Rating: 
Summary: A must for your bookshelf
Review: I enjoyed the introduction to this book more than any other intro! The authors state that the reason for the book's creation is "it feels good to be grounded" I'm not grounded yet so I've been reading and rereading this book. It has an easy structure for guiding you through a liberal arts education - introducing or reintroducing info and knowledge and opinion. It's up to you to do parallel reading and dig deeper. Yes, the tone is flippant but it's fun and a superb resource for things fuzzy, forgotten or never learned.
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: Sorta Helpful
Review: I first learned about Incomplete Knowledge way back when, when I was on the academic competition (aka, "Quiz Bowl") team at university. Fellow players swore this book helped them win more competitions than any other. Cetainly something to consider! I've always liked the idea of a "font of all knowledge", the one place where anyone could go to find out something. Incomplete Education is something like that. The key problem here is that the authors go out of their way to be "witty", and occasionally their witticisms fall flat. Overlook that, and you have a great little addition for your student's (university or high school) library.
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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: Great book to read while exercising
Review: I read this book while exercing on my Ellipse. Very enjoyable. I found the explanation of entropy much clearer than any I had in thermodynamics courses, and a lot more amusing. One error in the book that I found - Stagecoach, the original movie, the stage was going to Lordsburg (NM) not Cheyenne, although If I were on that stage, I would have preferred to go to Cheyenne.
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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!
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Summary: Entertaining & Eduational The Prerfect Read!
Review: I spent an entire afternoon listening to a group of people talk about about their country's politics, take on religion, etc. When I got home I quickly grabbed my copy of An Incomplete Education and wouldn't you know it it backed up EVERYTHING that I had just heard! I was very impressed with the book. It's a fun reference book that fills in just the right amount of information I'm looking for. I highly recommend it!
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Summary: Missing the point
Review: I think those who are critical of this book would benefit from reading the introduction. If they did so, they would find that it is not really meant to replace an in-depth knowledge of the topics covered. On the contrary, this book is meant as something of a sampler: it gives just enough to pique the reader's interest, and the reader is then expected to research further the topics in question on his or her own. To criticize the discussions in this text for being shallow is thus completely misguided, I think. I believe that it's similarly unfair to criticize the authors for not covering every topic under the sun -- it is an 'incomplete' education, after all. I also am surprised at the level of annoyance other reviewers have expressed at the tone of the writing in this book. Unlike these reviewers, I found the book humourous and the writing suitably light, considering the stated aims of the authors. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Should dispense with the sarcasm
Review: I was wondering around Barne's and Noble when I came across this book and was very impressed with the amount of subjects it covered. I thumbed through it and decided to shop lift it. I started to read and i must say that I was unimpressed with the wit and lack of depth. The book covers a range of topics very well but it is does not go into much depth. A page and a half on Islam and Christianity is not enough to wet my appetite to read further on the subjects. The worst thing about the book is the wit. It makes for very slow reading and throws your concentration completely off. Some of it was funny, but must they make everything so jokey? It is a good thing i didn't pay for it. Looking back, I wished I had gotten arrested.
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