Overview
With annual sales of 200,000 copies, The Top 10 of Everything is clearly the place people go to get the lowdown on what or who was the best, worst, richest, fiercest, deadliest, or simply biggest of practically anything. It features 600 lists on a diverse range of subjects, from blockbuster movies and music to stellar universities, from crime and punishment to popular drinks. Find out which stars of stage and screen shone the brightest and which terrestrial animals weigh the most. See which habitable buildings are the tallest and which bodies are the largest in the solar system. Check out stats on airlines, crops, natural disasters, and sports. Some of the lists are entirely new; some are updated with the latest news, and all appear on attractively illustrated spreads with excellent background information. “First” and “Fast” fact boxes pinpoint the pioneers and the most recent achievers in various endeavors. It’s entertaining and educational!
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
Full of fascinating facts and intriguing trivia that explore every facet of human achievement and natural wonders, The Top 10 of Everything 2001 is a compendium of knowledge and entertainment. Featuring more than 400 colorful illustrations, it has more than 1,000 lists on subjects ranging from Oscar winners to the world's richest people, from speed records to rail and transport disasters. This annual review is No. 1 for anyone looking to rank the best of the best.Asbury Park Press
Outrageous, entertaining fun.VOYA
There are at least six top reasons for purchasing this entertaining and browseable book. First, your library reference books budget includes a little extra this year for something not entirely necessary but definitely fun. Second, DK's shiny cover and glossy format rival the millennium edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for packaging coolness with its gorgeously reproduced photographs and impeccable design. Third, reading aloud from any page in Ash's book of lists would be an effective advertising tool for it during a junior high booktalk. Fourth, the content of the lists themselves is widely varied, including inventories of the "Youngest Female Singers to Have a Number One Single in the U.S." and "Top 10 Kevin Spacey Movies." Fifth, "Pop-Up Video"-esque squares along the lower margin of select pages offer still more trivial information about the subjects listed on the page. And sixth, Readers can check the box on page 223, "World Tourism," to discover the home of the first roller coaster. The aforementioned impeccable design will draw browsers irresistibly and possibly even encourage reluctant researchers. One can consider Ash's Top 10 to be a cram sheet and guarantor of success in the Teen Trivial Pursuit challenge of your library. To ensure a librarian win, do not display book until after the trivia game. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2001 (orig. 2000), DK, Illus. Photos. 288p. Ages 12 to 15. Reviewer: Amy S. Pattee VOYA, February 2001 (Vol. 23, No.6)Library Journal
The "Top 10 of Everything" series from Sterling (published annually) continues to be popular and entertaining, offering definitions and source notes that warm the cockles of every librarian's heart. Lists for the most performed cosmetic procedures, the highest carbon dioxide-emitting countries, and the top mockumentaries make it hard to put this volume down. Series editor Ash qualifies the ground rules for each category and cites the source. Some entries are annual updates, while others, e.g., the lightest and heaviest elements, are likely to remain closed rankings. With over 10,000 lists in play, each year's collection is a surprise. Big, colorful photographs and pertinent historical tidbits add to the addictive mix. There is also a list of web sites for further inquiry. The official web site offers special features like a trivia quiz.
—Kelli Perkins