Rating: 
Summary: Knowledge in a box!
Review: Actually what u see in this book is the overview of almost all the topic that usually popup's in our mind, answers to some of the common problem and some amazing facts that surrounds us & we don't know, though there are few lapses but still its the best book to buy if you want a quick reference on any topic
Rating:
Summary: Knowledge in a box!
Review: Actually what u see in this book is the overview of almost all the topic that usually popup's in our mind, answers to some of the common problem and some amazing facts that surrounds us & we don't know, though there are few lapses but still its the best book to buy if you want a quick reference on any topic
Rating: 
Summary: Avoid buying this book!
Review: I agree that this book does have some interesting information but it's wrong on a whole lot of things. It claims Los Angeles was the capital of California during Spanish Colonialism, which is very incorrect as Los Angeles was only a small "extension" village. It also says California was founded by Francis Drake, never mentioning earlier explorers. I think this book is intended for people living in New York City only.
Rating: 
Summary: Out of print? No!!
Review: I consider a lot of my reference books fairly useless now that I can look things up faster on the Net. But this one's worth its few inches on my bookshelf, especially for questions and fact-checking outside my areas of knowledge. Too bad it's out of print -- I was hoping to buy a copy for my mom.
Rating:
Summary: Why daddy?
Review: I read through this reference book and I was pleased to see how much information was included. I have noticed that other reviewers have pointed out inaccurate facts. I thought it would be a great book to have on a table, or shelf somewhere in every home. If I planned on researching something thoroughly, I would cross-reference any information between several sources. The New York Public Library Desk Reference would be a great place to start. If you have curious children with lots of questions (like I do) buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great information but some severe omissions and formatting
Review: I'm torn between praise for this book and condemnation for those who typeset it. What the other reviews say are true: there's a wealth of information on every page. It's surprising how much information there is in this one volume.However, I've also got to remark how surprised and disappointed I was to find severe formatting problems in the typesetting of this book. In many charts, information ends up in the wrong columns (example: the chart listing U.S. Presidents). Shockingly, the chart listing the "50 states" and their capitals only contains 48 states, leaving out Maine and Wyoming! As useful as this book is, these kinds of problems make one wonder about the accuracy of any of the information in it.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing, concerned about accuracy
Review: I've already found several errors and omissions in this book. For instance, the music section contains errors, such as its dubious claim that "all popular songs can be accompanied by three chords". There is no section on mental health or psychology, which I consider a major omission. And some of the tables are indeed labelled incorrectly. I do think this is a handy book, but because of its omissions and errors is often not a usable substitute for authoritative references on many of its subtopics. For many applications, a one-volume encyclopedia would be a better choice.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent General Reference
Review: I've found this book to be a very handy tool in answering the most common questions. Though, as with any general reference, the details of many items are lacking. This is certainly no replacement for your encylopedias, but it is a very well organize tome containing many of the most frequently asked questions. This book is an excellent starting point for research projects, though for any indepth analysis you will quickly find yourself moving on to other sources. As with any reference, this one is starting to become out-dated (I refer to the 3rd edition from 1998). I'm sure the authors will continually update it so that it continues to be an important source for the answers to most questions.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent General Reference
Review: I've found this book to be a very handy tool in answering the most common questions. Though, as with any general reference, the details of many items are lacking. This is certainly no replacement for your encylopedias, but it is a very well organize tome containing many of the most frequently asked questions. This book is an excellent starting point for research projects, though for any indepth analysis you will quickly find yourself moving on to other sources. As with any reference, this one is starting to become out-dated (I refer to the 3rd edition from 1998). I'm sure the authors will continually update it so that it continues to be an important source for the answers to most questions.
Rating:
Summary: moonwalking
Review: It is a book typical for any public entity.It confirm my opinion
library is for librarians not for regular public.
The idea behind is simple book have to be suitable for kids under 12.Sure plenty of pages for sport.
When I visited New York public library and ask for New York phone
books the answer was simple - we dont have it.
But they sure have desk reference.
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