THE NEW VIEW ALMANAC

An outstanding addition to almost any collection. This visual almanac uses nearly 2,000 graphics (charts, graphs, maps, etc.) to present statistics and information about the US, with something to interest or intrigue on nearly every page. Topics begin with a brief overview and fingertip facts, followed by a variety of statistics presented in bar graphs, pie charts, and other--often full-color--visuals. Subject areas include health, lifestyles, government, population statistics, crime, the environment, agriculture, transportation, business, technology, sports, and education. A source is given for the statistics in each chart, but users won't know much more than that (the composition and size of the sample, who gathered it and how, how it was analyzed, etc.). They'll have to accept for themselves that the US Bureau of the Census's data on single-parent households and the Association of American Snackfoods's numbers on the amount of guacamole consumed on Super Bowl Sunday are equally credible. Despite that limitation, this is a treasure to rival editions of The Guinness Book of World Records as a browsing favorite.