Question

How do I write a query to find the N^th maximum value in MySQL?

Answer 1

SELECT column FROM table ORDER BY column DESC LIMIT (n-1), 1

Have a look at http://php.about.com/od/mysqlcommands/g/Limit_sql.htm for reading up on LIMIT on SQL:

Definition: Limit is used to limit your MySQL query results to those that fall within a specified range. You can use it to show the first X number of results, or to show a range from X – Y results. It is phrased as Limit X, Y and included at the end of your query. X is the starting point (remember the first record is 0) and Y is the duration (how many records to display).