A Place to Go Where Questions Get Answers

Paul Fargis long tried to interest a publisher in doing a one-stop reference book that would answer the kinds of basic questions raised in kitchen table and barroom conversations.

What was George Orwell’s real name? (Eric Arthur Blair)

What is the flight distance between New York and London? (3,456 miles)

When was the Yankees’ last World Series and whom did they play? (1981 against the Dodgers)

Publishers turned Fargis down for 10 years--until he enlisted the New York Public Library.

Because the city’s library is a place where every fact and gum wrapper from the beginning of time is known to be on file somewhere, Prentice Hall gave Fargis the go-ahead. “The New York Public Library Desk Reference,” reflecting the most common queries phoned in to the library’s amazing reference librarians, was born in 1989 and went on to sell about a half-million copies.

The newly published second edition, 930 pages and list-priced at $35 until the end of the month, again goes into everything from jock stats to medical information to household cleaning tips. Inclusion of the latter two categories help distinguish the desk reference from an almanac.

“There are far more questions in the second edition about geography, particularly the new borders in Eastern Europe,” said Fargis, a veteran editor whose Stonesong Press developed this book and the new “New York Public Library Student’s Desk Reference” ($20), designed for kids 9 to 14.

Having mined the library’s vast stacks, Fargis offers the encouraging view that the book is not an endangered species as computer technology moves in.

“I don’t think the book is a dinosaur,” he said. “Sales of reference books are up. A great percentage of people are readers. They are familiar and comfortable with the book --and not with the idea of getting ‘on line.’ ”

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Crichton on Sexual Harassment: The first Big Book of ’94 may well be Michael Crichton’s “Disclosure,” a story propelled by an accusation of sexual harassment. The confident publisher, Alfred A. Knopf Inc., plans to lay down 1 million copies Jan. 5.

Crichton, the “Jurassic Park” phenom, sets his new novel in the computer industry. Even technophobes should be able to grasp the CD-ROMspeak that concerns main character Tom Sanders, a rising executive who must grapple with a harassment charge levied by a former lover after she unexpectedly becomes his boss.

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On the Racks: During a 20-year spree, Steven Blumberg stole some of the rarest books from the best libraries. They all ended up in the personal collection he amassed in Ottumna, Iowa. He’s now in prison--and talking. The story of the world’s greatest book thief is told in the January issue of Harper’s . . .

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