New Releases by David Wallechinsky

Suzy Watkins is a journalist who writes a column about strange and unexplained events, like reports of UFO abductions, fish falls and haunted houses. Mostly she mocks the true believers by exposing the truth behind these phenomena. But she finds herself wishing that just once one of these incidents will prove to be real, and that there is still magic in the world. One day she receives a letter about rumors that, in an extremely remote part of Appalachia, there lives a young man who can fly. Wanting to believe, she enters a world of bizarre characters, some of them violent, some of them kind and some of them just plain weird. David Wallechinsky is the best-selling author of numerous books, including The People’s Almanac, The Book of Lists and Tyrants: The World’s 20 Worst Living Dictators.

In this brand new updated edition of The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics, complete with thrilling photographs of the unforgettable moments from Olympic history, David Wallechinsky, President of the International Society of Olympic Historians, puts the Sochi Games into perspective with background, stories, and statistics from every Winter Olympics since the Chamonix Games of 1924. When the Sochi Olympics opens on February 7, 2014, it will be the biggest Winter Games in history, with 12 new events and a record number of participating athletes. The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics includes the rules for each event and the daily schedule. This is the book to keep by your side as you enjoy watching the Sochi Games.

From the multi-million selling author of The Book of Lists and The Complete Book of the Olympics comes an entirely new take on the Games. Wallechinsky has a uniquely vast knowledge of the Olympics and an unrivalled head for arcane – now the two are combined in this collection of 150 unexpected Olympic lists, including: • The eight slowest Olympic competitors • The twelve strangest sports ever contested • The six most spectacular collisions and falls • The top ten shaven-headed Olympians Published for the 2012 Games, The Book of Olympic Lists is a quirky compendium of the unusual, the unknown and the downright bizzare. More than simply a book of lists, Wallechinsky elaborates and expands on the reason for an athlete or incident’s inclusion, to create a winning – and highly addictive – alternative history of the Olympics.

Presents intimate and revealing information about the sexual exploits of over two hundred famous individuals of the near and distant past.

The best-selling author of The People''s Almanac surveys the crimes and characters of twenty of the modern world''s most notorious dictators, from Kim Jong-Il and Crown Prince Abdullah to Mu''ammar al-Gaddafi and Omar al-Bashir, in a series of portraits that also reveals to what extent they are supported by foreign corporations and governments. 25,000 first printing.

This book is an indispensable companion for all winter sports fans who will be watching the games and is a fantastic reference book for the thousands of journalists from around the world who will be covering the Games.

A new edition of the classic bestseller from the original authors, with additional material specifically prepared for Canadian readers by long-time "This Morning CBC producer, Ira Basen, and Jane Farrow, the author of Wanted Words. In 1977, a publishing sensation was born. The Book of Lists, the first and best compendium of facts weirder than fiction, was published. Filled with intriguing information and must-talk-about trivia it has spawned many imitators -- but none as addictive or successful. For nearly three decades since, the editors have been researching curious facts, unusual statistics and the incredible stories behind them. Now the most entertaining and informative of these have been brought together in a long-awaited, thoroughly up-to-date new edition that is also the first Canadian edition. Ira Basen and Jane Farrow have augmented the existing lists with fascinating homegrown material, and compiled lists specifically of relevance to Canadian readers. So if you''ve always wanted to find out how porcupines really mate, how comedy can kill and -- that most essential piece of knowledge -- how long the longest recorded nose was, this is the book for you. With contributions from a variety of celebrities and experts including Margaret Atwood, Mike Myers, Michael Ondaatje, Dave Eggers, Phillip Pullman and Charlotte Gray, this anthology has something for everyone -- and more than you ever suspected you wanted to know. A list of lists from "The Book of Lists: 10 Notable Film Scenes Left on the Cutting Room Floor 10 Afflictions and Their Patron Saints 14 Nations with More Sheep Than People 5 Trips to the Canadian Wilderness That Ended in Disaster 10 ReallyBad Canadian Sports Teams 14 Last Words of Famous Canadians Kurt Browning''s 9 Turning Points in Figure Skating History 7 Trial Verdicts That Caused Riots 12 Museums of Limited Appeal 10 Unusual Canadian Place Names That Start with a "B" 7 Well-Known Sayings Attributed to the Wrong Person 10 Celebrated People Who Read Their Own Obituaries Sloane''s Jay Ferguson''s 10 Perfect Pop Songs 13 Possible Sites for the Garden of Eden 9 Canadian Sports Stars Who Became Politicians First Sexual Encounters of 13 Prominent Canadians Four Foods Invented by Canadians 1. Processed Cheese -- J. L. Kraft grew up on a dairy farm in Stevensville, Ontario. While working as a grocer he was struck by the amount of cheese that was wasted on wheels of cheddar when the dried rind was scraped off to get at the fresh interior. He resolved to find a way to use this "waste" product, experimenting with double boilers, preservatives and cheddar. Eventually he found a way of stabilizing the dairy product that has come to be known as processed cheese. 2. Frozen Foods -- The technology to freeze food quickly and transport it to markets far away was developed in Halifax in 1928. Within a year, "ice fillets" were being sold to fish-deprived Torontonians who loved the taste and didn''t seem to mind the high price tag. Despite this, the fishing industry and private companies lost interest and quickly mothballed the project. In 1930, a feisty American, Colonel Clarence Birdseye, claimed responsibility for developing frozen foods and promptly made a fortune. 3. Pablum -- Invented in 1930 by Dr. Alan Brown, assisted by researchers Theodore Drake and Fred Tisdall. The add-water babycereal revolutionized infant nutrition, and, of course, became synonymous with food that was bland and mushy. 4. Poutine -- Although many claim responsibility for the crowd-pleasing combination of squeaky cheese curds, canned gravy and french fries, it is generally agreed that the first order of this regional specialty of Quebec was served up by restaurant owner Fernand Lachance in 1957. Many variations on the original recipe exist including one deluxe version with foie gras served in Montreal''s Pied de Cochon bistro.

