Don't Know Much About Literature: What You Need to Know but Never Learned About Great Books and Authors [Paperback]

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Jenny Davis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Don't Know Much About... | Publication Date: July 28, 2009

From Homer to Harry Potter, from Chaucer to Charlotte's Web, a compelling book of quizzes on history's most influential literary works and writers

• Did a whale named "Mocha Dick" inspire Melville's masterpiece?
• Who was the first poet to speak at a presidential inauguration?
• Which French-speaking high school football star shook up the literary world?

Do you freeze when someone mentions Faulkner? When the conversation turns to the Odyssey, do you want to take a hike? Have no fear. For years, Kenneth C. Davis's New York Times bestselling Don't Know Much About^® books have enlightened and enthralled us with a winning blend of fascinating facts and wonderfully irreverent fun. Now he sets his sights on our literary IQ in Don't Know Much About^® Literature. With this rich treasure trove of knowledge and intriguing information about the world's great books and authors, Kenneth Davis and his daughter, Jenny, demystify Dracula, capture Kafka, and help you brush up on your BrontË in the inimitable and endlessly entertaining Don't Know Much About^® style.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kenneth C. Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of A Nation Rising; America's Hidden History; and Don't Know Much About^® History, which spent thirty-five consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, sold more than 1.6 million copies, and gave rise to his phenomenal Don't Know Much About^® series for adults and children. A resident of New York City and Dorset, Vermont, Davis frequently appears on national television and radio and has been a commentator on NPR's All Things Considered. He blogs regularly at www.dontknowmuch.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1 Original edition (July 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061719803
• ISBN-13: 978-0061719806
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,122,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ken Davis is the author of Don't Know Much About History, which spent 35 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and gave rise to the Don't Know Much About series, which has a combined in-print total of 4.3-million copies.Ken Davis has been dubbed The King of Knowing by Amazon.com because he becomes a subject expert in all of the areas he writes about; the Bible, Mythology, the Universe, the Civil War, for example. Ken has also been a Wise Man; on Who Wants to be a SuperMillionaire and a Life Line on the regular edition of the show. Ken Davis's success aptly makes the case that Americans don't hate history, just the dull version they slept through in class. But many of them want to know now because their kids are asking them questions they can't answer. Davis's approach is to refresh us on the subjects we should have learned in school. He does it by busting myths, setting the record straight and always remembering that fun is not a four-word letter word. A somewhat well-kept secret: Ken Davis never graduated from college, but he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Concordia College in Bronxville, where he was also asked to give a commencement address. Ken Davis is a frequent media guest. He has appeared on hundreds of television and radio shows, including NPR, The Today Show, Fox and Friends, CNN, and The Discovery Channel. He has been a commentator for All Things Considered, and has written for the New York Times. In addition to his adult titles, he writes the Don't Know Much About Children's series published by HarperCollins. He lives in New York with his wife. They have two grown children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Know Why I Wasted My Money, August 22, 2009

By 

Kathryn Sandrew (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Know Much About Literature: What You Need to Know but Never Learned About Great Books and Authors (Paperback)

I guess I thought this book was going to offer a brief review of the classics and thier authors and why they were important to literature; instead it is filled with quizzes about the the books and authors that Mr. Davis assumes that we've already read! If you looked at the front cover of this book It claims "what you need to know but never learned about great books and authors" yet what it contains is a paragraph about a book or author and some true or false questions. Totally not what I expected. I would not recommend this book to anyone unless they were trying out for Jeopardy.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars disappointing, October 31, 2009

By 

Carole Deitrich - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Know Much About Literature (Don't Know Much About...) (Kindle Edition)

sub title should be: and you still won't after reading this book, either. It looks like it is a book for literature majors who want to play trivia with each other.

Better read David Denby's Great Books. good overview of various works with commentary and a reading guide

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Irrelivant Format, No Content, October 1, 2009

By 

Julie Merilatt "julzddm" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Know Much About Literature: What You Need to Know but Never Learned About Great Books and Authors (Paperback)

While I typically devour books about books and I have enjoyed Davis's other books, the "quiz" format of DKMA Literature just didn't work. It was literally too trivial and didn't offer any quality information on literary topics or authors. I browsed a few topics that caught my interest, but the configuration made any content meaningless.