Whitaker's Almanack 1999: 131st annual edition. Standard edition Book

Did you know that the first Princess Royal was Princess Mary (1631-1660), daughter of Charles I, and that Princess Anne is only the seventh person to hold the title? The Society of Apothecaries, whose clerk is R.J. Stringer, is at 14 Blackfriars Lane, London, EC4V 6EJ--a handy fact. Perhaps you need to know who directed the 1999 production of Twelfth Night at Nuffield Theatre, Southampton? It was Patrick Sandford. And the population of the Isle of Man is 69,788--in case you were wondering.Whitaker's Almanack, which began life as a money-spinning collection of jottings by journalist Joseph Whitaker in 1868, is probably now the most eclectic annually published single-volume reference book there is. The 133rd edition for 2001 looks forward, as usual, with a detailed account of the year it relates to--events, anniversaries, astronomical data and so on. It also provides a record of all the key events which took place both in the UK and across the globe in 1999. Names, addresses and functions are listed for education bodies, central and local government organisations and the worlds of law, finance and religion. If you replace your Whitaker's each year such information is generally pretty up to date. There are maps, too, and sections on the Royal family and the Peerage--it is a useful place to look up a titled person--as well as sport, architecture and conservation among many other helpful things. The section on Devolved Government is new for this edition.Whitaker's is a rewarding book to browse in just for fun. It is also brim-filled with the sorts of facts that students, researchers and others who are remotely curious or striving for accuracy are likely to be looking for. --Susan ElkinRead More