Randall Munroe at First Parish Church

Harvard Book Store welcomes Randall Munroe—creator of the webcomic xkcd, author of the New York Times bestsellers What If?, What If? 2, Thing Explainer, and How To, and former NASA roboticist—for a discussion of What If? 10th Anniversary Edition: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. This special 10th anniversary edition has been revised and annotated with brand-new illustrations and answers to important questions you never thought to ask.

Tickets include admission for one and one hardcover copy of What If? 10th Anniversary Edition. Following the presentation Randall Munroe will personalize copies of his books.

A special 10th anniversary edition of the million-copy bestseller What If? from the creator of the wildly popular webcomic xkcd—revised and annotated with brand-new illustrations and answers to important questions you never thought to ask.

Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions: What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there was a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last? What if everyone only had one soulmate? What would happen if the moon went away?

In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by his signature xkcd comics. (They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion.)

In celebration of 10 years of unusual insight, Randall Munroe has revised his classic blockbuster to ask what if? x 10. The result is 10x the adventure of scientific inquiry. Featuring brand-new 2-color annotations and illustrations, this special anniversary edition is far more than a book for geeks, What If? explains the laws of science in operation in a way that every intelligent reader will enjoy and feel much smarter for having read.

Randall Munroe is the author of the webcomic xkcd and the New York Times bestsellers What If?, What If? 2, Thing Explainer, and How To. A former NASA roboticist, he left the agency in 2006 to draw comics on the internet full time. The International Astronomical Union has named an asteroid after him; that asteroid, 4942 Munroe, is large enough that it could cause a mass extinction if it were to hit Earth. He lives in Massachusetts.

Masks are encouraged but not required for this event.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

First Parish Church, 1446 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, United States