The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2003
Almanacs have long been a staple of the library's ready-reference shelf. Publishers say the Internet age has not diminished the popularity of almanacs in print form,  and reference librarians still consider the print version of an almanac a favorite source for concise, current, quick information.The World Almanac and Book of Factsis the grande dame of almanacs, with a first publication in 1868 and published annually since 1886.The World Almanaccertainly has name recognition and has sold more than 80 million copies since 1868. In the last five years "Quick Quiz" and "It's a Fact" boxes have been added, and there are annual special features--"The Elderly" and seven fact-filled pages on all aspects of terrorism can be found in this year's edition. Trivia still abounds, with statistics on vehicle miles per licensed driver by state, a transplant waiting list by type of organ, the harness horse of the year from 1947 to 2001, and the components of the Dow Jones Averages as of last fall.The price, size, and number of pages for almanacs are about equal, so which is best? Of course all reviewers (see any online bookstore) have their personal preferences based on their interests, eyesight, etc., but this reviewer-librarian still choosesThe World Almanacand Book of Facts as number one in terms of coverage, currency, and usability.RBBCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.