| An Incomplete Education |  | Authors: Judy Jones, William Wilson
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  90 reviews
Sales Rank: 302255
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 656
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 9.7 x 7.5 x 1.8
ISBN: 0345295706
Dewey Decimal Number: 031.02
EAN: 9780345295705
ASIN: 0345295706
Publication Date: May 12, 1987
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Condition: Help save a tree. Buy all your used books from Green Earth Books. Read -> Recycle -> Reuse!
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Amazon.com Review
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.
Product Description
"An astonishing amount of information."
--Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times
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. Here's your chance to fill in the gaps left by your school years, reacquire all the facts you once knew then promptly forgot, and become the Renaissance man or woman you always suspected you could be!
What was so important about the Dred Scott decision? Why aren't all Shakespearean comedies necessarily thigh-slappers? What happened inside Plato's cave? What's the difference between a fade-out and a dissolve? Fission and fusion? Shi'ites and Sunnis? The apostles and the disciples? Is postmodernism dead or just having a bad hair day? And for extra credit, how do you tell deduction from induction?
An Incomplete Education answers these and thousands of other questions with incomparable wit, style, clarity, and brevity. 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 new edition you'll find up-to-the-minute analyses of the geopolitical situation in Eastern Europe, Indochina, and the Horn of Africa; the latest breakthroughs in cloning and gene splicing; brand-new takes on the economy, from disinflation to global competition; a look at the recent upheavals surrounding abortion rights, free speech, and the death penalty; and much, much more.
Ponder the legacies of eight American intellectuals (a couple of whom aren't even dead yet). Get a handle on 350 years of opera; the central ideas of Freud and five of his famous followers; the meanings of eighteen inscrutable-looking adjectives, from jejune to heuristic, numinous to otiose. Bone up on entropy and evolution. Take a whirlwind tour of English poetry from Chaucer to Yeats. Learn what to look for in Rubens or Rembrandt, The Birth of a Nation or Citizen Kane.
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 85 more reviews...
 An Incomplete Education November 18, 2008
I've seen this book in numerous catalogs and knew that my 15 year old daughter would love it. In the catalogs it was around $35 + shipping. I found it here at a much lower price; the book arrived promptly; and it was in excellant condition. I come here first for any of my online shopping needs. Great job guys!
 like LBJ's view of Bill Fulbright October 18, 2008
1 out of 9 found this review helpful
In 600-plus pages that mention nothing about the history of Israel or the wars against Israel, and ignore anti-semitis=im in discussing the Dreyfus affair, the editors ignore the first five books of the Old Testatment in dismissing Judaism as a religion not concerned with reward and punishment, and print a map locating Jerusalem im some place called Palestine. In discussing "Bibles" never mention the illiterate committee that gave us the James, never refer to translations of the Hbrew work alone. Hard to say what other blindness, prejudice, and falsehood creeps into the tome. Asked about Bill Fulbright, LBJ compared him to a bucket of fresh milk squeezed staright from the cow after old Bessie whooshed her tail trough a cowpie and dropped it into the pail. anyone who wants to drink here should be wary.
A great gift item October 4, 2008
I purchased one for my husband who loved it. It is a general overview of many topics and is as much fun as it is educational.
I will be purchasing 3 more as Christmas gifts for those on my list who "have everything."
Not Accurate September 16, 2008
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
There are things in this book that are inaccurate. I can only speak to the religious section because it is a subject I know well but I know others who have complained about the inaccuracies in the science section. For example, the author mentions that the Hadith (written traditions of the Prophet Muhammad) are widely accepted to be unauthentic. In fact, there is a whole science of deciphering whether or not a hadith is authentic, with many books rating thousands of Hadith. These books are so detailed as to include the character, education, public opinion, etc. of all the people who have transmitted a particular hadith. Needless to say, the subject isn's as simple as the author would have the reader believe. There were also some problems in the Zorastrian section that I don't really want to go into now. I think that with a book of this nature, accuracy is paramount so I would consider such mistakes unacceptable. I would venture a guess and say that perhaps the authors themselves have an incomplete education.
Very Disappointing September 12, 2008
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
As someone who has read and loved history for many decades, I thought this book would make a great addition to my collection, but I was very disappointed. Much of the information is piece-meal and incomplete, just enticing the reader a bit and then leaving them wondering where the rest of the story is. I was also surprised by the frequent and glaring anti-conservative messages, which were often unrelated to the topics being discussed. I understand that historians are human and have political leanings, but in this book too much opinion tainted the historical message. I was hoping for an informative new take on the topics included, and as I say, I was disappointed.
Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything is a much better read.
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