Not so very long ago I needed to know what the primary language spoken in Tanzania is. I could have turned on the computer, waited for it to go through its start-up protocols, opened a browser and called up Google, in the search field of which I could have entered something like “primary language in Tanzania,” and when the results came up began to sort through them for a site that might have the correct answer to my question. Or, I could have opened my World Almanac to the country profile for Tanzania, where I would read that it is Kiswahili, but that the primary language used in official government business and higher education is English. (In case you’re wondering, I did the latter.)
Now, don’t get the idea that I am some manner of modern-day, anti-Internet Luddite. It’s just that I’m old enough not to have had it available during my school years when I learned the techniques of research that have long since become instinctive in me – among which are included reaching for dictionaries, atlases, and almanacs rather than for a mouse and keyboard when I need information. And when it comes to almanacs, one that I’ve long valued is The World Almanac and Book of Facts
For those who might not have cracked the pages of an almanac since school, and particularly for those not fortunate enough to have ever been taught the worth of these valuable tomes, the modern almanac is essentially the core elements of the Internet but in print form. Think about it: what is the primary use of the Internet? Queries for information, education, and entertainment. These three things are precisely what a good almanac provides, and have – in the case of The World Almanac – provided for over one-hundred-forty years. And while they might be said to suffer from (at most) a year-long time delay in the information they contain, they more than make up for this with two things that are woefully scarce across much of what comes up in Internet searches: highly skilled editing, and clearly documented and verifiable citations for everything they present to the reader.
For the 2015 edition, senior editor Sarah Janssen and all her colleagues have assembled a collection of information that will likely satisfy not only the majority of day-to-day general queries you might have about the world but that will also provide any curious reader with a wealth of interesting material over which to ponder. From its special features, such as “Ebola Outbreak Facts” and “American Veterans: A Status Report” to its well and carefully organized regular sections on such subjects as “Economy, Business & Energy,” “Science & Technology,” and “World History & Culture,” The World Almanac and Book of Facts for 2015 is truly an essential book for any desk or bookshelf.
I like to pick up a new copy of The World Almanac along with a new calendar at the beginning of each year; both of which I consider essential tools without which my desk would not be complete. Not only do both help me navigate my day-to-day life in the world, but previous year’s editions of them are retained on my bookshelves – some for decades – for quick reference about the events and details of years past (and that’s not something that can be said about the mercurial Internet or out-of-date computers).
So start your new year off right by making a respectful nod to a tried and true, old school reference tool – pick up a copy of The World Almanac and Book of Facts for 2015 and keep it in a easy-to-reach place. You’ll be delighted at just how quickly and easily you’ll be able to find in it many of the answers to daily questions, as well as a wealth of other interesting information, without the time-wasting trouble of sorting through an avalanche of search results. Then you can then use all that time saved for something more interesting – like reading more books.
Title: The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2015
Author: Sarah Janssen, senior editor
Publisher: Infobase Learning Company
Pages: 1,008 pp. with 16 pages of color maps and flags, 16 pages of “Year in Pictures,” and 80 color and black-and-white photographs
ISBN 10: 1-60057-190-5
ISBN 13: 978-1-60057-190-9
Publication Date: December 2014
In accordance with Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255, it is disclosed that the copy of the book read in order to produce this review was provided gratis to the reviewer by the publisher.
