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Description A staple in homes, libraries, and offices everywhere, The World Almanac and Book of Facts delivers authoritative information you can trust. With a 140-year tradition of editorial accuracy, The World Almanac and Book of Facts contains hundreds of thousands of facts from only the most reliable sources, and each year features topical articles by well known figures such as Coretta Scott King, Wendy Wasserstein, and Mr. Fred Rodgers. Including over 1,000 pages of information compiled by a full-time team of editors and a handy quick reference index, The World Almanac and Book of Facts puts information at your fingertips.

The 2008 edition of The World Almanac and Book of Facts includes updated information on every topic, from the every day to the obscure. Whether you're doing your taxes, watching the news, doing a crossword, or settling a discussion, The World Almanac and Book of Facts serves as a dependable desk-reference. Topical features and a "Year In Pictures" section also make The World Almanac and Book of Facts a great scrap-book of the previous year. For students, reporters, infomaniacs, or anyone seeking accuracy, The World Almanac and Book of Facts remains the most trustworthy, easy-to-use source.

"My #1 reference work for facts." -- Will Shortz, The New York Times Crossword Editor

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

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

"An institution ? The range of records and data the book collects is staggering." Dallas Morning News

"It's the best in the business." --Manchester Union Leader

Rating : - A Lot of Facts Stuffed into One Book
This Book of Facts concentrates on events in America during 2007. They mostly use small type that is hard to read. Page 7 discusses "The Almanac in the Internet Age" and mentions `Wikipedia' as a source that is not solidly reliable as to facts. That is also true of books, written by people with their outlook or bias. Do not depend on any sole source. The information in this book is a list of facts that may obscure the truth. "State Government" on page 442 lists facts about each state. Note how many state legislatures meet annually, not in continual meeting. [Does that explain some of the problems in NJ?] This list does not tell about the level of democracy (the relative strength of the Legislature and Executive, whether judges are elected or appointed, laws like I&R, etc.).

"Crime" lists the crime rates by region and state. The District of Columbia has 26.1 murders per 100,000 people. Next is Lousiana with a 12.4 rate; Texas (5.9) and Oklahoma (5.8) are much less. Is this due to the temperature or other physical factors? States near the cooler Canadian border have much lower rates: Maine (1.7), Vermont (1.9), New Hampshire (1.0). What about economics? South Dakota has 1.2, North Dakota has 1.3, Nebraska has 2.8. There is no mention of Gun Control Laws in each state. The Suicide Rate exceeds most murder rates (page 162). The chart on "Alcohol Use by 8th and 12th Graders" comes from groups that may have a special interest for their statistics. They are not divided by region or state. Does this correlate to crimes like murder?

"Taxes" on page 381 lists rates for the Federal Income Tax and for State Governments. Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming do not have state income taxes. The median income for each state is not listed here. Some states have a flat rate, most have a progressive rate, and a few only tax interest and dividends (New Hampshire, Tennessee). There is no list of sales taxes by state. State gasoline taxes are on page 77. Wyoming has the most registered motor vehicles per population, Colorado the least. Colorado leads in gallons of fuel used per registered vehicles. There is a list of US towns with ZIP and Area Codes on pages 605 to 638, followed by the Populations and Areas of Counties and States.

The quality of the information in this book varies. A listing of names and dates can hide the reality behind the facts. But this book is a start to researching something. An "almanac" is a book containing a yearly calendar of days, weeks, months with the rising and setting of the sun and moon, changes of the moon, eclipses, hours of full tides, church festivals, and other useful information. Its not just a listing of unconnected facts.