The New York Public Library Desk Reference [Hardcover]

Paul Fargis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0028621697 | ISBN-13: 978-0028621692 | Edition: 3nd

Redesigned in colour and updated, this reference contains answers to the most frequently asked questions of the New York Public Library. Information is organized into six major parts and 26 subject categories.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If time is of the essence, you can find what you seek in a jiffy (an actual unit of time meaning 1/100 of a second) in the New York Public Library Desk Reference's chapter 1: "Time and Dates." Once there, however, beware. You may begin by looking up what time it is in Addis Ababa when it's 12 noon in New York (8 p.m. is what you'll discover), but ere long you'll be browsing the perpetual calendar (1775 to 2098), refreshing your memory as to what fortnightly means (once every two weeks, just as you thought), and skimming the lists of major holidays worldwide. But "Times and Dates" is just the beginning. Section I--"The Physical World"--also contains vast data pertaining to weights and measures, biology, the physical sciences, mathematics, and technology, plus inventions and scientific discoveries. Delving therein you can find how many cubic inches are in a pint, how to diagnose and treat constipation in your pet, which plants are poisonous, what tropism means, when the next total eclipse of the sun will take place, the URLs for major Internet search engines, and the toll-free phone numbers for major national Internet service providers.

Other sections of the desk reference include music, literature, and the visual arts, religions, philosophy, and museums around the world, alphabets, grammar, and daily etiquette. Life-saving first-aid procedures are described, as are cooking tips, stain-removal advice, personal-finance details, and legal information, plus useful addresses and phone numbers relating to adoption, disabilities, and domestic violence, alcoholism, family planning, and television networks. With sections on travel, sports and games, as well as the United States and the political world, this is an irreplaceable reference of great scope and value. It is the mark of a great reference that the information you desire be readily accessible when deadlines threaten, and endlessly entertaining in your leisure hours; the New York Public Library Desk Reference flawlessly passes both tests. --Stephanie Gold

Product Details

• Hardcover: 960 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc; 3nd edition (August 18, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028621697
• ISBN-13: 978-0028621692
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.7 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #841,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great information but some severe omissions and formatting, February 19, 1999

By 

"dpallmann" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New York Public Library Desk Reference (Hardcover)

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.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great General Reference Book, March 14, 2002

By 

"knightson" (APO, AP USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New York Public Library Desk Reference (Hardcover)

This is an excellent reference book for the house. Anytime my wife or I have a broad or general question our first stop is this book. I can't wait until they produce an updated one. The only thing about this book is that some small facts seem to be slightly off; e.g. the enlisted grades for the United States Air Force still list an E-4 as a Buck Sergeant which was changed to Senior Airman around 1995 or so. Because of this small discrepancy sometimes I question the facts in the book since I don't necessarily have first hand knowledge to verify there data. Overall this has been a great book and I would recommend it to anyone.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable - if you can crosscheck, March 25, 2000

By 

CD Harris "Amuk" (Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New York Public Library Desk Reference (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic book to have on your shelf for those times when you simply must know something right this minute. But I don't recommend it as a stand alone source because there are some errors in it (surprising for a 3d edition).

Still, as a general reference, this volume is unsurpassed. On the whole, it rates as "very good" - the scope is broader than any other book of its kind and it's laid out well enougn that it's pretty easy to find the information you want when you need it.