Rating: 
Summary: Best Baby Name Book Out There
Review: I loved this book when picking a name for my first child. Those books of lists like "27,585,884 Baby Names Volume XXVIII" are a dime a dozen. This is a fun, informative, and useful book that puts baby naming in perspective. It's important to think about things like "If I name my first child X, how will that affect what I name my second child?" It also offers invaluable advice about the psychology of different types of names and how they can affect not only the child, but how the child feels in comparison to siblings (like if you have two daughters and name one Juliet and the other Pat, those girls are going to see themselves very differently).
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional book; Names galore!
Review: I purchased this book along with "20,001 Names for Baby." I wanted the standard long list of names book but I also wanted something a little different. Well, this was differnt!At first I wasn't sure how I would like it as the book is divided up into numerous categories and subcategories. Some names are seen several times throughout the book. Needless to say, I started with the other book but once I got tired of reading name after name after name in alphebetical order (and being put to sleep), I switched to this one and haven't put it down since. The book often gives a couple paragraphs of info for each category of names it presents. Off the top of my head, some of the categories are last names for first names, place names, nature names, boy names for girls, timeless names, way out there names, ethnic names, etc. Most categories have subcategories and are also split between boys names and girls names, although some lists are gender-neutral. There are some really far out there names that probably could have been omitted, but then that wouldn't have been fair to those far out there people. :) I found several (normalish) names that were left out of other books. It gives advise on middle names, and what to watch out for (words spelled from initials, etc). One thing that this book doesn't have is a meaning for each name. Personally, I was fine with that but those that are looking for name meaning might want to pick up another book to suppliment this, or just search the web. Overall, the book is great. It's thought provoking and really does help make the naming process more enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: Strap on your gravity boots!
Review: I recently bought this book in preparation of having a child. After reading several revues online, I thought it would make a good balance to the standard long-list-o'-names book I was also purchasing. While I was prepared for an unusual experience because of the title, what I got was paramount to "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!" Now don't get me wrong--this book is not completely useless. I did, after all, give it three out of five stars. That's because I thought about three-fifths of the book to be usefull, informative, and frankly, reasonable. The other two-fifths seem like the result of a bad acid trip. Here's the deal: There is some very usefull information about recent trends and the reasons behind them. There is also good advice about the rhythm of a full name (first, middle & last) and considering how both your child and their schoolmates will feel about names, spellings, and popularity. There are lists of names by origin, tradition, religion, etc, all of which I found very usefull. If nothing else, the index in the back provides a great alphabetical list of every name you could think of, with page numbers for more information. There are also some sections in which the authors encourage adventuresome folk to name their child after any place or thing they might like, enjoy, or even use. Could you imagine naming your child after a piece of furniture, or "Afternoon"?!? (This is an actual suggestion--no kidding!) Then there's the gender-bending advice of giving your girl baby a hard-core boy's name. Sure. Just what your kid needs! These sections completely contradict all the sage advice listed above. Rather schizophrenic. Interestingly enough, before writing this review, I found an article in the March 2001 issue of Ladies' Home Journal, written by one of the authors of this book, Ms. Satran. The article is entitled 'A baby named silly' and in it, she wonders if she and her co-authors are responsible for the abundance of rediculous 'names' becoming abundantly popular, especially amongst celebrities. The answer is a resounding "YES!" Now, granted, not everyone who has named their kid after a place or thing has read this book, but if you put advice out there, as you have, and enough people act on it, then others will follow. The more girls named for boys, or boys named for things, the more reasonable it all sounds. So yes, you are in part responsible. FYI-Ms. Satran's first name is Pamela. Quite nice. And we know she was born a girl!
Rating:
Summary: Best manual for creative and tried-&-true names.
