With the Almanach de Gotha's return in 1998, after a hiatus of more than 50 years, Sir Stephen Runciman wrote in the Spectator "In this present age, which we are often told sees the twilight of royalty, it is comforting to be able to welcome the reappearance of the most distinguished of genealogical almanacs." The 250th Anniversary 2013 edition follows the successful format of previous editions with family listings including births, marriages and deaths of all living members. Volume II lists the non-sovereign Princely and Ducal Houses of Europe and has been fully updated to include additional families and to note those houses that are now extinct. A number of houses are included for the first time. This is the official and authorised publication. The most comprehensive listing of its kind, with an impeccable pedigree, the book remains an essential reference for genealogists, libraries and scholars. There is and never has been a comparable source, a book once described as "the second most important ever published".