New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought [Paperback]

Alan Bullock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2000

A fully revised and updated edition of this unique, well-established, classic work of reference and companion to all fields of modern thought. First published in Fontana paperback in 1977; second revised edition published in Fontana paperback in 1988; the third substantially revised edition made its first ever appearance in hardback in 1999. The Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought has been continuously in print in earlier editions for more than twenty years. The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought contains some 4000 entries by 326 expert contributors. Nearly 1000 entries are entirely new; and most of those that survive from the previous (1988) edition have been substantially revised or newly written for this edition. Areas which have been expanded include computing, identity politics and environmental studies, and there are new entries on God, communitarianism, perestroika, new world order, afrocentricity, ebonics, third wave feminism, hypertext, virtual reality, culture jamming, cloning, post-colonialism, fuzzy logic, artificial life, paper architecture, infopreneur!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alan Bullock's famous first book HITLER: A STUDY IN TYRANNY has been translated into 19 languages and sold more than 3 million copies. He was Founding Master of St Catherine's College, Oxford, and became Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. He was knighted in 1972 and made a life peer in 1976. His most recent book HITLER AND STALIN: PARALLEL LIVES (Fontana Press) has sold over 150,000 copies in the English language. Stephen Trombley is a writer and prize-winning documentary film-maker. Born in New York, he has studied and worked in England as a journalist and editor. In 1990 he founded Worldview Pictures, an international television company.

Product Details

• Paperback: 960 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Pb; 3rd edition (July 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006863833
• ISBN-13: 978-0006863830
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,759,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Valuable, March 17, 2006

By 

Rev. Thomas Scarborough (Cape Town, South Africa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought (Paperback)

I have many dictionaries on my shelves -- among them dictionaries of theology, philosophy, and sociology. I bought this dictionary at an airport, not really being sure how useful it would be. In fact it is a relatively new concept, having originated in the 1970s with Alan Bullock and Oliver Stallybrass. They felt that an ordinary dictionary contains "thousands of words familiar to us all", while an encyclopaedia contains (with regard to modern thought) "a vast amount of irrelevant material". They sensed the need for a dictionary of a new kind.

This book contains nearly 4,000 entries, typically half a column's length, as well as copious cross-referencing, and mini-bibliographies on many subjects. It covers (inter alia) the fields of anthropology, sociology, economics, philosophy, history, politics, physics, and biology. The entries are well written, and by and large would seem to distil the essential meaning and significance of every term. It is also written "in language as simple as can be used without over-simplification or distortion".

In short, if anything has been a major topic of conversation during the past generation, it is likely to be found in this dictionary. I myself have been engaged in postgraduate studies, and have found it to be remarkably comprehensive and dependable, as well as giving me many useful leads in contemporary debate. No one could expect such a book to hold everything -- yet the amount of information that it does hold is surprising. It is not just a faddish idea. It has become one of my most valuable reference tools.

5.0 out of 5 stars A good dictionary of ' concepts', November 10, 2004

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought (Paperback)

This is a very good dictionary which takes a very wide range of concepts from all fields of human endeavor and provides short and most often clear and good definitions.On one page I see definitions for ' democratic centralism' 'demography' ' demonstration'(logical) demythologize , dendrochronology, denotation density. There are also on the page names of individuals who are identified and related to the articles on concepts. On this page for instance Charles Demuth(British painter 1935) is referred to the entry on PRECISIONISM. This is a very useful intellectual tool.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A browser's delight, December 26, 2001

By 

Philippe Vandenbroeck (HEVERLEE, BELGIUM) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought (Paperback)

A very useful book. In fact, I use it much more regularly than my Britannica. Where, in a single volume, would you find entries on 'Lolita Syndrome', 'transitional object', 'hydraulic civilisations', 'Equal Rights Amendment' and 'serial music'? In the Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought, of course. And there is much more to learn in this gem of a book. Really a browser's delight! Hurry up: it's still readily available via amazon.co.uk.