Asterixopaedia

If the BBC ever strands you on a Desert Island, they will give you two books: the Bible and The Complete Works of Shakespeare, these being considered essential to a cultured person. Without taking anything away from those two works, I would ask to be allowed to take the Complete Works of Asterix. If you don't know Asterix, visit the official website to see what a treat is in store for you. My favourite story is when Asterix and his companions visit Britain, and are mystified when, in the middle of a battle, the locals put down their weapons and walk off the field. They explain that it is five o'clock and time for their refreshment: une tasse d'eau chaude avec un nuage de lait (a cup of warm water with a dash of milk). Later, once the peace has been agreed, the Druid from Asterix's village gives them a herb to add to their afternoon drink: he tells them the herb is called "tea", something he collected on a recent trip to India.
How many people in Huntingdon know that that is how the cup of tea came to be a British institution? It's the kind of information you won't find in Shakespeare or the Bible. For that, you need your Asterixopaedia.