The ''Book of Lists'' refers to any one of a series of books compiled by

David Wallechinsky David Wallechinsky (born David Wallace, February 5, 1948) is an American populist historian and television commentator, the president of the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) and the founder and editor-in-chief of AllGov.com and ...

, his father

Irving Wallace Irving Wallace (March 19, 1916 – June 29, 1990) was an American best-selling author and screenwriter. He was known for his heavily researched novels, many with a sexual theme. Early life Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Bessie Liss a ...

and sister

Amy Wallace Amy Wallace (July 3, 1955 – August 10, 2013) was an American writer. She was the daughter of writers Irving Wallace and Sylvia Wallace and the sister of writer and populist historian David Wallechinsky. She was co-author of the bestsellin ...

. Each book contains hundreds of lists (many accompanied by textual explanations) on unusual or obscure topics, for example: * Famous people who died during sexual intercourse * The world's greatest libel suits * People suspected of being

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer w ...

* Worst places to

hitchhike Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads hav ...

* Dr. Demento's 10 Worst Song Titles of All Time * 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 1980 and the third appeared in 1983. ''Book of Lists for the 1990s'' was published in 1993; yet another volume, ''The New Book of Lists'', was published in 2005. 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 A sex position is a position of the body that people use for sexual intercourse or other sexual activities. Sexual acts are generally described by the positions the participants adopt in order to perform those acts. Though sexual intercourse ge ...

and their pros and cons. The 2005 volume was essentially "new" in name only; it was made up primarily of reprinted and updated lists selected from the first three volumes, which have gone out of print. Wallechinsky and Wallace were also responsible for editing ''

The People's Almanac ''The People's Almanac'' is a series of three books compiled in 1975, 1978 and 1981 by David Wallechinsky and his father Irving Wallace. In 1973, Wallechinsky became fed up with almanacs that regurgitated bare facts. He had the idea for a refe ...

'', which covered similar ground, as well as '' The Book of Predictions''. They also contributed a weekly column in ''Parade'' magazine. Other authors who have followed this basic format include

Russ Kick Russell Charles Kick III (July 20, 1969September 12, 2021) was an American writer, editor, and publisher. Russell Charles Kick III was born on July 20, 1969, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Early in his career, Kick wrote articles, a column, and a cover ...

, author of ''The Disinformation Book of Lists'',

Louis Rukeyser Louis Richard Rukeyser (January 30, 1933 – May 2, 2006) was an American financial journalist, columnist, and commentator, through print, radio, and television. He was best known for his role as host of two television series, ''Wall Street We ...

, author of ''Louis Rukeyser's Book of Lists'', and Bernard Schwartz with ''A Book of Legal Lists''. In 2005, a Canadian edition of ''The Book of Lists'' was published and credited to David Wallechinsky, Amy Wallace, Ira Basen and

Jane Farrow Jane Farrow is a Canadian author and broadcaster and community organizer. Her written works include ''Wanted Words'', ''Wanted Words 2'', and (with Ira Basen, David Wallechinsky and Amy Wallace) the ''Canadian Book of Lists''. She worked for CBC ...

. The book contained a mixture of content from the original three volumes, mixed in with updated material, and material with a specifically Canadian focus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Book of Lists Book series introduced in 1977 Almanacs Trivia books Books by Irving Wallace Books by David Wallechinsky Books by Amy Wallace William Morrow and Company books Reference works

See also

References