This book had some good points and some bad points. All of the lists at the beginning were cute and fun and even could be helpful for some. I agree with a previous post that the meanings of the names sometimes sent you to another name, then another and another without ever giving you a meaning. All of the bizaar names would probably be helpful for those looking for a "stand-out" name. Also, I think the way the author reached 100,000 plus names was by listing every different spelling of each name as a different name instead of listing it under parenthesis as most books do. It just creates a lot of names to go through before you can find the ones you like. Basically, I think this would be a pretty good book for someone looking for an unusual name, but otherwise, get something else.

Considering the size of the book I was disappointed in the lack of information and meanings given. They are mostly one word meanings, if there is a meaning at all. Mostly it seems like it wants to take you in a big circle of reference from one name to the next never quite giving you what you are looking for. It wasn't helpful for me. I found "The Babyname Wizard" book A LOT more informative and helpful.

I received this book as a gift and at first I thought 100,000 names would be too many to look through, but the lists really helped me narrow things down. Plus, my husband and I had a lot of fun flipping to random pages and seeing what we'd find!

If nothing else, this book is great fun -- all the names from different cultures and countries are fascinating (though I'm not sure I'd want to name a daughter "Osiris"), especially since every name has a short description of its origin and meaning next to it.

Lansky has clearly done his research -- there are lists of the most popular names from 1900 to 2004, and the big trends in baby-naming in the past few years so you can decide whether you want to go with or against the trends. Lansky has a few quick, easy articles about picking a name you and your baby will love -- it seems like so many people today forget to pick a name that will actually suit their child; a name that the child will want for the rest of their life -- and the impressions names make on people, as well as the legal aspect of naming (did you know that in the United States it is against the law to use numbers in names?).

It's a huge book, a great resource. I don't plan to have kids of my own for a few years yet, and I don't think I'll use a baby name book of any kind when I do, but I have a few friends who've purchased this book and really loved it -- and I enjoy reading it, too.