The original, benchmark compendium of facts weirder than fiction, intriguing information, and must-talk-about trivia that has sold over eight million copies worldwide and spawned many imitators. For nearly three decades David Wallechinsky and Amy Wallace have been researching curious facts and unusual statistics and the incredible stories behind them. Now the most entertaining and informative of these have been brought together in a long-awaited, thoroughly up-to-date, and Americanized new edition, including brand-new lists and list makers. Contributors include: Oliver Stone; Jane Fonda; Sean Connery; Robert Duvall; Pedro Almodovar; Stephen King; John Waters; Wynton Marsalis; Quincy Jones; Arnold Palmer; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; Isaac Stern; Ian Rankin; Alan Dershowitz; Margaret Atwood; Dave Eggers; Brian Eno; and Elmore Leonard.

Completely updated, this ultimate Olympic reference book contains all the nitty-gritty detail,including all records, statistics and medal standings as well as results of the top eight finishers in every Olympic event from the 1896 Games in Athens to the 200 edition in Sydney.

Handboek met 155 lijstjes met (merkwaardige) informatie op allerlei gebied, zoals 10 mensen met extra lichaamsdelen, 8 niet langer uitgestorven dieren, de 10 grootste wapenimporteurs, 10 klassieke ezelsbruggetjes etc.

Unlike any other history or reference book, The People''s Almanac Present''s the 20th Century captures the century''s most intriguing people, events and discoveries -- and makes them come alive, giving you a wonderfully engaging panorama of the past one hundred years. With more than seven hundred lively entries, covering everything from war and assassinations to popular songs and movie trivia, the is the book praised by the Washington Post Book World as, "the latest grab-bag filled by a notorious fact monger". Believe-it-or-not stories, unusual facts, dubious achievements and amazing people abound, making this book the most offbeat -- and most definitive -- look at our century ever published.

Contains everything about the Modern Olympic Games, which take place, for the01st time, at the Sydney Olympiad.

This colossal compendium presents highlights of history of the 20th century - the biggest and most interesting events, people, crimes, disasters, inventions, discoveries, songs, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Unlike any other history or reference book, it really does make the facts come alive, giving readers an exciting panaorama of the last 100 years and it shows, like no other book, just what a truly extraordinary century it''s been. Includes over 200 illustrations.

Offers anecdotes and dramatic moments from Olympic history, the top eight finishers from every Olympic event since 1896, and rules and scoring for each event

Details of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway - before they take place.

Ten years ago, Wallechinsky (What Really Happened to the Class of ''65) reported the effects of a turbulent decade on the members of his own high-school class. Now he reunites the national class of ''65 and listens to their stories as they approach middle age. Published in hardcover by Viking as Mid-Term Report.