The Book of Answers: The New York Public Library Telephone Reference Service's Most Unusual and Entertaining Questions

Berliner, Barbara; Corey, Melinda

ISBN 10: 0671761927 / ISBN 13: 9780671761929

Published by Distican, Incorporated, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, 1992

About this Item

BZ2 - A trade paperback book in very good condition. A tight, clean, sound copy in color illustrated white wraps with very minor overall shelf wear. A book compiled from 20 years' experience of the New York Public Library's Telephone Reference Service. This is a compilation of the most interesting, unusual and most-often-asked questions received there. Indexed, 311p. Size: 5"x8".

Seller Inventory # SCW03054

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Book of Answers: The New York Public Library Telephone Reference Service's Most Unusual and Entertaining Questions
• Publisher: Distican, Incorporated, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
• Publication Date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0671761927
• ISBN 13: 9780671761929
• Binding: Trade Paperback
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket as Issued
• Seller catalogs:
  • Reference

About this title

Synopsis

How many of these questions can you answer without calling the New York Public Library's Telephone Reference Service?
Who really designed the American flag?
How hot is the sun's surface?
How does quicksand work?
When was the Ark of the Covenant last seen?
Who sat at the Algonquin Round Table?
Where does the name "The Grateful Dead" come from?
Why is Christmas abbreviated as Xmas?
Can any creatures besides humans get a sunburn?
How many muscles does it take to smile? To frown?
Why are rabbits' feet considered good luck?
You could, of course, do all the painstaking research yourself. Or you could pick up the phone and call the resourceful, erudite, quick-witted librarians of the New York Public Library's Telephone Reference Service, Tel Ref, for whom questions like these are all in a day's work. For the past twenty years, Tel Ref has met the information needs of a public as diverse as the subjects in the Library's catalog, and now they've compiled their most interesting, unusual, and most-often-asked queries into The Book of Answers -- a delight for browsers, a treasure trove of fascinating information, and the perfect companion to The New York Public Library Desk Reference.

About the Author

Barbara Beruner has headed the New York Public Library's Telephone Reference Service since 1986. She and her staff of ten reference librarians are based in the Library's Mid-Manhattan Branch. Meunda Corey and George Ochoa are the authors of The Man in Lincoln's Nose: Funny, Profound, and Quotable Quotes of Screenwriters, Movie Stars, and Moguls and several other books. Ms. Corey is the coauthor of The Official Couch Potato Cookbook.