Review by Choice Review
This extensive compilation is a groundbreaking core reference work for libraries of all kinds. More than 16,000 facts have been expertly researched and presented in an easy-to-use format; the project was conceived, researched, and compiled by a skilled reference librarian with more than a dozen years of experience. A "notable last fact" is any historically significant event, person, place, or thing that marks the end of its kind or its era. It might be the last day that libraries could order catalog cards from the Library of Congress (February 28, 1997), the last state to abandon Prohibition (Mississippi, on May 21, 1966), or the last year that only female names were used in naming tropical storms and hurricanes (1979). The books, magazines, journals, atlases, almanacs, encyclopedias, and other sources that provided helpful information are listed in the references section at the back of the book. An expanded table of contents and a 77-page index provide an overview of the subject matter and keyword cross-referencing to the thousands of entries, making this a resource that will be heavily used by students, librarians, historians, authors, news writers, and others. ^BSumming Up:. Highly recommended. All levels. A. E. Bonnette University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
This unique work serves as a reference bookend to Joseph Nathan Kane's classic, Famous First Facts (5th ed., Wilson, 1998). Notable last facts, as defined by the compiler, are any historically significant event, person, place or thing that marks the end of its kind or its era. These facts are remarkably eclectic: the last self-service Horn & Hardart Automat in Manhattan, the last theatrical performance of Sir John Gielgud, the last year hurricanes had no name, the last game played by Red Sox legend Ted Williams, and so forth. The hefty volume is arranged alphabetically by broad topic, from Ages and Eras to Weather. Some of the broader topics are subdivided: Nations, for example, encompasses separate sections for countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Information is presented in two ways. Individual lasts are listed as bulleted items with the subject highlighted in boldface and a brief description. Lasts that can be grouped together--Last Works of Some Major Authors, Last Year Trolleys Operated in Some American Cities --appear in tables, and although a few of these are just lists of names and dates, many contain additional data. A useful expanded table of contents offers an overview, and a superb index provides easy access. Running heads would make it easier for users to see where they are in the text. The volume concludes with a list of the many print and Internet sources the author consulted in the course of compiling the work. Similar to Kane's diligent solo work, Brahms has done a remarkable job in compiling this volume. He is a librarian, after all, and his work should make our profession very proud! An outstanding source, this unique ready-reference work is highly recommended for both public and academic libraries. --Donald Altschiller Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
