The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind

by The New York Times

Overview

A COMPLETE REVISION AND THOROUGH UPDATING OF THE ULTIMATE REFERENCE FROM THE NEWSPAPER OF RECORD.

A comprehensive guide offering insight and clarity on a broad range of even more essential subjects.

Whether you are researching the history of Western art, investigating an obscure medical test, following current environmental trends, studying Shakespeare, brushing up on your crossword and Sudoku skills, or simply looking for a deeper understanding of the world, this book is for you. An indispensable resource for every home, office, dorm room, and library, this new edition of The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge offers in-depth explorations of art, astronomy, biology, business, economics, the environment, film, geography, history, the Internet, literature, mathematics, music, mythology, philosophy, photography, sports, theater, film, and many other subjects.

This one volume is designed to offer more information than any other book on the most important subjects, as well as provide easy-to-access data critical to everyday life. It is the only universal reference book to include authoritative and engaging essays from New York Times experts in almost every field of endeavor.

The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge provides information with matchless accuracy and exceptional clarity. This new revised and expanded third edition covers major categories with an emphasis on depth and historical context, providing easy access to data vital for everyday living.
Covering nearly 50 major categories, and providing an immediate grasp of complex topics with charts, sidebars, and maps, the third edition features 50 pages of new material, including new sections on

* Atheism * Digital Media

* Inventions and Discoveries * Endangered Species

* Inflation * Musical Theater

* Book Publishing *Wikileaks

*The Financial Crisis *Nuclear Weapons

*Energy *The Global Food Supply

Every section has been thoroughly updated, making this third edition more useful and comprehensive than ever. It informs, educates, answers, illustrates and clarifies---it's the only one-volume reference book you need.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781429950855
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/25/2011
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	1376
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. Founded in 1851, the newspaper has won 95 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other newspaper.

The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. Founded in 1851, the newspaper has won 112 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other news organization. Its website receives 30 million unique visitors per month.

Read an Excerpt

The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge
THE FINE ARTSFor The New York Times: 
Administration: Michael Greenspon, General Manager, News Services; Nancy Lee, Vice President and Executive Editor, News Services and Syndicate; Alex Ward, Editorial Director, Book Development; Mitchel Levitas, Executive Associate. 
Featured Writers: Natalie Angier, Pam Belluck, Sandra Blakeslee, Graham Bowley, Jane E. Brody, Elisabeth Bumiller, Kenneth Chang, Celia W. Dugger, Justin Gillis, Michiko Kakutani, Michael Kimmelman, Anna Kisselgoff, Gina Kolata, Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, Alastair Macauley, Charles McGrath, Anahad O'Connor, Nicolai Ouroussoff, Dennis Overbye, Jon Pareles, Thom Shanker, Will Shortz, Brian Stelter, Anthony Tommasini, Hal Varian, Nicholas Wade, John Noble Wilford. 
Contributors:This book was assembled and edited by the staff of Elizabeth Publishing and by a group of academic and professional writers. 
Elizabeth Publishing:General Editor: John W. WrightExecutive Editors: Matt Fisher, Lisette CheressonDesigner: Virginia Norey 
Senior Writers and Editors:Herb Addison (Architecture, Business, Economics); Ariana Brookes (Literature, Music, Reference Library); Ellen Chodosh (Medicine, Music, Dance); Philip Francis (Psychology, Biographies, Sports); Terry Golway (History); Colleen Hamilton, Ph.D. (Literature); C. Alan Joyce; Deborah Kaple, Ph.D. (Government); John Major, Ph.D. (Art, Religion, World History, Languages); David Major, Ph.D. (Anthropology, Chemistry, Economics, Environment, Geography, Religion); Michael Miller (Botany, Computers, Music, Zoology); Robert Murphy (Literature, Biographies); Lincoln Paine (Geography, History, Biographies); Lisa Renaud (Literature); Jenny Tesar (Biochemistry, Biology, Medicine, Nutrition).Principal Contributors:Christopher Anderson, Ph.D., Indiana University (Radio and Television); Bryan Bunch (Math, Physics); Richard Carlin (Popular Music, Dance); T. Susan Chang (Food); Michael Coffey (Baseball); Susan Doll (Film); Abigail Elbow (Photography); Alice Finer (Mythology, Biographies); Pete Fornatale (Sports); Kurt Hettler (Sports, Wine); Michael Kaufman, Ph.D., San Jose State University (Astronomy); Christine Leahy (Art, Biographies); Edward O'Donnell, Ph.D., Holy Cross College (American History); John Rosenthal (Business, Finance); Robert Sharp (Major Wars); Michael Signer, Ph.D., J.D. (Law); David Sobel (Geology); Murray Sperber, Ph.D., Indiana University (College Sports); Robert L. Spring (Literature); Karen Tolchin, Ph.D., Florida Gulf Coast University (American Literature); Harvey Wiener, Ph.D., formerly of City University of New York and Adelphi University (Writer's Guide); Thomas Willkens (Philosophy).Contributing Editors: Jeff Deeney, Andrea Galyean, Anna Kelman, Ben Keene, James McCaffery, Fred Riccardi, George L. Seibel IV, Laura Stickney, Randy Te Velde, Joseph Wiener, Saul Wiener. 
Senior Copy Editors: Jerold Kappes, Susan Gamer.THE NEW YORK TIMES GUIDE TO ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE. Copyright © 2011 by The New York Times Company. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

Editorial Reviews

"An indispensable tool for fact fanatics" is how Bill Bryson described this all-purpose desk reference. Revised and thoroughly updated, The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge weighs in with more than 1,300 pages of vital information on nearly every subject under the sun: art, astronomy, biology, business, economics, the environment, film, geography, history, the Internet, literature, mathematics, music, mythology, philosophy, photography, sports, theater, and much more. The second addition features 150 pages of additional material, including new sections on anthropology, archaeology, botany, government, the American people, travel meteorology, and zoology.

This widely expanded update to the original 2004 edition defines nearly every facet of contemporary life-from arts, grammar, mythology, and culture to science, economics, and geopolitical issues. Though bearing an authority and informational wealth that might rival the voluminous Oxford Dictionary of English, this surprisingly manageable volume is organized alphabetically by subject and contains thousands of highly accessible essays, tables, and lists, all composed by New York Timesfield experts. It also includes an introduction by longtime "On Language" columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner William Safire. An essential background reference for almost every subject; highly recommended for all public libraries.-Savannah Schroll Guz, formerly with Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, DC

—Savannah Schroll Guz

Library Journal

This widely expanded update to the original 2004 edition defines nearly every facet of contemporary life—from arts, grammar, mythology and culture to science, economics, and geopolitical issues. Though bearing an authority and informational wealth that might rival the voluminous Oxford Dictionary of English, this surprisingly manageable volume is organized alphabetically by subject and contains thousands of highly accessible essays, tables, and lists, all composed by New York Times field experts.An essential background referenec for almost every subject: highly recommended for all public libraries.” —Library Journal

“I wish I'd had this book 25 years ago. It is certain to become an indispensable tool for fact fanatics.” —Bill Bryson, author of A Short History of Nearly Everything

“In short, this is the largest, most up-to-date and affordable one volume desk reference available today and is an absolute must for every home, dorm room and library.” —Tucson Citizen

From the Publisher