Customer Reviews

An Incomplete Education, Revised Edition

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The thing I most remember from ALL my college courses is this book. AN INCOMPLETE EDUCATION is truly a wonderful supplement to any person's knowledge.

This book is basically an intellectual history overview with a lot of helpful charts and guides. It's written in a very humorous tone, and it hits the humor target more often than not. If you feel that you lack knowledge, this is the book for you. It's not in depth, but it does tell you what you SHOULD know in all areas, including history, philosophy, music, art, and even film. My personal favorite features are the Latin abbreviations and the "Words you pronounce wrong but if you pronounced them right, you'd be considered a pretentious snob" feature.

For a good time (and to increase your IQ), read this book. It's tongue-in-cheek, but it's a wealth of information.

After giving this book to my daughter upon her graduation, I found I couldn't resist buying another copy for myself. Whether you're interested in a "refresher" or in a quick briefing on an academic area you never had time for--film studies, for example--or structuralist and post-structuralist criticism--you're likely to find the field treated in this lively, fascinating, edifying volume. The authors provide definitions, canons of the essential works, profiles of major contributors to the field, and judicious evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of each major thinker or artist. When an individual, text or movement is overrated or becoming passe, the authors are not afraid to say so. And unlike similar collections--the "Dummies" books, for example--this text is far more than an accumulation of trivia. The authors manage to provide narrative continuity to each academic area and, above all, a sense of perspective. Since their judgements strike me as on target in the areas with which I'm familiar, I'm inclined to trust them in those disciplines I don't know much about. The only reason not to pick up the book right away is the possibility that a new edition is just around the corner.

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.

This book was given to me as a gift upon completion of my MBA to "round out" my education. I read it cover to cover and enjoyed it very much (I am ordering a new copy because a friend "borrowed" it). I had great fun with the witty commentary. In fact, at times, I thought that absurd analogies actually helped explain esoteric and abstract concepts in a more simple and understandable manner (maybe my philosophy prof should consider these methods). I understand the criticism of many people who claim that the book is a shallow and "incomplete" coverage of the topics - it absolutely is. Reading the section on opera by no means makes one an expert or replaces the experience, nor does it intend to. Instead, I think it either gives a novice a fun introduction or presents the expert with a funny perspective on what they already know. So, having been to both Wagner and Mozart operas, I enjoyed reading how they could contrast the two in layman's terms (a great chapter, I might add). Simply put: If you are capable of not taking it too seriously, you'll love this book. If not, don't take yourself too seriously, and then buy it!

The people here who gave this book a negative review clearly just didn't get it. This book is not intended as an education itself (hence the title), but as an introduction and overview that will hopefully send you off to learn more. But the best thing about this book is its wit. Saying that the authors should have dispensed with the comments and gotten down to information misses the whole point! I love this book, and recommend it to all my friends.

I'm buying this book to replace the 2 copies that were "borrowed" by "friends" who "forgot" to return them. I've learned my lesson -- I'm going to hide this copy. Simply put, I love this book. I don't understand the customer reviewers who didn't appreciate the fact that this isn't simply a dry compendium of facts. There are plenty of books out there (can you say encyclopedia?) that fit that bill. In fact, this book is specifically designed for people who don't like to read serious books full of dry information because, well, think about it; if you liked serious books full of dry information, you wouldn't be reading this book because you'd already know all the stuff that's in it. Does that make sense? No? O.K, try his: buy the book. You'll like it.

I have found this book to be very readable and user-friendly. It is an excellent reference for anyone who is curious about many different topics. I used the original edition several years ago when I taught Humanities class in high school, and my students found it to be a valuable resource. I particularly like the way the book is organized in broad topics and then in alphabetical order within those topics.

Another valuable resource along the same vein is A Dictionary of Cultural Literacy.

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.

Although I do think that the authors have gathered a collection of information that is essential to having a well rounded education, Jones and Wilson waste so much of the readers time with ridiculous, sarcastic "humor". This is especially disheartening due to the fact that, since the authors are trying to cover a great deal of material, nearly a third of the book is full of absolutly useless "information". For example, the authors may spend merely a half page about an influential writer and give you information that I assume the authors just made up like... Robert Frost's favorite colors were "teal blue, slate gray, and blood red" and Wallace Stevens favorite colors were "vermilion, chartreuse, and wine". I guess that maybe I could find this to be humorous if it weren't just plain sad and frustrating, especially when you really want to learn! It seems like this book was written for people who already know "everything" that is contained in the book and want a good laugh. I am currently using this book as a kind of guide of topics for internet reach or books about the topics mentioned within.

Before there was "...For Dummies" or "Don't Know Much About...." there was this work. I bought myself a copy of this book in college in the late 90's and have since purchased three other copies to give as gifts. One can learn more practical facts about science, history, drama, literature, philosophy, music and the arts from this 300-page tome than from four years of college. Perfect for any inquiring mind.