What if I wrote a book?

Posted bydavean 1,117 Comments on What if I wrote a book?

For the last couple years, I’ve been answering your science questions on What If.

Today, I’m excited to announce that the What If? book is coming!

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions will be published September 2nd by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Starting today you can pre-order it from your favorite bookseller (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Indie Bound).  There are also foreign editions, including a UK and Commonwealth edition and a German edition.

As I’ve sifted through the letters submitted to What If every week, I’ve occasionally set aside particularly neat questions that I wanted to spend a little more time on. This book features my answers to those questions, along with revised and updated versions of some of my favorite articles from the site. (I’m also including my personal list of the weirdest questions people have submitted.)

Preorder today to get a copy as soon as it comes out!

1,117 replies on “What if I wrote a book?”

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  12. I lett a bockshop order it for me, this is to decrese the risk of me being atacked by a bobcat

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  14. I will order one as soon as it’s available at amazon.ca or chapters.ca in hard cover.

    Of course, a signed one would be nice.

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  15. +1 for the signed hardcopy idea.
    I’d go for that…. ( of course, i already pre-ordered my copy on amazon… )

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  16. Hey, I submitted by question some time ago – not that I am certain my question is bound to end up in the book, but I am still curious if it did… will we see some sort of list of all the questions in the book, or only way to find out for sure is to buy the book?

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  23. What if I want to do a mouse scroll-over on the pictures? How does that work with a physical book?

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  25. Two questions:
    a. Can you believe it that your what-if series was successful enough that you’re writing a book?
    b. Will it have alt-text?

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  27. I had to pre-order this. I’ve read this every tuesday (excluding holidays of course, and that one family emergency) since day one. It is really the only thing I have to look forward to on Tuesdays.

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  29. The funniest part is scrolling through the “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” section for the amazon pre-order page.

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  31. Yay! I am becoming a teacher and I have loved reading these, I think it would be awesome to incorporate these into my math/science lessons, thanks!

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  32. Now if only Duke Nukem 3D was pre-announced like that… Oh, wait LOL!

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  37. Greetings from Canada. Okay, I ordered a hard copy. Now stop messing around in here and hurry up and write it! (please)

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  40. Soon after seeing the headlines about the “what if george washington died during the revolutionary war” my thoughts turned to what if Washgton was just filling in as the lessor to someone who had died, but who would have been a much much much better first president. Historical Glorification is an unfortunate side effect of being the victor.

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  41. Do you want to have a Chinese version of the book what if? Many people is interested in it. Translating is not a question.

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  43. было бы забавно с Вами поговорить. Я иногда так делаю, в каком-то кусочке своего сознания. Чудесного дня

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  44. This is a serious question and not an annoying one… 😉

    Is there a difference between the “normal english US” version and the UK Commonwealth version? I want the 100% pure unchangend uncensored un-anything one…

    Thank and congratulations…

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  45. This is so cool! I’m getting one for me and one for…. pretty much everyone else I know.

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  46. Oh, that’s nice! I know a lot of people whose next Christmas presents were decided by this post xD (+one for my bookshelf)

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  47. I wonder how many times I’ll put my finger on an image while reading the book and wait for an alt-text to appear.

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  49. I just preordered your book because I really enjoy your ‘what if’ thread. Have you considered putting on ‘what if’ into your book that is a reader favorite? Maybe get a selection and open a poll, or take an open poll first and narrow it down and have a final poll? It might generate extra interest and attention to have a ‘reader favorite’ tagged on one ‘what if’ in your new book.

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  50. Hi.

    I’d love to buy your book. Unfortunately…money. Do you think you could consider selling it as an ebook on the Google Play Store? 🙂

    Thanks.

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