The Book of Lists
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Book of Lists refers to any one of a series of books compiled by bestselling author Irving Wallace, his son David Wallechinsky, and daughter Amy Wallace. Each book contains hundreds of lists (many accompanied by textual explanations) on unusual or esoteric topics, for example:
- Famous people who died during sex
- The world's greatest libel suits
- People suspected of being the real Jack the Ripper
- Worst places to hitchhike
- People misquoted by Ronald Reagan
- Breeds of dogs which bite people the most, and the least
The first Book of Lists was published in 1977, a second volume came out in 1979 and the third appeared in 1983. Book of Lists for the 1990s, a belated sequel, was published in 1993. The first volume was initially controversial and banned in some libraries and parts of the United States when it was published due to, among other things, a chapter that graphically described popular sexual positions.
Wallace and Wallechinsky were also responsible for editing The People's Almanac which covered similar ground, as well as The Book of Predictions.
Other authors who have followed this basic format include:
- Russ Kick, author of The Disinformation Book of Lists
- Louis Rukeyser, author of Louis Rukeyser's Book Of Lists
- Bernard Schwartz, author of A Book of Legal Lists
- Geoff Tibballs, author of the Best Book Of Lists Ever!
These and many other similar books are considered forerunners to the many list and trivia sites on the Internet today, including Wikipedia.
In 2005, a Canadian edition of The Book of Lists was published and credited to Wallechinsky, Amy Wallace, Ira Basen and Jane Farrow. The book contained a mixture of content from the original three volumes, mixed in with updated material, and material with a specifically Canadian focus.
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Selections from the Book of Lists and People's almanac series published with permission of the authors
