This book was published in New York by World Almanac Books, 1868- . It is an Annual. Book cover: 2003: $31.95 hard back.
Typical questions that would lead to use of this book include such things as:
”Do you have a list of the endangered species?”
”How long is it before baby rabbits are born?”
The format of this book is an annual print, hardcover and paperback. It is also available on Lexis-Nexis Universe by subscription.
The purpose of this book is to be a compendium of miscellaneous facts and knowledge. It is the first place to look for statistics and lists. It has an emphasis on the United States. In the front are sections “The Top Ten News Stories of 200….”, “Focus on the Elderly.” “Year in Review” includes notable quotes, court decisions, obituaries, major laws, chronology of previous year. There is a color map and flag section. The book is a great source for all kinds of lists.
Designed for the intended audience of everyone from elementary through college level, for use in home, office, and libraries. The emphasis is on current data, but has some statistical tables that offer comparisons by decade over 20 or 30 years.
It is arranged by topics with a detailed subject index at the back. On the back cover is “thumb indexes.”
According to The Guide to Reference Books this book is “The most comprehensive and most frequently useful of the American almanacs of miscellaneous information.” It also says it is “Well up-to-date and, in general, reliable; sources for many of the statistics are given.” A weakness we have found though is that famous people, called “Notable Personalities” in the index, are NOT indexed separately by name. It does give the birth and death dates, profession, etc.
LCSH: 1. Almanacs, American. 2. Statistics—Periodicals.