Schott's Almanac redefines the traditional almanac to present a record the year just past and a guide to the year come. It is designed to be a practical and entertaining annual volume, that tells the real stories of the year, from the winner of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! to the distribution of income across the British social spectrum, from the Asian Tsunami and its aftermath to Live8 and the crisis of the referenda on the European constitution, and from the death of the Pope to the trial of Michael Jackson. Section headings are: Chronicle; World; Society & Health; Sci, Tech, Net; Celebrity & Media; Music & Cinema; Books & Arts; Travel & Leisure; Money; Parlimanent & Politics; The Establishment; Sport; Ephemerides. In an age when information is plentiful but selection is rare, Schott's Almanac offers both the essential facts and the lucid analysis. It will combine the authority and accuracy of the Economist with the wit and vitality of Have I Got News for You.
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A record of historic reference, chronicling the past year's important events... punctuated with unpredictably diverting statistics. -- Guardian
A social barometer of genuine historical value -- Sunday Times
An elegantly bound orange volume packed tightly with lists, facts, lists about facts and, on occasion, facts about lists. -- The Times
Schott hits the spot -- Evening Standard
The ultimate book of lists, brilliantly, if eccentrically, presented and edited. Never has trivia been more entertaining. -- Daily Mirror
A social barometer of genuine historical value -- Sunday Times
An elegantly bound orange volume packed tightly with lists, facts, lists about facts and, on occasion, facts about lists. -- The Times
Schott hits the spot -- Evening Standard
The ultimate book of lists, brilliantly, if eccentrically, presented and edited. Never has trivia been more entertaining. -- Daily Mirror
About the Author
Ben Schott was born in North London in 1974. He was educated at University College School. Hampstead, and Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, where he read Social and Political Sciences, graduating with a double First in 1996. He has worked with the Independent, The Times, the Sunday Times, Reader's Digest and Sunday Business, amongst many others and has photographed celebrities from Hugh Grant and Tony Blair, to Gordon Brown and Enoch Powell. Now a full-tuime writer, he has columns with a number of publications including Conde Nast Traveller and the Daily Telegraph, and is the author of three highly original and entertaining Miscellanies. He lives in London, and divides his time between Highgate and the British Library.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
61 of 62 people found the following review helpful
By Alexander
An astonishing modern work of reference, Schott's Almanac has reinvented the yearbook for the 21st Century.
Gone are endless, dull pages of moons and tides (though he has a very neat section at the back all about the calendar), and included are sections about the media, science, technology, films, books, the arts, and celebrity.
So, although you can look up all about the Queen's Christmas Speech (and who has been given honours), you can also see who won I'm A Celebrity, and who was voted out of the Big Brother House (and in what order). There is also a very good news section at the front that describes all of the major news events of the year, from the London bombs to the Ashes tour.
I've always liked the idea of Almanacs, but found the reality of them stiffling and dull. Schott's Almanac breaks the mould and, just as his Miscellanies did, presents a wealth of information in a fascinating way.
Gone are endless, dull pages of moons and tides (though he has a very neat section at the back all about the calendar), and included are sections about the media, science, technology, films, books, the arts, and celebrity.
So, although you can look up all about the Queen's Christmas Speech (and who has been given honours), you can also see who won I'm A Celebrity, and who was voted out of the Big Brother House (and in what order). There is also a very good news section at the front that describes all of the major news events of the year, from the London bombs to the Ashes tour.
I've always liked the idea of Almanacs, but found the reality of them stiffling and dull. Schott's Almanac breaks the mould and, just as his Miscellanies did, presents a wealth of information in a fascinating way.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By John Fraser
What young Ben Schott has done here is such a stoke of genius, that one wonders why no-one's throught about doing it before (and don't mention Whittaker's, which is unreadble by comparison!) Basically you have in the palms of your hands a thoroughly enjoyable and definitive guide to the last twelve months: the stuff you really ought to know in the fields of news, media, sport etc (like a run-down of the election and a day-by-day account of Ellen MacArthur's round-the-world trip) and some other info that you really don't need to know (like who sang what in Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes?!) He manages to maintain the tone and humour of the earlier books while doing something with more purpose - let's be honest the previous titles were pretty throw-away, in the best possible sense. I'm certain I'll be looking back at my copy in years to come.
And whereas the last two books were more niche, this has the wider appeal of the original miscellany and will definitely solves my worries about what Christmas presents to buy all of my male relatives this year! Bravo.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Ludwig
For quite some time, I had been an annual buyer of such almanacs such as "The World Almanac", "Harris' Farmer's Almanac", and the "Farmer's Almanac" - Until I came across Schott's Almanac. The book is a wonderful compilation of the year - providing more information than the three aforementioned almanacs together. Separated into 13 sections (Chronicle, The World, Society & Health, Media & Celebrity, Music & Cinema, Books & Arts, Sci, Tech, Net, Travel & Leisure, Money, Parliament & Politics, Establishment & Faith, Sport, Ephemeridies), Scott's Alamanac presents the modern year with an archiac twist. A MUST have.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally - a seriously entertaining Almanac
SCHOTT'S ALMANAC answers a need that, while not exactly pressing, had existed for many years: namely, the need for a serious, yet entertaining almanac. Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2006 by Lance Simons
5.0 out of 5 stars
A trivia goldmine
Ben Schott has excelled once again with this fantastic miscellany of useful and - dare I say it - useless trivia. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2006 by Eagle Feather
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book you can read over and over again
I've kept myself amused and friends and family bored to tears. It's a thought provoking, discussion starting adventure of a book. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2006 by charlie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Handbook of knowledge
A facinating read, full of all the information you never knew you really wanted to know. The ideal resource for impressing friends and family be it in the pub or around the... Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2006 by "marky17"
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent
Great - everything I wanted to know and more - all those things I've subconciously wondered about such as the meanings of all those website endings... .com, . Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2005 by marrissa
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!
Schott is back. And his Almanac rocks. Like a Miscellany for the year. With the serious and the frivolous, the dramatic and the hilarious. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2005 by Amy S
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ideal stocking filler
Ben Schott's trivia collections lend themselves to the format of an annual almanac and the good news is that this tome is up to the same standard as his previous books, with... Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2005 by T. Bently
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