An Incomplete Education
Books | Reference / Encyclopedias
3.7
Judy Jones
William Wilson
A completely updated, revised edition of the classic, 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.
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More Details:
Author
Judy Jones
Pages
720
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Published Date
2009-07-22
ISBN
030756777X 9780307567772
Ratings
Google: 4
Community ReviewsSee all
"The book that proves reference can be fun...and funny!<br/>Authors Jones and Wilson take the major areas of collegiate knowledge: Science, Literature, International Studies, American Studies and Arts, and break them down into the stuff you really need to know to appear literate. With a knack for commonly confused topics: ( "How to Tell Keats from Shelley") and a cheeky, non reverential approach, ("What You Should Know Before Answering a Personals Ad in the International Herald Tribune") Jones and Wilson manage to be both entertaining and educational."
Lesley Williams
"This was a difficult book to read. It does give an overview on numerous subjects and it tries to be breezy and fun. Unfortunately, it often comes across as too glib and surface level, and it seems to assume a basic knowledge that a reader may not have on every single subject covered. Moreover, there are likely going to be topics about which you don't really care, which is to be expected when there are so many topics covered. However, the reason it got one star is I found it to be slightly homophobic when mentioning gay subjects. I'm not claiming intent on the part of the authors, who may be incredibly accepting, and it's important to note that this was originally written in the 1980s when everyone seemed somewhat homophobic (and I suspect the author meant the comments to be taken in jest), but in 2024 I really ran up against it."
John Detrick