Rating: 
Summary: Nothing incomplete about it
Review: As one review stated, you'll find everything you learned in school but have forgotten, and all the things you DIDN'T learn. This is a well-put-together book of all the things you wanted to know, but felt stupid asking. Would also recommend two other great books. One is along the lines of this one (Eats, Shoot & Leaves) and the other is fiction (The Bark of the Dogwood). Both are excellent as is this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay, I guess...for what it is...
Review: Did any of this book's admirers ever spend time in a university library, or were the poor lambs too badly wounded by their encounters with radical professors and P.C. activists to spend any more time on campus than was actually necessary? AIC is certainly not a bad reference book, but the humor really is pretty lame; there's a difference between sounding light, witty and discursive and merely jokey and unserious in an O'Rourkian vein, and you don't have to be the kind of sap who sings along to "Spanish Bombs" to be dismayed by the adolescent sarcasm in the book's discussion of political history, though you might actually have to read a bit of Chomsky to see what's wrong with the section on his ideas. (After the Cataclysm really is a bad book, and he showed poor judgment in the Faurrisson affair, but not in the ways the authors suggest.) I mean, getting beyond the sloganizing is a crucial first step, but it isn't the last one, even in a book that's only intended to introduce the reader to a vast array of subjects. The other sections are fine, as far as I know, but like the authors I'm not comfortably familiar with the poetry of Fernando Pessoa, so I may not be the best judge of these things...
Rating: 
Summary: Even anti-intellectuals should treasure this wonderful book.
Review: I first flipped through this book my sophmore year of college, and I immediately fell in love with the immense breadth of it's scope. The best sections by far are "Philosophy" and "World History" sections, since most people forget their history 10 minutes after the last bell rings in high school and get little exposure to philosophy at all beyond the name Freud. Reminded me why I went to college in the first place with discussions of Art, Religion, Film, and even Economics! Many people may be put off by what they percieve as a flippant tone, but to many of us in college, this was how we really talked about and discussed the subjects we studied, "Holding Forth" dialogue, is what I call it. The absolute best way to introduce this sort of material to the layman, since it's often discussed by such drydrydrydry and boring lecturers who have no sense of presentation or keeping their audiences awake. This book isn't meant to be a textbook, so LAY THE FRELL OFF THE AUTHORS FOR NOT WRITING IT LIKE ONE!! If my organic chemistry texts had been written with half as much intelligence and wit, I'd probably be working for the Centers for Disease Control by now.
Rating:
Summary: Even anti-intellectuals should treasure this wonderful book.
Review: I first flipped through this book my sophmore year of college, and I immediately fell in love with the immense breadth of it's scope. The best sections by far are "Philosophy" and "World History" sections, since most people forget their history 10 minutes after the last bell rings in high school and get little exposure to philosophy at all beyond the name Freud. Reminded me why I went to college in the first place with discussions of Art, Religion, Film, and even Economics! Many people may be put off by what they percieve as a flippant tone, but to many of us in college, this was how we really talked about and discussed the subjects we studied, "Holding Forth" dialogue, is what I call it. The absolute best way to introduce this sort of material to the layman, since it's often discussed by such drydrydrydry and boring lecturers who have no sense of presentation or keeping their audiences awake. This book isn't meant to be a textbook, so LAY THE FRELL OFF THE AUTHORS FOR NOT WRITING IT LIKE ONE!! If my organic chemistry texts had been written with half as much intelligence and wit, I'd probably be working for the Centers for Disease Control by now.
Rating:
Summary: A tongue in cheek synopsis
Review: I first ran across this book on a friend's coffee table. After thumbing through it, I knew I had to have a copy of my own. It is witty, humorous and surprisingly accurate. The authors intentionally don't take the subject matter seriously in deference to those legions of name droppers and intellectuals who do. Each chapter covers a specific subject area ("Art history", "Film", "Music", etc.) which is further broken down into essential "need-to-know" sections like "A Trio of Geographical Clarifications for a Nation that, Frankly Would Rather Skateboard" or "A Night at the Opera: manners and morals for the MTV Generation." The writing itself is similarly tongue-in-cheek. In a section titled "How to Tell Keats from Shelly" the authors write, "Keats is the one you'd play racquetball with. He wasn't happy, exactly, but he was better adjusted and less the outcast then Shelly and it shows." I certainly got a kick out of reading it. If you are searching for a good laugh that is also enlightening, (and will fill the holes in your college education), this is the book for you. But PLEASE don't take this book too seriously.
