Emily LarsonCritiques

Very disappointed with this.

There were very few names, compared to other books on the market, and the author wasted space by including some names multiple times (multiple spellings - but the origin/meaning listed was the same).

Also, the names chosen to be included in here were all crazy-trendy/strange, or crazy-traditional. I was surprised how many names were missing...

The "almanac" part of the book was very repetitive, not entertaining, and really not that helpful or informative, either. I'd recommend skipping this whole series.

As a writer, and an anthroponomastophile, I have read a lot of baby name books. While this one is not my favourite, it is of high enough quality that I have kept it for years and reference it. It has a fairly good article on considerations for naming and some cute lists of name choices. It has a large collection of names, meaning you will find a lot of those used in English Western culture. The flaw is a lack of pronounciation guide and/or nicknames (it does reference similar names, but same name in different ethnicities and nicknames is a different thing). If you are not trying to go in depth with background, and are willing to do cultural research for references and denomyns, like most parents naming a baby, this book is a good choice. If you are doing writer, historical or anthroponomastic research, this book is too simplistic to be more than a jumping-off point.

As a writer, and an anthroponomastophile, I have read a lot of baby name books. While this one is not my favourite, it is of high enough quality that I have kept it for years and reference it. It has a fairly good article on considerations for naming and some cute lists of name choices. It has a large collection of names, meaning you will find a lot of those used in English Western culture. The flaw is a lack of pronounciation guide and/or nicknames (it does reference similar names, but same name in different ethnicities and nicknames is a different thing). If you are not trying to go in depth with background, and are willing to do cultural research for references and denomyns, like most parents naming a baby, this book is a good choice. If you are doing writer, historical or anthroponomastic research, this book is too simplistic to be more than a jumping-off point.

I liked reading the trends - not because I want a "trendy" name but because I don't! It helped me to mark off some of the names she believes are "trending up"...

One of the best name books out there! Try this one first!