The New York Public Library Desk Reference

Strictly speaking, this isn’t a writing reference, but it is a cool book. If you’re a curious person (and I know you are) go to your library and flip through this book for a while. Need to know how to tell time by a ship’s bells? The proper seating arrangement for a wedding rehearsal dinner? Average precipitation for Milwaukee? Prime minister of Australia in 1947? Yes, I know you could look this stuff up on the Internet, but that wouldn’t be as much fun. After all, we are book people here, aren’t we?

Oh, and there is also a whole section called “Alphabets and Words,” followed by “Grammar and Punctuation.” If you need a grammar refresher and don’t want to buy a whole book on grammar, the G & P section can give you some pointers.

Spend an hour with this reference. Trust me, you will learn many fascinating things you never imagined you would need to know. You may even find something to spark a new writing idea.