Rating: 
Summary: Great Book , but some factual errors keep it from 5 stars
Review: This is a useful book, although some sections are stronger than others. The entry on Islam in the 'religion' chapter mentions than Alexander the Great was a muslim. I'm wondering how this can be true almost 1000 years before Muhammad.Yes, the book lacks completeness, but, as has been pointed out many times, this was not the authors aim. This book is a well-written survey of topics that makes a fine reference
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully witty and informative
Review: Though some may find the tongue-in-cheek presentation too light for a "complete reference", the authors have found a good mix of information and whimsy that gives you a chuckle or two while discovering just how many mathematical "infinities" there are and how many of them are worth more than a passing note to the common man. It is probably a good thing it is not more dry or complete, as the amount of material you can ingest between whiticisms seems very conducive to maximizing your basic (but usable) knowledge of many art and literary subjects we engineers missed in thermodymics classes and the practical physics missed by those who studied dead poets to earn their sheepskins.
Rating:
Summary: Great reference for writers and, well, everybody else too
Review: Want to brush up on philosophy? Want to know - in 10 seconds - what's the big deal with Mark Twain? Want a quick answer to a question about the political system of Mexico? This is the book for you. Incredibly accessible, quick reading, and just thorough enough, it's a great resource for writers and a VERY cool book for anyone just wanting to get past the headlines of the newspaper ("just what IS Hinduism, anyway?"). Get it and watch your IQ points go up a notch or two, or, if nothing else, be able to nudge into that water cooler conversation with authority.
Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile read, though very American in outlook.
Review: While this book gives the reader a few kilometers' head start on the road of knowledge for several liberal arts fields (Art History, Film, Psychology, etc.) its wink-wink, "isn't it funny" outlook on the book's subject matter that is not, well, American, eventually becomes tiresome. For instance, did the Canada entry in the Political Science section really need an "eh" joke? I thus sulkingly axe one star from my rating. Dispite this gripe, I feel this is a book I'll turn to again and again for factoids and nuggets of knowledge that us science types with hyperspecialized college/university degrees didn't get the chance to learn at school. After all, this book made me discover the painter El Greco. I afterwards even bought a reproduction of his A View of Toledo. How's that for unintentional advertisement?
Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile read, though very American in outlook.
Review: While this book gives the reader a few kilometers' head start on the road of knowledge for several liberal arts fields (Art History, Film, Psychology, etc.) its wink-wink, "isn't it funny" outlook on the book's subject matter that is not, well, American, eventually becomes tiresome. For instance, did the Canada entry in the Political Science section really need an "eh" joke? I thus sulkingly axe one star from my rating. Dispite this gripe, I feel this is a book I'll turn to again and again for factoids and nuggets of knowledge that us science types with hyperspecialized college/university degrees didn't get the chance to learn at school. After all, this book made me discover the painter El Greco. I afterwards even bought a reproduction of his A View of Toledo. How's that for unintentional advertisement?
Rating: 
Summary: Completely Oversold, Irritating, Disappointing
Review: Written in an irritatingly flippant style, this book falls far short of its promise. It is poorly organized and indexed which ultimately results in frustrating those wishing to quickly glean succinct information. Instead, it is filled with "cleverly" written tidbits that more often than not miss the entire point of the subject matter. Don't waste your time.
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