The World Almanac and Book of Facts is an American-published reference work and is the bestselling almanac conveying information about such subjects as world changes, tragedies, sports feats, etc. The almanac can be found in homes, libraries, schools, businesses, and media outlets throughout the United States and to a more limited degree in other parts of the world.

It has been published yearly since 1886. The 2008 edition (ISBN 978-1600570728) has over 1,000 pages.

History

The first edition of The World Almanac was published by The New York World newspaper in 1868 three years after the end of the Civil War and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. In 1876 publication stopped but resumed in 1886. In 1894 the name changed to The World Almanac and Encyclopedia. In 1906, the New York Times, reporting on the publishing of the 20th edition, said that "the almanac has made for itself a secure position, second only to the forty-year-old Whitaker's Almanac of London, with which alone it can be compared.

From the late 19th century to 1934, the New York World Building was prominently featured on the cover of the almanac. In 1923, the name changed to its current name, The World Almanac and Book of Facts.

Calvin Coolidge's father read from The World Almanac when he swore his son into office. Since then, photos have shown that Presidents John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton have also used The World Almanac as a resource.

In late December 1984, the 1985 edition reached first place in the category of paperback Advice, How- To and Miscellaneous books, on the New York Times best-seller list, with more than 1,760,000 copies sold at the time.

The first version of the video game Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, published in 1985, included The World Almanac in the purchase.

The World Almanac For Kids has been published annually since 1995.

In 1993 Scripps sold the Almanac to K-III (later Primedia).The World Almanac was sold to Ripplewood Holdings' WRC Media in 1999. Ripplewood bought Reader's Digest and the book is now produced by the World Almanac Education Group, which is owned by The Reader's Digest Association. The World Almanac is distributed by Simon and Schuster.

Some lists published are:

• "World Almanac's Ten Most Influential People of the Second Millennium", 2000
• "World Almanac's 25 Most Influential Women in America" (includes Helen Thomas, Gloria Steinem, Jane Bryant Quinn, Mary Cunningham Agee, Erma Bombeck, and Phyllis Schlafly).

Editing and publishing

In the mid-1980s, the almanac was being put together by a 10-member staff. At that time, 20 percent of the book was rarely updated (for example, the text of the Constitution of the United States), 50 percent was updated at least briefly each year, and 30 percent of the content was completely new each year.

1868 edition

The first edition, in 1868, is in the public domain, as are decades of subsequent versions. The 1868 edition is available online at the publisher's website, along with other content, using a password that can be found inside the 2008 edition.

External links

• worldalmanac.com (World Almanac website)
• worldalmanacforkids.com(World Almanac for Kids website)
• worldalmanac.com/blog (World Almanac Blog)
• worldalmanac.com/wa-newsletter (World Almanac E-Newsletter)
• World Almanac Errors - Internet Accuracy Project

References