The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2003 [Paperback]

Ken Park (Author)

Book Description

Series: World Almanac & Book of Facts | Publication Date: November 23, 2002

A perennial #1 New York Times Bestseller, with comprehensive, reliable, and up-to-date information on every subject imaginable, right at your fingertips

For 135 years, The World Almanac has remained the source of choice for people who want quick access to information they know they can trust. More comprehensive than a web site, quicker and easier to use than the Internet and other on-line sources, and cheaper that 15 days of Internet access, The World Almanac is found in more homes, schools, libraries, businesses, and media outlets than any other reference source.

The World Almanac 2003 provides over 1,000 pages of facts and figures, including:

* A complete recap of the 2002 Winter Olympics, including the results of every event
* The Year in Pictures: Two color photo sections highlighting the year's most dramatic news, sports, and entertainment events
* The Facts Behind the News: Up-to-date and comprehensive information on the arts and entertainment, awards and prizes, U.S. cities and states, nations of the world, sports, the environment, vital statistics, lifestyles, education, travel and tourism, science and technology, astronomy, sex, health and nutrition, the economy and business, and much more

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The World Almanac is the most useful reference book known to modern man."
--Los Angeles Times

"Useful to any human being on the planet. The World Almanac still reigns as the world's most powerful reference." --Seattle Times

"Provides brief, accurate information on an endless array of subjects."
--The New York Times

"For the most information in one source, The World Almanac remains the champion." --Booklist

Product Details

• Paperback: 1008 pages
• Publisher: World Almanac; 2003 edition (November 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886878829
• ISBN-13: 978-0886878825
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,488,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love the World Almanac!, November 7, 2002

By 

LuLu (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2003 (Paperback)

The World Almanac is still the worlds best-selling almanac by far. I think it is best known and liked for being an inexpensive, compact, reliable fact-filled reference source, where you are most likely to find what you want fast, if you do not get too engrossed in too many other things along the way. There are the usual chapters, with everything from economics to arts and media to states of the U.S., nations of the world, and lots of sports. The new 2003 edition, like every edition, is extensively updated, and also has new features to make it stand out from the one before. The World Almanac 2003 has several feature articles related to terrorism, in the wake of 9-11. One of the new features in the rest of the book is a bunch of World Almanac Quick Quizzes spread around the chaptersyou can try thinking up the answer to the question, find it in the chapter, or look it up in the answer key. There are also factoids spread around the book, and the usual familiar features such as Top Ten News Stories and Offbeat News. The new edition has more science coverage than ever before, and the Noted Personalities and Calendar chapters were both expanded. Like last year, readers can also subscribe to a free E-newsletter that provides monthly updates after the book is published. All in all, it is still a big bargain and makes a great gift. Its a tradition in my family that I give everyone a copy as a Christmas present every year.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still the best almanac, January 2, 2003

By 

Loring Ivanick (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2003 (Paperback)

The World Almanac has been around since 1868. It has changed a lot, not necessarily for the better. For example, there used to be a much more comprehensive, day-by-day look at the news of the previous year . Still, this is better than the other five almanacs I just went through at a bookstore and is the only one I plan to buy this year. In particular it has clear and concise info on the states of the U.S.and the countries of the world. It is also still the only almanac to present comprehensive election results of the last two presidential elections. There are more pages yet less to read than 30 years ago, but I can't find a better almanac in English.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars INCREASE THE GLOBAL OUTLOOK, December 20, 2002

By 

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

This review is from: The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2003 (Paperback)

As someone who live outside the U.S.A. but has been consistent with the "World Almanac and Book of Facts" for more than ten years now, it is my wish to commend its editors for their efforts.
However,in thanking them, it is also my wish to point out that there is only a marginal difference between this new edition and the ones that were released two and three years ago. Many date-sensitive facts in this new edition are just too old. They are in dire need of updating!
Also, since more than half of its contents are about the U.S., it may not be easy to convince non-Americans of its global outlook. Hence, I feel that the size of this book should be increased in order to accommodate more facts from African, Asian, East European and South American countries, whose individual country facts hardly go more than two-thirds of a page.
This book comes at a reasonable price. But the general perspective will be wonderful if the afore-mentioned 'facts' are taken care of: even if it means increasing the price a little bit.