This annual volume is a wonderful and invaluable resource. Each year's edition of this large trade paperback opens with a set of colored pages that highlights significant "anniversaries" due to be acknowledged in that calendar year -- for events that specifically occured 200, 150, 100, 75, 50 and 25 years previously (in this case 1811, 1861, 1911, 1936, 1961 and 1986). The end of the book features numerous tables of useful information -- significant calendar dates for the next three years (holidays, starts of seasons, Daylight Savings Time change dates, etc.), listings of the Chinese calendar, classic and contemporary wedding anniversary gifts, a world map of time zones, astronomical phenomena (moon phases) charts, hurricane naming conventions, trivia info about the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, a list of U.S. presidential proclamations for the previous two years, lists of the major award winners in the fields of film, television, music, arts, humanities and journalism. The majority of this book, however, is a massive chronological listing of events -- day-by-day -- and anniversaries, primarily in North America (but occasionally in other countries). For sponsored events, or events with a web presence, the descriptions will give contacts' phone numbers, address and web addresses. There is also a very helpful 100-page index at the back of the book that assists researchers in finding events or anniversarsaries both geographically and by subject. Some examples: Curious about when the 2011 Belmont Stakes will be run? Page 315 - June 11 - Belmont Park, NY. Want to know when National Pecan Month is? Page 200 - April - Sponsored by the National Pecan Shellers Association. Know whose 125th birthday is being celebrated on December 1st? Mystery author Rex Stout (author of the Nero Wolfe stories). Want a list of noted celebrities who share your birthday, if you were born on July 5th? Page 356 - Edie Falco, Katherine Helmond, Huey Lewis, Robbie Robertson and a dozen more. This is not a book to just sit and read cover to cover, but it is a wonderful reference for researchers!

Originally reviewed for my local library's website: http://www.lincolnlibraries.org/depts./bookguide/srec/staffrec11-01.htm ( )