Aside from the Bahamas Handbook's in-depth coverage of independence, there's a full lineup of the well-written and carefully researched articles that readers have come to expect - stories that always present little known facts about our history and culture, as well as articles on the engines of our economy: Tourism, financial services, banking, construction and real estate.  One article, for example, details how the financial services sector is handling recent demands by the United States government for ever more information on citizens who invest in The Bahamas.  And a former governor of the Central Bank recalls why the bank was created and how it dealt with such issues as the sudden devaluation of British currency in 1967.

Elections are always intensely emotional times for party leaders.  They recall their feelings of triumph and/or despair as returns began pouring in from across the country on election night, May 7, 2012, when the Progressive Liberal Party scored its landslide victory.

This year's features cover a wide spectrum: A Mennonite missionary reveals how his flock created a model farm on the hardscrabble soil of northern Andros; Labour leader and politician Sir Clifford Darling talks about his life and times in an interview given shortly before his death in 2012; hoteliers talk about their strategies for keeping their rooms filled in hard times; a hurricane expert warns that a major storm will inevitably hit The Bahamas one day and questions whether the government and the people are ready for it, and sailing icon Sir Durward Knowles reveals for the first time how two enterprising politicians found a way for him to compete in Olympics of 1948, even though The Bahamas was not recognized at the time by the International Olympic Committee.

Readers will learn about Marie-Josephine Hartford-O'Donnell-Makaroff-Douglas-Bryce, the oft married and fabulously wealthy heiress who once owned Balcony House, now a museum in downtown Nassau; and about the late Wall Street titan Leon Levy, who took time out from making a fortune in New York to relax in The Bahamas.  He's the namesake of a new national park on Eleuthera, created by his widow.  The Bahamas Handbook also presents fascinating facts about cave-dwelling bats and how important they are to the balance of nature in The Bahamas.

The Bahamas Handbook, now in it's 53rd year, is the flagship of Etienne Dupuch Jr.'s many publications.  It has earned an enviable international reputation as the foremost publication anywhere about The Bahamas, its people, history and culture, including its ongoing evolution as a world-class destination for tourism, a bustling and sophisticated offshore financial center, and a maritime nation with worldwide shipping connections.  Like other Handbooks this edition offers a selection of beautiful color photographs and illustrations and includes two "Blue Page" sections - for Nassau and Freeport - where readers can find everyday useful information in an easy-to-use A-to-Z format.