We come across different types of books, such as Atlas, Dictionary etc. Of course, you know what the Atlas and Dictionary are all about. But we do not understand why some books are called Almanac, Encyclopedia, Novella etc. Here we explain the purpose they serve.
Anthology: A collection of writings by one author or on a theme such as an anthology of poems on nature.
Directory: An alphabetically arranged list of names of persons and organizations.
Encyclopedia: A book of articles on many subjects which provide information about them in detail. Earlier they were published. Now they are available on Internet e.g., Wikipedia or can be purchased on CD-ROM.
Yearbook: A reference book which arranges the happenings and events in a particular year, for example, Malayala Manorama Yearbook.
Travel Guide: A book of information with maps about a country or place, often with pictures.
Novel: A work of fiction usually involving imaginary people. A historical novel may about real historical characters.
Glossary: A list of words and phrases used in a particular subject area, for instance A Glossary of Computer Terms.
Biography: A book about someone’s life written by another person.
Autobiography: An account of a person’s life written by himself or herself. Sometimes a ‘ghost’ writer may help someone write an autobiography.
Gazetteer: A book that lists and describes places (countries, cities, etc).
Thesaurus: A book organized to show words with similar meanings.
Who’s Who: Alphabetical summaries of the lives of famous people, living or dead, sometimes by their subjects (such as Dictionary of Scientists)
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