Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating and useful reference work
Review: "The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2004" packs a lot of information into its 1008 pages. The book is well organized and easy to use. Included are three separate indexes: an extensive general index, a quick reference index, and (on the back cover) a quick thumb index. The book covers information in many different areas: the U.S. government, world history, religion, science and technology, sports, etc.The almanac is full of interesting and timely features, such as the following: a review of the top news stories of 2003; profiles of major party U.S. presidential candidates; a special section on the "Baby Boom Generation"; and a year in review chronology. Internet surfers will find a treasure trove in here; the book includes Web addresses of U.S. government departments, international organizations, sports organizations, U.S. and Canadian religious groups, major U.S. business corporations, and much, much more. There is also a color section with maps and pictures of the flags of the world. Other interesting features: a glossary of computer and Internet terms; a special section on Antarctica; a sidebar article on the seven wonders of the ancient world; a list of words new to the English language; and much more. I consider this book to be an essential reference source for work, school, home, and library.
Rating: 
Summary: Recommended
Review: An updated edition of this handy title is always a welcome edition to my library. This is a very useful tool that could lead to even greater erudition in a myriad of subjects.
Rating:
Summary: the world almanac and book of facts
Review: For the last 10 or 12 years I have successfully been teaching english with the remarkable and great aid of such a publication.
Unfortunately, due to the Oct.11th 2001 grim facts, importing such a useful teaching & learning tool to Mexico is illegal.
My question is WHY?
We are not terrorists (as U.S. authorities stated that such an important publication could be used by wrong-doers) we are (my small teaching & translating Company and I) only english teachers.
I would really like a solution to this problem could be found because many people in Mexico cannot just be deprived from The World Almanac & Book of Facts.
Rating:
Summary: The Almanac and the Internet
Review: I have for years been a purchaser and reader of the World Almanac. As a child I loved to read 'facts' and this provides much reading of that kind. Consider for instance its lists of distinguished writers painters spiritual figures. Or consider its country portraits with statistics on basic characteristics of political life and economy. My sense however is that with the coming of the Internet the ' Almanac ' is not quite as vital a tool as it was once felt to be. My sense is that the Information given in the Almanac can be found in the Internet in a quick search. And that for those people who sit and work with their computers a good part of the day , the Almanac would be much less looked at. This does not mean it should be discarded and that many including myself will not continue to purchase it. It is after all much more pleasant to shlep around with a book than with a computer. But the Internet and the 'Information Age' have made ' facts cheap' and made much of this information so easily available and readily duplicable that the resource simply is not the kind of special value it used to be.
Rating: 
Summary: a good compilation but historically inaccurate at critical
Review: points. The problem with this reference manual is in certain points when it has to give a history, you have actual misinformation, they say certain leaders were elected when they didn't allow real opposition or the book takes sides in conflicts to the end of offering "balance" at the expense of accuracy. A real problem in a book that couldve been better
Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal as always, but could still be improved
Review: The problem with reviewing a version of an almanac is that, by the time you get around to figuring out whether it's truly great or not, the next year's version is already out. So I will simply say this: this is, for my purposes (just general information), the best of all the almanacs out there. This book has almost all of the statistics you could ever want, in every field imaginable, and points you (simply look at the sources) to where you might find more. I buy a World Almanac about every other year, and the 2004 version has seen some positive changes since 2001. It has brief bios of all the major presidential candidates (useful in an election year). Also, many of its tables have shaded the information every fourth or fifth line to make reading easier - a great improvement What I SEVERELY dislike about this edition (editors, take note) is that it has moved the General Index to the back of the book, which is seriously annoying since that's the first place I almost always turn. I also wish they'd include election statistics for current US Senators, even when they didn't have an election in the last year. Biographies of current US Supreme Court justices would be a hit: since they seem to be arrogating more and more power these days, it'd be nice to know more about our dicta...er, "justices." Better statistics on per capita income by state (including where they rank) would also be nice. Rush Limbaugh calls himself "America's Truth Detector." Being a conservative, I don't disagree with him that much; but if America needs a truth detector, a good almanac is always the answer. It gives you something to reach for everytime some politician or writer makes some silly assertion you're sure isn't true.
Rating:
Summary: more facts than the last one
Review: there are so many facts here. I haven't read them all, but there seem to be a lot more than in the last edition. they are really a lot that opens your eyes to hugeness of the world in which we all humans live.
Rating:
Summary: more facts than the last one
Review: there are so many facts here. I haven't read them all, but there seem to be a lot more than in the last edition. they are really a lot that opens your eyes to hugeness of the world in which we all humans live.
Rating:
Summary: a good compilation but historically inaccurate at critical
Review: This is my favorite almanac. It is compact, easy to use, with well organized information. I think it is more complete than other almanacs, offering extensive coverage of the US Presidents, elections, and a state by state breakdown of Presidential elections since 1952, even going so far as a county by county breakdown in the hotly contested 2000 election. It has excellent sports coverage, as well as arts and entertainment. It presents the US Constitution in its entirety, along with brief synopses of landmark Supreme Court Decisions. This almanac also provides a short history of the National Anthem and the contentious Pledge of Allegiance, which had "under God" amended to it in 1954. It is packed with other vital information such as a breakdown of membership of religious groups in the US, the location of these religious groups headquarters, and a record of Easter Sundays up to 2100, so that you can plan ahead for this ever-shifting holiday. There is a very good section on health and nutrition, including dietary requirements for children and other salient information on how to better maintain your health. And, there is a comprehensive section on the nations of the world, including many timely statistics that will clue you into the demographics of the vast multitude of people. In short, everything you need to know to keep abreast if this ever-changing world we live in, as well as help you solve the NY Times crossword puzzle.
Rating:
Summary: The World Almanac of 2004
Review: This volume is an excellent compilation of relevant facts pertaining to comparative statistics at the turn of the new century. There are comprehensive lists of the Congress,
Executive and Judiciary staffs and functions. There is a
country by country analysis of economic and demographic data.
Important historical facts and events of 2003 are noted;
together with the historical timeline. There is a section on
measurements and instrumentalities thereof. Cultural events
and people are noted in great detail. This work is a noted authority for the classification of information contained in it.
The work is valuable to a wide constituency of academicians.
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