Monday, September 13, 2010

Say What? Reference Books Still Sell?

Or.....what to expect when you're snooping through someone's home reference library.

Link to September 13 New York Times Popular Demand sidebar "You Could Look It Up".

1. Official SAT Study Guide.  (214,000 copies; though time period is not specified here.)
9 copies in LINKcat; none 'R'.


2.  What to Expect When You're Expecting.  (110,000 copies.)
29 copies in LINKcat; none cataloged 'R'.


3.  Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.  (102,000 copies.)
"From the host of the popular 'Steve Harvey morning show' comes a funny, honest, and foolproof guide for all women that takes them inside the heads of men and shows how men think about love, sex, and commitment". -- Publisher.


4.  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.  (100,000 copies.  I'm gonna assume it's the Collegiate, which is promoted as "America's best-selling dictionary".)
#3 on my Top 40 Ready Reference Titles
23 copies in LINKcat; 13 'R'.  


5.  The Real ACT Prep Guide.  (83,000 copies.)
9 copies on LINK.  no 'R'.


6.  World Almanac and Book of Facts.  (62,000.  First reference book I ever purchased -- at the age of 10.  At that time, I still considered following in my dad's footsteps.  By junior high, I had changed my career focus to -- and don't ask me why -- dentistry.)
#2 on my Top 40 Ready Reference titles
40 copies in LINKcat.  28 cataloged 'R'.  
Still "The King".


7.  Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary.  (61,000 copies.)
1 circulating copy.


8.  The Elements of Style.  (53,000 copies.)
4 copies in LINKcat.  1 'R'.



9.  Why Men Love Bitches.  (51,000)
No copies in LINKcat.



10.  Making Rounds with Oscar.  (51,000 copies. An otherwise ordinary cat, Oscar has the uncanny ability to predict when people are about to die. Adopted by staff members at Steere House nursing home when he was a kitten, the three-year-old tabby has presided over the deaths of more than twenty-five nursing home residents thus far. His mere presence at the bedside is viewed by physicians and nursing-home staff as an almost absolute indicator of impending death, considered a blessing because it allows staff members to notify families that the end is near and because he provides companionship to those who would otherwise have died alone.  Sounds more inspirational than reference.)
32 copies in LINKcat.
1 in a Home/Garden/Family special display

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