The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk ...

NOT just facts and trivia. This should be *the* textbook for college freshmen.:
This book is marketed as a book of facts, and the other user reviews support this. I, however, see this as much more than a compendium of facts. This book is the ideal summary of everything one ought to know. While Google and Wikipedia would offer info-grabbers the answers faster, this 'textbook' provides a concise summary to just about everything, and can be read section by section, just like a textbook. It is quite literally a condensed 101 course to every subject you would find in a university's undergraduate catalog. It is a beacon of light in an era where 'training' has replaced education. If I were the founder of a college, I would make this book the required textbook for freshmen students. It is an introduction to everything everyone should know.

cool:
lots of good info, if you like fun facts this is a good book for you. I gave it as a gift and the person loved it.

The NY Times Guide to Essential Knowledge:
Absolutely one of the most entertaining books in the house. Filled with mind boggeling information.

For Trivia Fanatics:
Next time you have an argument over facts, don't open your laptop, reach out for this huge book. I recommend it to everyone who's crazy about trivia. I also recommed another book, Eightstorm to anyone fanatic about innovation.

A very nice resource to have on hand.....with some provisos:
While many will say this book is good for trivia (and I am sure it is), I believe its main purpose is to find apposite information in a timely manner for the owner. Google is a very nice place to get information. But to walk to the computer, log on, perform a search, and sift through the results is a several step process taking time. Whereas, if one is looking for the Nobel Prize winner from three decades ago, or where the Olympics were held in the 1950's, all one needs to do is open this book up, and they will find the information very quickly. Much quicker than the internet, blasphemous as that may be in this internet-is-all era. It should be noted that this does have its shortcomings however. In the medical section, "common" diseases are listed in alphabetical order, and believe it or not epilepsy is not listed, but Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is! Under the heading for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, it even says that approximately 1,000 cases are reported in the United States each year. If that is indeed the case, how did that make it onto their list of common diseases, when epilepsy is in fact one of the most common diseases affecting millions of people? They make no mention of their methodology for including, or not including, particular diseases, but oversights on areas such as this make me question the value of publications such as this. But even with that omission, this is a nice reference book to have on hand. The internet clearly has its place as the place to go for exhaustive information on nearly any subject, but it should be noted that the tactile experience of books will never be replaced by silicon. To paraphrase mark Twain's famous expression: The reports of the demise of books have been greatly exaggerated.