The New York Times Book Reviews 2000

These two hefty volumes collect all the book reviews published in the New York Times during the year 2000 something close to 2,500 full length and short reviews (although there is no introductory material telling precisely how many). The reviews are arranged chronologically and are presented in a legible, three-column format, some with small b&w photos. The last 50 pages of the second volume hold three indexes, giving access to the contents by authors (of books reviewed), book titles, and general subjects. Too bad. Further indexing would have been so interesting, and it's not so difficult to do these days. For instance, indexing by publisher and by review-writer would have been useful; and the general index could have been substantially expanded (it's quite thin a mix of titles, authors, and a smattering of general topics). Maybe future editions will see some enhancements; or, perhaps, collections such as this are better presented as CD-ROMs with the wonderful searching capabilities that electronic technology affords. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)