by The Onion
First published 2012
The Onion presents itself as the final book ever published, a comprehensive encyclopedia of all human knowledge designed for witless cretins with disposable income. This compendium promises to contain every fact worth knowing, organized across 27 letters of the alphabet. Readers will discover the life stages of an Aunt, optimal locations for self-destruction in Utica, New York, and the precise measurements of female buckets (also known as pails). The book includes facts, illustrations, maps, charts, threats, blood, and additional fees to educate even the most simple-minded purchaser. The Onion positions this as an urgent purchase necessary to avoid eternal ignorance, claiming it represents the death of the print industry while simultaneously being the only book anyone will ever need.
Genres: satire, humor, reference, non-fiction
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: parody, satire
Setting: Utica, New York
Period: 21st-century
352 pages · Kindle Edition · Little, Brown and Company