Reference Service Q & A

The Book of Answers:
The New York Public Library
Telephone Reference Service's
Most Unusual and Entertaining Questions
By Barbara Berliner
Fireside (1992)
Paperback, 311 pages
Rated 3 stars of 5 possible

Well, the subtitle says it all, folks. This book is a compilation of unusual questions and the entertaining answers as researched by The New York Public Library's Telephone Reference Service.  Questions on topics such as American History, Crime and Criminals, The English Language, Geography and more are included in this book and grouped according to topic. The book is fully indexed so the topics can be quickly located for the curious or for a springboard into deeper reserach.

This book would be tedious reading if one attempted to read each page in order as with a novel, but as a point of curiosity, it appeals to trivia buffs, young or old, who wish to look up answers to questions that plague the mind. I found this book to be an entertaining aside from my usual non-fiction reading, but not something I need to keep or read again.

Recommended for trivia buffs and the curious with the caviat that I spotted a typographical error or two while reading some of the questions so don't depend on this as a reference if you need authoritative answers.  This review has been simultaneously published on Amazon.com, Dragon Views and LibraryThing.