Rating: 
Summary: Awesome Book
Review: Don't think you have to be smart or into literature to enjoy this book. It has something for everyone. I could get one of these as a gift for anyone I know and I believe they'd enjoy it. Not only is this book informative it is so much fun! It even has what some of the lines in Shakespeare mean. I sure wish there were other books like this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Who's not here?
Review: For those who like the comfort of a hefty reference book, this offers 23 chapters on subjects from the Bible to World and American history, Fine Arts, Medicine and Health, Geography, Technology and more. The 6,900 entries (alphabetical by chapter) are concise and cross referenced. Entries includes such items as "oral personality" and "punctuated equilibrium" and authors from Agatha Christie to Salman Rushdie, as well as famous quotations. What's particularly fun is checking to see what it doesn't have, which is easy as there's a fine index. Lady Godiva and Dorothy Lamour are here but Germaine Greer is not; Geronimo is but not Sherman Alexie (Hirsch is known for his conservative bent). Of the 500 or so new entries, 200 are in science and technology. A useful basic reference and a great book for settling arguments.
Rating:
Summary: great investment!
Review: I came across the previous edition of this book by a coworker of mine and have not been able to keep my hands off it! I had to get one not only for myself but for my friends and family. This book has basically EVERYTHING you need to know- from proverbs to world history to science...if you have a question, there is literally an ANSWER in that book! Personally, I plan to read the whole book! It is that great! Buy it, you won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Browsers and students alike will find it handy
Review: New Dictionary Of Cultural Literacy provides a basic, working knowledge of cultural changes and literary topics which range from concepts of the digital divide and Kwanzaa to pheromones, spam, and different cultural icons which have changed over the centuries. The chapters are organized by general topic (world history, American history, politics, psychology and sociology) and provide an A-Z reference for each chapter. Browsers and students alike will find it handy.
Rating:
Summary: Browsers and students alike will find it handy
Review: New Dictionary Of Cultural Literacy provides a basic, working knowledge of cultural changes and ltierary topics which range from concepts of the digital divide and Kwanzaa to pheromones, spam, and different cultural icons which have changed over the centuries. Chapters are organized by general topic (world history, American history, politics, psychology and sociology) and provide an A-Z reference for each chapter. Browsers and students alike will find it handy.
Rating:
Summary: Good Reference Book For an Area that Needs More References
Review: One would think that when living in and being part of a culture, one would then automatically be literate in it. However, this is certainly not the case for most indiviuals. This book can fill in the gap with its "must know" info. that we should all be a little more familiar with. Of course it is selective in some areas and deliberately brief in its enteries. That is understandable. Over all, I am happy I purchased this book and I am certainly getting my money's worth whether I am looking something up to get desired information, or simply kiling time by flipping through it. There's always something new to learn in this fine book.
Rating:
Summary: Good Reference Book For an Area that Needs More References
Review: One would think that when living in and being part of a culture, one would then automatically be literate in it. However, this is certainly not the case for most indiviuals. This book can fill in the gap with its "must know" info. that we should all be a little more familiar with. Of course it is selective in some areas and deliberately brief in its enteries. That is understandable. Over all, I am happy I purchased this book and I am certainly getting my money's worth whether I am looking something up to get desired information, or simply kiling time by flipping through it. There's always something new to learn in this fine book.
Rating:
Summary: A book club pick
Review: Our book club tends to stick with bestsellers like "Da Vinci" or McCrae's "The Bark of the Dogwood," so it came as quite a shock when this book was recommended. The truth is, it couldn't be more perfect, especially for a book club. The reason? You'll want to discuss what's in between these pages and boy, will there ever be a discussion! This is true food for thought and you'll all have a blast!
Rating:
Summary: I Think You Misunderstand...
Review: Some of the editorial and customer reviews seem to be confused by what they mean when they call Hirsch a "conservative."Hirsch is only a conservative in the sense that he is confortable with the status quo and is cautious about accepting change but not unwilling. The political right-wing of today calls itself "conservative" but is actually ULTRA-conservative, wanting to turn back the clock on cultural changes and has an almost paranoid view of the left. According to interviews, Hirsch sees himself as more an old New Deal liberal, and while he may often disagree with contemporary radicals on some cultural matters, he does not treat them with utter contempt like today's right-wing movement tends to do. (For examples, of the type of far-right "conservatives" I was mentioning above, think Allan Bloom or Philip Johnson.) As for the book itself, it's a good list, but none of the authors ever intended to make it comprehensive of the entire culture. (The main reason Germaine Greer and Sherman Alexie are not mentioned may simply be space limitations. They even had to cut some stuff from the last edition.)
Rating: 
Summary: the very first paragraph of the very first entry is wrong
Review: The Jewish Bible and the Christian Bible are not the same book. Referring to the Jewish Bible as having/being the "Old Testament" is not only inaccurate, it is extremely disrespectful. That such a glaring error appears in a third edition should be an embarassment. I shudder to think what errors lurk on less well known topics.
|
