An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't
by Judy Jones, William Wilson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Judy Jones, William WilsonEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-04-25
ISBN: 0345468902
Number of pages: 720
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't
Book Review: A Witty Overview of Many Popular & Important Topics
Summary: 4 Stars
Jones & Wilson offer an intriguing overview encompassing an abundance of topics. The subjects are selected based on the authors' stance of what should represent the average intellectual's knowledge base.
What might normally be rather dry material is presented with a generous amount of wit and humor. There is slight bias in some areas, politically and economically, and some minor favoritism toward mainstream historical figures over the extremes. Any predispositions in the material are hardly a determent however, as there is ample information on most topics leaving one easily able to drawn their own conclusions when necessary.
This is a book that can be read straight through, perhaps where it really differentiates itself from an encyclopedia. The content is enjoyable and I recommend this as light reading for anyone seeking to expand their knowledge base or to add a qualified reference book to their library.
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Summary of An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't
When it was originally published in 1987, An Incomplete Education became a surprise bestseller. Now this instant classic has been completely updated, outfitted with a whole new arsenal of indispensable knowledge on global affairs, popular culture, economic trends, scientific principles, and modern arts. Here's your chance to brush up on all those subjects you slept through in school, reacquaint yourself with all the facts you once knew (then promptly forgot), catch up on major developments in the world today, and become the Renaissance man or woman you always knew you could be!How do you tell the Balkans from the Caucasus? What's the difference between fission and fusion? Whigs and Tories? Shiites and Sunnis? Deduction and induction? Why aren't all Shakespearean comedies necessarily thigh-slappers? What are transcendental numbers and what are they good for? What really happened in Plato's cave? Is postmodernism dead or just having a bad hair day? And for extra credit, when should you use the adjective continual and when should you use continuous?
An Incomplete Education answers these and thousands of other questions with incomparable wit, style, and clarity. American Studies, Art History, Economics, Film, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Science, and World History: Here's the bottom line on each of these major disciplines, distilled to its essence and served up with consummate flair.
In this revised edition you'll find a vitally expanded treatment of international issues, reflecting the seismic geopolitical upheavals of the past decade, from economic free-fall in South America to Central Africa's world war, and from violent radicalization in the Muslim world to the crucial trade agreements that are defining globalization for the twenty-first century. And don't forget to read the section A Nervous American's Guide to Living and Loving on Five Continents before you answer a personal ad in the International Herald Tribune.
As delightful as it is illuminating, An Incomplete Education packs ten thousand years of culture into a single superbly readable volume. This is a book to celebrate, to share, to give and receive, to pore over and browse through, and to return to again and again.
You'll find everything you forgot from school--as well as plenty you never even learned--in this all-purpose reference book, an instant classic when it first appeared in 1987. The updated version takes a whirlwind tour through 12 different disciplines, from American studies to philosophy to world history. Along the way, Judy Jones and William Wilson provide a plethora of useful information, from the plot of Othello to the difference between fission and fusion. It's not a shortcut to cultural literacy, the authors write in their introduction, but it's an excellent "way in" to the building blocks of Western civilization: the "books, music, art, philosophy, and discoveries that have, for one reason or another, managed to endure." Think of it as finishing school for your brain; study up and you'll gain a lifetime's worth of cocktail conversation--as well as a new list of books you simply must read.
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