The Reader's Catalog: An Annotated Listing of the 40,000 Best Books in Print in Over 300 Categories, Second Edition (Reader's Catalogue) [Paperback]

Geoffrey O'Brien (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Reader's Catalogue | Publication Date: February 1997

With 150,000 copies sold, this widely acclaimed reference offers a discriminating guide to over 40,000 of the best books currently in print in over 200 categories. Updated through 1997, this edition contains 50 percent new material, arranged in a user-friendly, highly readable format, and covers information in such fields as World History, World Literature, Gay and Lesbian Studies, Spiritualty, Eastern Philosophy, Cooking, Film, and Current Fiction.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There is no question that book lovers want books, buy books, and spend vast quantities of time and effort choosing books. The question is which books to get, and on which sources to rely. The updated second edition of The Reader's Catalog is the answer: it's divided into more than 320 categories to peruse, and there are indices by both title and author. With an annotated list of the 40,000 best books in print (as chosen by a distinguished group of writers, editors, academics, and critics), you need never pepper your friends and family for book recommendations again.

From Library Journal

The size of a couple of big-city phone books, this best-books guide is an enlarged and updated version of a work first published in 1989 (LJ 9/15/89). Arranged topically (e.g. "Science-Mathematics-Number Theory"), the catalog covers all areas of knowledge, including fiction. Easy use is facilitated by author, title, and subject indexes. The titles listed have been selected by about 140 writers and academics and can be ordered (a unique feature) directly from the publisher via a toll-free number, FAX, or World Wide Web. Concerning the online component, which is new to this edition, the editors promise that "we will make available the entire Reader's Catalog, together with an expanded database of over 300,000 other titles?virtually every book really available in the country," thus competing directly with such popular electronic booksellers as Amazon.com. Though it lacks the retrospective depth and rigorous selection criteria of the six-volume Reader's Adviser (LJ 6/15/94), this work is a browser's paradise. Librarians, too, will find it helpful for the preparation of bibliographies and collection development work.?Ken Kister, author of "Kister's Best Encyclopedias," Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1968 pages
• Publisher: Rc Pubns; 2 edition (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0924322012
• ISBN-13: 978-0924322013
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9 x 2.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,002,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)