Best in Show will be available in January for book reviews for print, radio, and media outlets. Also see Press Kit. Review inquiries should be directed to MaryAnn Frattarole at mfrattarole@bowtieinc.com or 949.855.8822 x 4700

Source: AKC Gazette, February 2008

Best in Show: The World of Show Dogs and Dog Shows (Kennel Club Books; $34.95), by Bo Bengtson, weighs in at four and a half pounds. You might assume the Internet has made hefty reference books obsolete, but take it from someone who fact-checks dog stories for a living: Only a fraction of our sport’s 100-plus years of collective memory is there for the googling. That’s why researchers, journalists, and serious fanciers will greet Bengtson’s monumental new book with gratitude and awe.

Best in Show is a comprehensive world history of dog shows; a compendium of vital statistics; a photo archive; and a master’s class in rules, ring methods, and business know-how, all in 657 authoritative pages.

We put this workhorse to the test at the GAZETTE copy desk, and it became indispensable in about 15 minutes. It now resides within easy reach on our reference shelf, between The Complete Dog Book and Bill Stifel’s The Dog Show. We can give the book no higher praise than that. — Bud Boccone