Comments
First published in Britain in 1985 as a combination almanac, encyclopedia, and trivia collection, this book succeeds best as a collection of trivia. A good fact book should be designed to answer ready reference questions and Book of Facts has deficiencies in this respect. The information is arranged by broad subjects, people, places, arts, etc.with numerous colored photographs and charts. The subjects are then subdivided and the individual facts are prefaced by titles which are no help in quickly locating information. As an example a reference in the index to a cone shell snail is found in the text under "Shell Shock." Since there is no similar source, and the book is entertaining and has an abundance of facts, it would be useful for persistent librarians or trivia fans in public, school, or academic libraries.
