Numbers: How Many, How Far, How Long, How Much

Provides tables, charts, and illustrations on numbers in money, food and nutrition, health, travel, transportation, time, weather, the universe, and more

Although there have been at least two similar titles published in recent years, Reading the Numbers by Mary Blocksma (Viking, 1989) and The Numbers You Need by Nigel Hopkins (Gale, 1992), neither offers the breadth of coverage found in this work. Eleven topical chapters embrace almost every aspect of daily life; in fact, one chapter is titled "Daily Life" and includes home decorating, lawn and garden, clothing sizes, paper and books, music, and letter and package size and weight requirements. Each of these subtopics is composed of a number of specific items; for example, the home decorating section includes a chart for estimating the number of wallpaper rolls needed, formulas for estimating gallons of paint (interior and exterior), tables showing the coverage of various finishes (e.g., lacquer, varnish, liquid wax), the light-reflecting power of various paint colors, furniture spacing guidelines, mattress and bedding sizes, and how to estimate fabric yardage for upholstering. The largest chapter, "Money," is packed with so much information it could stand on its own. Unlike The Numbers You Need, it includes tables of monthly mortgage payments at 7^-12 percent interest and amortization tables for 30-and 15-year loans. Another interesting fiscal feature is a table of state tax rates that includes sales, gasoline, cigarette, and liquor taxes. The final financial subsection offers information on 281 occupations in the U.S., including number of jobs and starting and average salaries.

Another difference between this and previously published titles is the inclusion of helpful phone numbers, such as federal government numbers and those for state tourist offices. The telephone numbers and zip codes section of "Daily Life" includes area code changes made in 1995. The eleventh chapter, titled "Conversion Tables and Everyday Math," contains many quick reference features, such as a table showing fraction/percentage/decimal conversion, and odds for a number of occurrences from gambling winnings to causes of death and singular sporting events (e.g., hole in one).

Because of its wide scope, carefully organized contents, and reasonable price, this is an excellent choice for both home and library reference shelves.