Review: If you are tired of baby naming books that don't go beyond the origin and meaning of hundreds of names, then you will love this book! In it, the authors include trends and classifications of names that will help you to avoid the most overused choices. Of particular interest to me were the "So Far In They're Out," and "So Far Out They're In" sections which pinpoint some of the most popular names being used today. This book will also help you choose a name that will suit your child, whether from the "Fashionable Classics," "Creative Power Names," Feminine or Manly," or any of the foreign name sections. I really found this book to be useful because it helps you to see what other people find attractive or unattractive in a name so that you can settle on one that will make you (and hopefully your child) happy. If you prefer really different, or maybe somewhat bizarre, names then this book won't disappoint in that area, either. Suggestions for naming after objects, places, and soap opera characters abound...and you also get the (true, I've noticed) observation that more and more girls are receiving very "boy" names, while the same boy names are being used over and over for...boys! This is a must-have book for anyone laboring (pun intended) over a name for their baby. The options, descriptions, and creativity shown here will really help make the job a little easier.
Rating:
Summary: I love this name book!
Review: It is so much more than a name book -- it is actually a good read! We really got so little out of the books that just list thousands of names. This book really makes you think through the pros and cons of different names and how they will be perceived. As it turns out, we avoided a boy's name that we had liked for its sound & meaning, but was listed as trendy (it is!), confusing for having 2 different spellings (there are!) and now being used by celebrities as a girl's name (gasp!) -- all as predicted by this book. (We chose Thomas James instead.) I now buy it for all my friends when they tell me they are pregnant for the first time. You can beat the humor & good information all rolled into one.
Rating:
Summary: Informative without being overwhelming
Review: My husband and I bought this book when we were talking about trying to start a family. I find the dictionary-style name books to be overwhelming, with name after name listed right after one another. The style of this book makes it much easier to read through and pick out names you like without having information overload. It's true that some names are repeated on different lists, but that's because they fit into the different categories, and I found enough uniqueness from list to list so that it didn't really bother me. There's a great section that lists classic names for girls and boys that goes into more detail about the origin and meaning of the name, well-know people who share the name and other interesting trivia, but largely this is a book that breaks names down into various categories without detailing meanings. I thought one of the most interesting sections was the list of top 10 names by country. We've used the book to cross out those names we don't like, circle the ones we do and try to narrow down names from there. Much easier to do that here than in a book packed with just alphabetical columns of names and a word or two about their meaning, in my opinion. This isn't the right book for everyone, but it was definitely the best choice for us.
Rating:
Summary: Informative without being overwhelming
Review: My husband and I bought this book when we were talking about trying to start a family. I find the dictionary-style name books to be overwhelming, with name after name listed right after one another. The style of this book makes it much easier to read through and pick out names you like without having information overload. It's true that some names are repeated on different lists, but that's because they fit into the different categories, and I found enough uniqueness from list to list so that it didn't really bother me. There's a great section that lists classic names for girls and boys that goes into more detail about the origin and meaning of the name, well-know people who share the name and other interesting trivia, but largely this is a book that breaks names down into various categories without detailing meanings. I thought one of the most interesting sections was the list of top 10 names by country. We've used the book to cross out those names we don't like, circle the ones we do and try to narrow down names from there. Much easier to do that here than in a book packed with just alphabetical columns of names and a word or two about their meaning, in my opinion. This isn't the right book for everyone, but it was definitely the best choice for us.
Rating:
Summary: Best Baby Name Book Out There
Review: Not very helpful. Would have liked more names and meanings rather than lists of names by type. Some food for thought though.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best
Review: Not very helpful. Would have liked more names and meanings rather than lists of names by type. Some food for thought though.
Rating:
Summary: Turning Baby Name Books Into A Cottage Industry
Review: OK, so the original idea (for the original edition) was a good one. It was smart of Rosenkrantz and Satran to come out with a chatty, opinionated naming guide for the 90s, and when you look at some of the naming trends going on, there was actually some need. On the other hand, these two are now churning new versions of this thing out at an alarming rate. Not only are there different versions of "Beyond..." out there, but there is also "The Last Word on First Names." (Hopefully, it will be--for THEM--but I tend to doubt it.) Their basic advice--avoid being too trendy--is solid enough. Trying therefore to anticipate the trends is also a good idea. But let's face it, not everyone is all that perceptive, psychic or, for that matter, all that obsessed with the issue to devote so much time to it. In any event, this credo does not merit endless editions of the same book. Let's face it, these ladies are cleaning up--on an issue that should just be a matter of taste and common sense. Either those traits are in shorter supply than one might hope(certainly possible), or the authors are playing on the insecurities of prospective parents everywhere and tapping into a real goldmine.
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