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A Complete Revision and Thorough Updating of the Ultimate Reference from the Newspaper of Record
Whether you are researching the history of Western art, investigating an obscure medical test, following current environmental trends, studying Shakespeare, brushing up on your crossword and Sudoku skills, or simply looking for a deeper understanding of the world, this book is for you. An indispensable resource for every home, office, dorm room, and library, this new edition of The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge offers in-depth explorations of art, astronomy, biology, business, economics, the environment, film, geography, history, the Internet, literature, mathematics, music, mythology, philosophy, photography, sports, theater, film, and many other subjects.
This one volume is designed to offer more information than any other book on the most important subjects, as well as provide easy-to-access data critical to everyday life. It is the only universal reference book to include authoritative and engaging essays from New York Times experts in almost every field of endeavor.
a taste of everything
| Customer Rating:   | | This book has been a lot of fun and has me reading about things that I wouldn't normally pick up a whole book on. Instead I get some solid information and it has prompted me to check out other topics in more detail. For example, it starts with a great introduction to architecture. I have been looking online and in other books to learn more about Gothic architecture which is something I wouldn't have done before. Obviously it can't cover everything but it is worth the time if you are interested in learning new things, expanding your education to fill some of the holes left from school etc. |
A big boost toward being informed
| Customer Rating: | | This book doesn't cover everything, but it's a great start toward in-depth study of the world around us. I wouldn't view it as the alpha and omega of reference books, but each section inspires the reader to do outside reading. Take a year or so to go through it and you'll come out with a well-rounded and broad perspective-- and you'll be pretty good at Jeopardy! too :) |
Great Source For Information
| Customer Rating: | | The essential book of knowlege is an easy reference book and jam backed with useful information. It can answer those quirky questions that you forgot the answers to quickly and easily. When was the last time you read the Declaration of Independence? What are those wine regions in France? How do I correctly punctuate this sentence? Faster than the internet. |
if this is knowledge, I prefer ignorance
| Customer Rating: | A masterpiece of Orwellian titling, this book contains over 1000 pages of trivia wrapped in a pretty dust jacket that promises a thorough review of "essential" knowledge. Now I like trivial knowledge as much as the next guy (more, probably), but let's be honest: if you didn't know a single one of the facts in this book, you'd get through life just fine. Maybe if the book told you how to change a tire on a car or something, it'd be worth the price, but it doesn't (I looked in the index, so I know.) All this book will do is help you avoid looking uninformed at cocktail parties... perhaps this is what qualifies as an "essential" skill in the modern era.
To quote Lisa Simpson, this book "gets the facts right, but misses the point entirely." |
Fun and even useful book
| Customer Rating: | The problem with a book like this is the difficult tradeoff between completeness and brevity, and accessibility. Obviously in a one volume format, no matter how weighty (and this one is 1300 pages), something has to be left out. But it's a problem that this book handles quite well.
Rather than carp on what's missing in a book like this, like some of the reviews here, look at what's included instead, and there's plenty to keep you occupied there, no matter what your interests are. If you're interested in more complete coverage, my advice there is to buy one of the one or two volume encyclopedias, such as the Oxford Concise Encyclopedia from Oxford University Press or the Britannica Ready Reference. These are even more ponderous and complete but are less approachable and readable since the technical level is higher.
So don't be too critical of a volume like this, which attempts to steer a middle ground. It's still an enjoyable read, and worth your time and money. Also, I say this as someone who regularly reads both the short and long versions of several 'pedias and knows their pros and cons. For me this is something I would use as enjoyable bedtime reading when I don't have the stamina or attention span to brave another formidable Britannica article, or even The World Book, which traditionally was somewhat more readable, although the Britannica has resolved that issue now with the three levels of writing difficulty in the new electronic DVD version.
But getting back to the present volume, overall, a nice job and informative and enjoyable to read. |
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