The New York Times 2003 Almanac [Paperback]

John W. Wright (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0142001694 | ISBN-13: 978-0142001691 | Publication Date: November 25, 2002 | Edition: 1St Edition

The New York Times Almanac 2003 is the almanac of record. Drawing on the resources of the world's premier news organization, it provides readers with a wealth of data about the United States and the world-in a more readable and easily accessible form than other fact finders. Unrivaled in scope and unsurpassed in comprehensiveness, The New York Times Almanac pays careful attention to significant issues, topics, and developments of the day, and sets them in historical context. It gives the stories-and the stories behind the stories. The New York Times Almanac is the first choice for students, journalists, and researchers-for anyone who needs timely, accurate information about the world we live in.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

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 New York Times Almanac evolved from the Universal Almanac, which began publication in 1990 and was discontinued in 1997. The editor, John Wright, who owned the rights to the content, convinced the newspaper to join with him to publish another "new" almanac.

The New York Times is the least attractive among traditional almanacs, with narrow margins, thin paper, and lots of text. There are excerpts from articles from the newspaper in some sections ("Times in Focus") and seven pages of statistics on immigration in the U.S. At the front of the almanac is a keyword and section index. Also in the front is a section on the year's news, inlcuding Nobel recipients for 2002 and results of the 2002 elections.Unlike other almancs, The New York Times does not have a block of color pictures reflecting the events of the previoous year. Nor does it have pictures of country flags RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

John W. Wright is a book packager as well as an author of reference books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1024 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); 1St Edition edition (November 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142001694
• ISBN-13: 978-0142001691
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,420,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars QUITE SOME EFFORT; BUT NEED SOME WORK, January 16, 2003

By 

reviewer (Zurich, Switzerland.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New York Times 2003 Almanac (Paperback)

John Wright and team put up a brave effort here. However, some of the statistical data they tendered are too old. Again, this is not the type of almanac to purchase if your quest for information is with a global outlook. This book brims with excellent U.S. coverage, but that is all! It gave poor coverage to most other countries. Intending almanac buyers whose interests include versatile global data should not rely on it. Look for something that touched the four corners of the world. For sure, a reputable encyclopaedia may cost more, but would be of better value than this almanac. The choice is yours!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars U.S.-centric, out of date; 'Nations of the World' redeems it, November 11, 2003

By 

Andy Orrock (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New York Times 2003 Almanac (Paperback)

This 'Almanac of Record' from the 'Paper of Record' struck me as excessively U.S.-centric, save for an almost 200-page review (in a 1000-page book) in its mid-section entitled 'Nations of the World.' This part alone was a redeeming factor and made me feel that I got some value from my purchase. These country-by-country write-ups are - for the most part - outstanding & help place each country's recent history and vital statistics in appropriate context.

Here's an example: I had to do some research on Ghana. I pulled another book from my shelves as a starting point. That one recited facts like the country's impressive 1998 economic growth (twice the African average), its eye-poppingly high female work participation rate (at 51%, only Cambodia's is higher), and its relatively low rate of registered unemployment.

Reading the NYT 2003 Almanac's review of Ghana, I got a totally different *and more realistic* picture. Placing all these facts and figures in context, the Almanac revealed that:

- In 1998 the Ghanian economy had nowhere to go but up after 5+ years of brutal stagnation. Plus, the World Bank got involved that year and put together a restructuring program that actually seemed to jump-start things.

- The situation got so bad in the 80s and 90s under Lt. Jerry Rawlings' rule that a fair percentage of the workforce fled to Nigeria to look for work (thus the high female particpation rates and low rate of 'official' unemployment).

So kudos to this Almanac for revealing the stories behind the figures.

Of course, this is not done without some irritation. This same write-up on Ghana - in a 2003 guidebook, mind you - quotes major city population figures from 1988. Similar books have 1998 figures. Obviously, the differences between the two estimates are material.