The Book of Lists actually refers to any one of a series of books compiled by bestselling author Irving Wallace, his son David Wallechinsky, and daughter Amy Wallace. Each book contains hundreds of lists (many accompanied by textual explanations) on unusual or esoteric topics - for example: The word author has several meanings: The author of a book, story, article or the like, is the person who has written it (or is writing it). ... Irving Wallace (March 19, 1916 - June 29, 1990) was an American bestselling author and screenwriter. ... David Wallechinsky is a reknown Olympic historian, who worked as commentator for NBC Olympic coverage and is the author of many Olympic reference books and other reference books. ...

• Famous people who died during sex
• The world's greatest libel suits
• People suspected of being the real Jack the Ripper
• Worst places to hitchhike
• People misquoted by Ronald Reagan

The first Book of Lists was published in 1977; a second and third volume both followed in 1983, and Book of Lists for the 1990s was published in 1993. This article is about sex, meaning the different sexes; male, female, etc. ... In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ... Jack the Ripper is the pseudonym given to an unidentified serial killer active in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area of London, England in the second half of 1888. ... Hitchhiking (also called lifting or thumbing) is a form of transport, in which the traveller tries to get a lift (ride) from another traveller, usually a car or truck driver. ... Order: 40th President Vice President: George H.W. Bush Term of office: January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989 Preceded by: Jimmy Carter Succeeded by: George H.W. Bush Date of birth: February 6, 1911 Place of birth: Tampico, Illinois Date of death: June 5, 2004 Place of death: Los Angeles... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1983 is an integer and composite number that represents a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Events and trends Technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft Windows operating system becomes virtually ubiquitous on IBM... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ...

Other authors who have followed this basic format include:

• Russ Kick, author of The Disinformation Book of Lists
• Geoff Tibballs, author of the Best Book Of Lists Ever!
• Bernard Schwartz, author of A Book of Legal Lists