Booksmith and Berkeley Arts & Letters are thrilled to present what promises to be another unforgettable evening with xkcd creator and #1 New York Times bestselling author of What If? and How To, Randall Munroe, to celebrate the release of What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. He will be joined in conversation by the one and only Adam Savage. Please join us!

Please note:

• This is a ticketed, in-person event. Each ticket includes a hardcover copy of What If? 2.
• Advance sales end at 12pm PT, 9/21. We may have tickets available at the door, but that is not guaranteed.
• This is an offsite event, to be held at the Internet Archive, 300 Funston Ave. in San Francisco, CA.
• Safety: ID and proof of full vaccination, including booster, will be required at the door. Masks will be required throughout the duration of the event and capacity will be limited to allow indoor distancing. 
• Because we’re limiting capacity, we can't guarantee we'll have space for walk-ins. The best way to ensure you’ll get in is to order a ticket now.
• We are happy to offer *signed copies* of What If? 2: order a Ticket with Book if you'd like to pick up a signed copy at the event, or order here if you just want a signed copy and no admission.
• If we feel it is not safe to gather, as the event gets closer, we will pivot to a virtual event and your registration will remain valid.
• Accessibility is important to us. Please write to us with any requests and we will do our best to accommodate you.
• Questions? Write [email protected].

About the book

 The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger. Thank goodness xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to help. Planning to ride a fire pole from the Moon back to Earth? The hardest part is sticking the landing. Hoping to cool the atmosphere by opening everyone’s freezer door at the same time? Maybe it’s time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics. Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, built a billion-story building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it erupted? Okay, if you insist.

Before you go on a cosmic road trip, feed the residents of New York City to a T. rex, or fill every church with bananas, be sure to consult this practical guide for impractical ideas. Unfazed by absurdity, Munroe consults the latest research on everything from swing-set physics to airliner catapult–design to answer his readers’ questions, clearly and concisely, with illuminating and occasionally terrifying illustrations. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances.

About the authors

Randall Munroe is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers What If? and Thing Explainer, the science question-and-answer blog What If, and the popular webcomic xkcd. A former NASA roboticist, he left the agency in 2006 to draw comics on the internet full-time. He lives in Massachusetts.

Adam Savage is a maker, designer, television host, producer, husband, and father. He was the cohost of all 278 hours of MythBusters on the Discovery Channel for fourteen years and host of its 2019 spinoff MythBusters, Jr., as well as several other TV shows. He also makes stuff and tells his sto­ries on his website Tested.com. He lives in San Francisco with his wife.

Please note:

• This is a ticketed, in-person event. Each ticket includes a hardcover copy of What If? 2.
• This is an offsite event, to be held at the Internet Archive, 300 Funston Ave. in San Francisco, CA.
• Safety: ID and proof of full vaccination, including booster, will be required at the door. Masks will be required throughout the duration of the event and capacity will be limited to allow indoor distancing. 
• Because we’re limiting capacity, we can't guarantee we'll have space for walk-ins. The best way to ensure you’ll get in is to order a ticket now.
• We are happy to offer *signed copies* of What If? 2: order a Ticket with Book if you'd like to pick up a signed copy at the event, or order here if you just want a signed copy and no admission.
• If we feel it is not safe to gather, as the event gets closer, we will pivot to a virtual event and your registration will remain valid.
• Accessibility is important to us. Please write to us with any requests and we will do our best to accommodate you.
• Questions? Write [email protected].

Photo of the Internet Archive's Great Room used in the background above by Evan Karp