Schott's Original Miscellany was published with little fanfare in 2002, but after an article in the Guardian, in which the book was described as the "publishing sensation of the year", sales increased, and within weeks Schott's Original Miscellany was at No. The Almanacs shared the same look and feel as the Miscellanies – but were substantially longer and larger.

Schott MISCELLANIES | Ben Schott

In December 2005, The Guardian newspaper, which described Schott's Original Miscellany as "the publishing sensation of the year", produced a special edition of its G2 section with selections from the book's 2006 edition. Tony Blair asked Schott if he would like to see then-baby Leo; Cherie barked at him not to take too long as they were about to have lunch. Ben has written for many of the great British and American titles including The Times, The Telegraph, The New York Times, The Spectator, Private Eye, Bloomberg Opinionand Playboy. Schott introduced the 2006 Almanac with a quote from Ben Hecht: "Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock". Schott publishes a bespoke Miscellany Diary with the society printers Smythson of Bond Street, and a desk-pad diary with Workman.Intelligent entertainment at a high level, timedperfectly for out post-modern, deconstructed, andoverall scatterbrained time of age. He is married to the award-winning travel editor, Pavia Rosati; lives and works in London; and finds writing in the third-person awkward. On my way to pitch this Christmas card idea to a large advertising agency (WPP), I was waylaid by an old friend (Martin) who persuaded me to turn the card into a book.

Schott ABOUT | Ben Schott

Within weeks of publication, Schott’s Original Miscellanywas a number one best-seller in the UK; within months it was also a bestseller in Germany and the United States.The four books in the Miscellanytrilogy have been translated into 21 languages (including Braille), and have sold over 2. Unusually, Ben designs and typesets virtually all of his work –as well offering design and narrative consultancyto a range of clients. They consist of a collection of trivia generally centred on the culture of the United Kingdom (and to a lesser extent the rest of the European Union and the Commonwealth).

Ben Schott - Wikipedia

In 2003, I decided to create a little booklet of information of use to photographers, designers, and picture editors. To make this somewhat dry content a little more palatable, I added a host of zesty curiosities: the kind of information at the back of our minds and on the tips of our tongue — like wine bottle sizes and unusual phobias. Schott's Original Miscellany is, without doubt, the oldest, and possibly merriest title you will come across in a long day's march through the shimmering desert of contemporary publishing". I managed to persuade The Pear Tree Press (the one in Stevenage, not the one in Jamaica) to print 50 hard-back copies. Things began to get a little crazy when, without warning, The Guardiandevoted the cover ofG2to the Miscellanyand, amazingly, declared the book “the publishing sensation of the year.Walter Thompson where he was an account manager on the Nestlé Rowntree account working on Smarties, Kit Kat and Polo. He has regularly acknowledged the influence of the work of Edward Tufte in influencing the look and feel of his books.

Schott’s Miscellany (32.45) — The Billions Companion Schott’s Miscellany (32.45) — The Billions Companion

Somehow Mr Schott turns a collection of trivia intoa window on the world that is hilarious, puzzling, and inspiring. As a photographerBen worked with The Independent, The Times, The Sunday Times, Reader’s Digest, and Sunday Business, amongst many others, and has photographed a wealth of celebrities from Hugh Grant and Tony Blair, to Gordon Brown and Enoch Powell.

In 2005 and 2006 the Guardian featured special editions of G2 featuring extracts from Schott's Almanac.