A yearly treat - 2009 keeps up the standard
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With a cut-off date of mid-September, the 2009 edition (which is really September 2007 to September 2008) misses the financial market collapse and the election of Barack Obama, for which we will have to wait for the 2010 edition.
Nevertheless, as in previous years the 2009 edition is well worth having for its entertaining mix of current events and trivia. Detail on the growth of fuel poverty and death tolls in Iraq are balanced with reminders of soap-star gossip and lists of useless statistics. Apparently, 45% of eleven year olds say they would rather read a book than watch tv, up from 38% on 2004 - good news for Amazon!
There is something here for everyone
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Informative and entertaining
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Ben Schott's trivia collections lend themselves to the format of an annual almanac and the good news is that this tome is up to the same standard as his previous books, with lots of nuggets of information you didn't know you didn't know but which are strangely fascinating.
I love the mix of modern up-to-date information with the Victorian-style presentation and quaint illustrations. There is also a review of major news highlights of the year.
Overall this is an ideal Christmas present, the sort of thing you can dip into again and again. It beats socks anyway.
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The Modern Year With an Archiac Twist
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For quite some time, I had been an annual buyer of such almanacs such as "The World Almanac", "Harris' Farmer's Almanac", and the "Farmer's Almanac" - Until I came across Schott's Almanac. The book is a wonderful compilation of the year - providing more information than the three aforementioned almanacs together. Separated into 13 sections (Chronicle, The World, Society & Health, Media & Celebrity, Music & Cinema, Books & Arts, Sci, Tech, Net, Travel & Leisure, Money, Parliament & Politics, Establishment & Faith, Sport, Ephemeridies), Scott's Alamanac presents the modern year with an archiac twist. A MUST have.
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Finally - a seriously entertaining Almanac
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SCHOTT'S ALMANAC answers a need that, while not exactly pressing, had existed for many years: namely, the need for a serious, yet entertaining almanac. For too long, yearbooks have either been dull (Whitacker's) or frivolous (Guinness) - SCHOTT's is neither. Rather it tells you everything you need to know about the year, as well as the more unusual and entertaining aspects. I have often thought, when reading old newspapers, that the adverts are just as interesting as the articles. SCHOTT's ALMANAC manages to convey the "feeling" of the year (from its curious words to its curious characters) while also presenting the key "news" facts. And, like all Ben Schott books, SCHOTT's ALMANAC is very beautiful. Lovely type, wonderful graphics, and superb little pen-portraits. It is a joy to read, and a joy to flick through. Certainly one to collect.
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A trivia goldmine
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Ben Schott has excelled once again with this fantastic miscellany of useful and - dare I say it - useless trivia. The presentation is as is usual from him really easy to read and is in the style of all his other books. This book will keep you enthralled for hours although you may not remember the vast majority of it, it is a book one can read from cover to cover or just dip into now and again. Buy it and be amazed.
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