Shannon Turlington

Lists of Note compiled by Shaun Usher

When I opened the package that contained this book, which I won through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, I was at once impressed with how absolutely gorgeous this book is. It is large, heavy, and filled with full-page photos of various lists and writers of lists. I used to love leafing through tomes like The Book of Lists, and Lists of Note is like a sophisticated, grown-up version of those bathroom books. The lists seem to be arranged almost randomly — perhaps more examination might reveal some themes — with examples from writers, celebrities, artists, musicians, scientists, politicians, and history, both ancient and recent. The photos that accompany them are glorious. Some of my favorite lists were of course penned by writers, such as Mark Twain’s ordering of people to save from a boardinghouse fire or F. Scott Fitzgerald’s list of things to do with a whole turkey. This is book meant for browsing, not reading straight through, and it will offer hours of browsing enjoyment to anyone who is fascinated by lists.

Shaun Usher is the author of the popular and fascinating blog Letters of Note.