no guarantee that anything important will happen by the time you reach the last page. Apparently, someone forgot to explain how books are supposed to work.

Instead, we've assembled 49 rather unusual little investigations into the things humans think, imagine, expect, and occasionally take far more seriously than the situation seems to require. Each case presents something strange, funny, or unexpectedly familiar, followed by a small invitation to try something and a question you can explore for yourself.

Among the Department's findings is a republic where opinions about pineapple pizza have become a constitutional matter, a minute of time that refuses to become more productive, and a rather complicated application for permission to enjoy a biscuit. The Department is particularly concerned about that last one, since the biscuit was apparently eaten before the paperwork could be approved.

You'll find seven collections of investigations, covering everything from familiar habits and unwritten rules to unexpected possibilities and the observations of extraterrestrial visitors who find human behavior fascinating, if occasionally alarming.

You can read the book from beginning to end, open it at random, or revisit whichever investigations catch your interest. Some might make you laugh, some might leave you wondering, and others might turn out to be completely uninteresting. That's fine too. The Department isn't particularly qualified to tell you what your experience should be.

49 investigations. Seven collections. 64 pages. One book with absolutely no story.

And somehow, quite a lot to explore.