I
recently came across the new edition of one of the best annual resources, The
World Almanac and Book of Facts: 2016.
It calls itself “America’s Best-Selling Reference Book,” as it has been
informing Americans since 1868 – nearly 150 years ago. I recommend any serious writer, researcher,
or editor – or curious human – own a copy of this book.
One
might say this book is obsolete, something that need not exist in light of the
Internet. But it’s exactly because of
the Internet that this book should exist. We
need something that collects information and says “these are the things you
need to know,” rather than just leaving it to whim as to whether one searches
for some random factoid. Here, in a single, trusted source, we come across all kinds of interesting things that,
upon their discovery, could better inform a fragmented society that feeds off
of scattered information.
So
what’s in this 1008-paged book?
·
A
look back at the significant events of 2015, with words and photos
· Their umber
of sexual partners for US adults by sex and age, as of 2008
·
Cancer
risk factors and warning signs or symptoms of diseases
·
Domestic
leisure travel patterns
· A list
of the world’s largest corporations and top US franchises
·
Chronology
of events in US history
·
Notable
explosions and disasters
·
Presidential
election results
It
also has things pertaining to authors.
Pages 41-42 feature historical anniversaries dating 25-50-100 years ago, such as the publishing of James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
a century ago or Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth 25 years ago. It also listed seven pages of notable
deceased and living writers. You could
probably have an entire almanac or fact book just about the world of books.
For
some, such a thick book of numbers, dates, and details about so many aspects of
the world and its history could be overwhelming, but for many, like me, it is
so inviting to consume, however impossible it is to digest even 10% of its
alluring content.
Random
page turns reveal so many interesting things about science, history, culture,
sports, and statistical marvels. One
page lists the tallest buildings while another ranks world populations. There are profiles of every state and
country, Olympic game results, a list of who is in the football Hall of Fame,
famous Supreme Court descriptions, profiles of major religions, and things
about animals, astronomy, and a timeline of major terrorist attacks are all here.
To
see the book as a mere resource, to use when you need to look up some specific
thing, is a mistake. It’s much more than
that, especially for writers. It is an
inspirational source for authors. As you
flip through its soft pages of hard data, one is instantly bombarded with
timely and relevant factors that help the reader form a shaped view of the
world. You begin to understand its size, depth, and history and feel that by knowing
these things you have a grounded foundation of knowledge. In order to write well or to imagine other
worlds, you need to know a lot about the one we live in right now.
Not
all of the facts will seem interesting or even useful, but over time you will
come to call upon what you know in order to inspire the kind of writing that
takes you to where you’ve never been.
Writers
write out of experience, emotion, and education. One’s imagination is spurred on by reality,
as the more expanded your reality so, the more likely you’ll grow and nurture
your creativity.
At
the very least, readers of the book should be entertained, but I suspect the
benefit of repeatedly referring to it will be greater than that.
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