Rating:
Summary: Witty tome
Review: I recommend this book to anyone who wants not only a crash course in a variety of topics ranging from geopolitics to Edgar Allen Poe to economic theory, but also for anyone wanting a witty, offbeat take on any of these subjects. The authors were educated at Ivy League universities but contend they received their real education while writing this book. It's not very hard to believe. You'll find an amazing amount of information and knowledge packed into this tome. I regularly consult it as a sort of mini-encyclopedia when there is a topic I only know vaguely about. It's also a lot of fun to flip through. One of the most valued books on my bookcase!
Rating:
Summary: Some Reviewers are Causing Raucous Laughter Themselves
Review: If you have little to no sense of humor -- don't read this book. The "flippant, sarcastic tone" is used by the authors for a REASON, and it isn't merely to "try to be funny." If you don't get THAT, then no -- you won't "get" this book. As far as it is possible to be an "admirer" of an inanimate object, then I suppose I am an "admirer" of _An Incomplete Education._ And, this may come as a shock to a few book critics, but I have fond memories of the _ample_ amount of time that I've spent in university library stacks. No "radical professors" or "P.C. activists" wounded me, or even irritated me enough to run me off campus. I love learning, and I love learning to look at things from others' perspectives, which is one reason this book "works" so well. One reviewer here asked, of the authors' statements regarding different types of art, if WE are not "supposed" to -- ultimately -- decide what we deem to be "worth looking at?" Ummmm -- that's rather the *point*. If you don't "get" that, then please don't "get" this book and then publicly look down your nose as you type snide remarks aimed in the direction of us "low-brows" who have the audacity to find this tome delightful precisely because of the "treatment" that all of the included subject matter is given. It's called "writing style" and "authors' voice," and if you don't grasp the style and voice of these two authors, you will miss practically every point being made. Please take this under consideration, and if this is YOU -- then *please* don't waste your time, and then "our" time, as you take out your literary frustrations in public pixels. Thank you for your support.
Rating:
Summary: The Makings of a Trivia Goddess
Review: it is largely die to this book that I was able to succeed in Teen Tournament Jeopardy tryouts, as well as my school's Scholastic Bowl team. The book is written in a wonderful, witty style, showing how to converse with accuracy about many subjects you had never even considered thoroughly exploring. The book takes a whirlwind tour through many subjects, simultaneously giving enough of an in-depth look at every topic it covers to give anyone with a good memory and a talent at extrapolation an excellent handle on the subjects covered. Essentially, this book is quick high cultural literacy for anyone aspiring to pass themselves off as an intellectual. The subjects covered are myriad (from silent films to superstring theory) and can make one sound more educated than one really is (I may be giving away one or two of my trade secrets here, but that's okay, you're trying to cheat at the intelligence estimation game too). I highly recommend this book to anyone of reasonable intelligence who wants to learn things outside of their normal interest. Who knows, it may help you strike up a conversation with someone remarkable, or at least keep you from looking like a fool when you suddenly become randomly involved in a discourse about bel canto opera. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible book !
Review: The authors are way too condescending. The Title is totally misleading. They basically just try to be witty and tell you what they think is good and bad without offering any substance. I've never given a book 1 star before, but if I could give it less, I would. You won't learn anything, except the authors opinions on things. They critcize almost every work of art, invention or idea ever created.
Rating:
Summary: Incomplete And Holding...
Review: The book is pretty great, and funny. Especially the observation about the French - "not team players" - puts so much in a nice neat nutshell. Anyway, one reader commented on an error - that the book claims that Alexander the Great was a Muslim. Actually, the book never said that, but it DOES say that Muslims consider Alexander the Great a prophet, which is accurate. And they consider him a Muslim as a result as they do Jesus and Moses.
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