When I read the title of the book I felt dragged into it: Zoe is the name of the baby girl of one of my friends and a name which I've always considered beautiful (heard it in a song by Lenny Kravitz for the first time), yet not too widespread. I had a chance to check out this book and found it to be one of the two best among books of baby names. What I liked most about it was how complete the description for each of the names was. It included the name, current language (where it comes from), ethnicity, meaning, biblical citation (if any), popularity, nicknames, alternative spellings and more. In the end, it doesn't offer 20 or 30 thousand names like most titles, but "only" 15 thousand. When you read it, it feels like the authors did a quality work in putting them together, proof once again that quantity doesn't necessarily imply quality. Also worth considering is "A World of Baby Names".
However, I came across several errors in meaning (among names that I happen to know a lot about, those from Wales) that, of course, made me wonder whether I could believe in the ones that I *didn't* know about.
Overall, I think that this is a good book and a really nice source for ideas. However, if you're in love with a name because of its meaning, check it out several other sources to confirm (I'd advise this with any baby name book, actually).
The introductory part of the book is thoughtful and helpful, as well. I have only one bone to pick there - he advises people who don't like Jr to use II instead. This is simply not correct usage, and it irritates me beyond belief. Only royal names are assigned this way; mere commoners have to have a Sr and Jr before a III (after which Jr becomes II).
