I'm looking for a book which attempts to put in written form the body
of knowledge we call "common sense". It would be something like
something like "a list of 1,000 to 10,000 facts and concepts everyone
knows about the real world."

It's hard to describe exactly what I'm looking for, so let me give
some examples:

I'm NOT looking for self-help like "Take a pro-active attitude towards
your job" or "The first step in dealing with your anger is to
acknowledge it"
 
I'm NOT looking for encyclopedias of academic knowledge like "The
human body is made of 3 billion cells" or "The US was last invaded in
the War of 1812".
 
What I am looking for is a list of everyday facts that most adults
know, like these: "Onions last forever, but tomatoes go bad in a
couple weeks", "If you're going to be driving through the mountains in
the winter, it's a good idea to call ahead to find out how bad the
roads are", "Pulling out a book while an orchestra is performing is
very rude", and "If you take in a bottle of your own wine to a formal
restaurant, they may charge you a portage fee"

One researcher already answered this question. They came up with a
book called "Family Circle 2000 Hints & Tips: Great Ideas for Managing
Your Time, Your Home, Your Self". It's ok, but it's not really what
I'm looking for. It still has too much of a self-help/"organize your
life" slant, so I thought I'd ask if anyone else can find something.

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Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 06 Jan 2003 15:55 PST

gremlin...

Something along these lines?:

"How do physicians treat their own illnesses? How do
 accountants prepare their own taxes? How do Hollywood
 stars put on their makeup? From halting headaches to
 fixing faucets... from starting you car to slashing your
 spending, this book provides insider secrets to help you
 get better deals, save money and time, solve problems,
 and fix or clean just about anything in your home, yard
 or garden."

---

Clarification of Question by gremlin-ga on 07 Jan 2003 12:13 PST

Both of the suggested books sound interesting.

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Clarification of Question by gremlin-ga on 07 Jan 2003 12:14 PST

:)

Interesting question. Is that “expert advice” what you are looking
for?

When I read your question I was reminded of an amusing little
paperback by Tom Parker called “Rules of Thumb”.

Here are some examples from his book:

On a trip, take twice the money and half the clothes you think you'll
need.
If you are assaulted, yell FIRE. More people will come to your aid
than if you yell HELP.
If you don't catch anything after seven casts for trout, move on to
the next likely spot in the stream.
The base of a ladder should be 30% of its height from the wall it is
leaning on.
If you are lost in the woods, always travel downstream. 
For a comfortable flight of stairs, the width of the riser plus two
times the height should equal 25 inches.
Wait at least an hour before investigating a piece of dynamite that
didn’t go off.
Don't use career counselors. If they knew how to find a good job,
they'd have one.
When using a public restroom, pick the toilet farthest from the door.
It's usually a little cleaner than the others.

Good luck with your quest!

Hi Gremlin,
These two books aren't expressly categorized as "common sense guides",
but reading them would surely provide myriad tidbits of common sense.
For example, in your first posting of this question, you mentioned
that your book might contain information like the longevity of an
onion vs. that of a tomato. I'm sure if you were to read either of
these two books cover to cover, you'd come up with plenty of
information of that nature. However, you seemed to have requested
something more specific (afexion8-ga's comment looks like it's right
on the mark). These two are just a thought-

eHow "How to do Just About Everything" 
This book contains brief step-by-step instructions, taken from
eHow.com, on how to do a number of things such as: "Tie a tie  Plant a
Lawn  Carve a Turkey  Write a Business Plan  Ask for a Raise  Unclog a
Sink  Juggle  Change Your Motor Oil  Sew On a Button  Lose Weight 
Write a Love Letter  Train a Dog  Prevent Jet Lag  Burp a Baby"

http://www.ehow.com/book/book_info.jsp 

"The Practical Guide to Practically Everything"
A thick, very comprehensive almanac addressing topics of all sorts.
"The Practical Guide to Practically Everything by Peter W. Bernstein
and Christopher Ma is a one-volume personal library that offers a
better way of getting the facts you need to live safely, easily,
inexpensively, and enjoyably in such complicated times. The book
simplifies practically everything."

http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/english/books/pg/top.htm 

Best of luck!
~redmango-ga