Reference

What’s the preferred way of wording your invitation? How should guests at the wedding dinner be seated? What do you say to people who ask to bring their (uninvited) children to the reception—or, scarier still, to your prospective mother-in-law when she picks out the World’s Ugliest Dress to wear on your big day?

Brides-to-be have a lot on their minds, including making sure that everything connected with the wedding is done the “right way.” But nowadays few people are adequately schooled in the do’s and don’ts of proper etiquette—and that’s where Simple Stunning Wedding Etiquette comes to the desperately needed rescue.

This newest volume in Karen Bussen’s Simple Stunning Wedding series—whose four previous books total more than 130,000 copies in print—is the perfect marriage between the timeless and the new. Bussen celebrates the beloved rituals (cake-cutting, toasts) that are well worth preserving, while dispensing with outmoded rites (the garter toss) best left by the wayside. And Bussen’s guide goes beyond other wedding etiquette handbooks by dealing sensitively with the sometimes-fraught issues (divorced parents, second marriages, blending religious traditions) so crucial to contemporary wedding planning.

The number one bridal magazine in America provides couples with everything they need to know to plan their dream wedding--now with updated information on the latest trends and current costs. Along with their combined 45 years of experience in the wedding planning field, the authors also present advice from couples who have successfully overcome the disparities in their backgrounds and from clergy and wedding consultants who have helped couples to enhance their marriage and their lives. Packed with worksheets, checklists, and boxed features to facilitate planning and organization, the book contains a "Wedding Profile" quiz to help couples spot and deal with potential trouble areas.

Written by the founder of the wildly popular A Word A Day Web site (www.wordsmith.org), this collection of unusual, obscure, and exotic English words will delight writers, scholars, crossword puzzlers, and word buffs of every ilk. The words are grouped in intriguing categories that range from "Portmanteaux" to "Words That Make the Spell-Checker Ineffective." each entry includes a concise definition, etymology, and usage example-and many feature fascinating and hilarious commentaries by A Word A Day subscribers and the authors.

Learn something new with 366 fascinating facts from NPR librarian Kee Malesky

What was the greatest thing before sliced bread? What color did carrots used to be? Why do many American spellings differ from their British counterparts? What does it mean "to have one's eyes lined with ham"? If you know the answers to these questions, then you're John Hodgman. If you had to look for them below, you need this book.

Kee Malesky, author of All Facts Considered, returns with a year's worth of facts on the arts, history, language, natural history, religion, and science to build up your brain. From "What is the only sea without coastlines?" to "How did the tradition of April Fool's Day begin?", this book is the best way to know more stuff than that other guy.

Learn Something New Every Day is the ideal gift for anyone with an inquisitive mind and an appreciation of the wonders of the world around us. But don't give it to them. You don't want them to know more than you do.

Answers. 1. Bagged bread. 2. Purple. 3. Blame—or thank—Noah Webster. 4. That's the Italian expression for "can't see the wood for the trees." 5. You'd enjoy it too, Mr. Hodgman. 6. Discovering more than one fact per day can cause increased confidence. We've probably already put you at risk with the four above. Learn safely.

For the bestselling miscellany market, an NPR librarian's compendium of fascinating facts on history, science, and the arts

How much water do the Great Lakes contain? Who were the first and last men killed in the Civil War? How long is a New York minute? What are the lost plays of Shakespeare? What building did Elvis leave last? Get the answers to these and countless other vexing questions in All Facts Considered. Guaranteed to enlighten even the most seasoned trivia buff, this treasure trove of "who knew?" factoids spans a wide range of intriguing subjects.

• Written by noted NPR librarian Kee Malesky, whom Scott Simon has called the source of all human knowledge
  
• Answers questions on history, natural history, science, religion, language, and the arts
  
• Packed with valuable nuggets of information, from the useful to the downright bizarre
  

The perfect gift for every inquiring mind that wants to know, All Facts Considered will put you at the center of the conversation as you show off your essential store of inessential yet irresistible knowledge.

Covering a wide range of knowledge, The New York Public Library African American Desk Reference is a magnificent resource for home, family, and business, and an essential addition to your personal reference library.

In over 5,000 fascinating information capsules, this landmark reference captures the most vital people, places, organizations, movements, and creative works of a people, and provides a practical resource for everyday living. In its nineteen chapters, you'll find:

• Timelines of African American History
• Political and Civil Rights Leaders
• African Contributions to the Making of the Americas
• Holidays and Celebrations
• Museums and Historical Sites
• Religion and Spirituality
• Health Tips and Recipes
• Business Contacts and Professional Associations
• Demographics and Population
• Major Writers, Artists, and Musicians
• Musical Forms
• Sports
• and more