The New York Public Library Desk Reference

By New York Public Library

Book Overview

Curious to know about the wind chill factor, or how to make a Rob Roy, or locate the time in China? Why not peruse a list of common crossword-puzzle words, catch up on the latest computer terms, learn how to carve a turkey the right way, or find out who invented what and when? The most reliable, useful, and entertaining information is once again just a page-turn away in the fourth edition of The New York Public Library Desk Reference . This timeless resource originates from one of the world's great storehouses of knowledge. With collections totaling over 50 million items, The New York Public Library's vast collections continue to expand at a rate of approximately 10,000 items per week. Fully updated with more than 1,000 pages, The New York Public Library Desk Reference is packed with answers to the most frequently asked questions, as well as easy-to-read charts, graphs, and tables, insightful sidebars, full-color maps, and illustrations, plus cross-references and web addresses to aid more in-depth research. From the serious to the trivial, the most frequently sought information from more than 50 reference books is readily at hand in this one comprehensive and accessible guide.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786868465
• ISBN13: 9780786868469
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Hyperion
• Length: 1024 Pages
• Weight: 4.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 7.4"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Good Quick Source of Information

This is an excellent resource for a short description of a very wide variety of subjects that one sometimes is curious about. In addition it makes an interesting book to page through as there is information about subjects that almost anyone will find interesting and it will broaden a persons general knowledge.

I love this book!

You can't get a better book than this to page through on a whim. From a list of major composers to the basic rules of mathematics to traveling tips, this fat reference volume has entries that surprise me every time I open it. You want to know the symptoms and treatment of food poisoning? It's in there. The addresses of major U.S. passport agencies? Got it. How about the names and reigns of every Roman Catholic pope? How to set financial goals for retirement? The length of a day on Pluto? You'll find those answers here as well. The sheer amount of trivia is staggering. If you want to know the answer to a question, no matter how ordinary or obscure, look here first.Dictionary readers will switch their allegiances once they get a hold of this desk reference. All others will refer to it at surprising times. A must have for every reference shelf.

answers every query

This book is really the ultimate reference book (save for the newest 4th edition, which is forthcoming). Lighter and less expensive than "The Columbia Encyclopedia" (which is still the best single-volume encyclopedia in print), this reference guide from one of Manhattan's--and the world's--most venerable institutions is full of entries, pictures, diagrams, tables, lists, and figures on anything and everything. Read a page a day and know more than Alex Trebek (just kidding). I am always going to this book to check facts, and I am never at a loss for an answer. Whereas children will always have Arkady Leokum's classic reference, "Tell Me Why," every adult ought to put this accessible tome next to the dictionary and the thesaurus.

Great General Reference Book

This is an excellent reference book for the house. Anytime my wife or I have a broad or general question our first stop is this book. I can't wait until they produce an updated one. The only thing about this book is that some small facts seem to be slightly off; e.g. the enlisted grades for the United States Air Force still list an E-4 as a Buck Sergeant which was changed to Senior Airman around 1995 or so. Because of this small discrepancy sometimes I question the facts in the book since I don't necessarily have first hand knowledge to verify there data. Overall this has been a great book and I would recommend it to anyone.