Book Description
In this fast-paced information age, how can Americans know what's really important and what's just a passing fashion? Now more than ever, we need a source that concisely sums up the knowledge that matters to Americans -- the people, places, ideas, and events that shape our cultural conversation. With more than six thousand entries,The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy is that invaluable source. Wireless technology. Gene therapy. NAFTA. In addition to the thousands of terms described in the original Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, here are more than five hundred new entries to bring Americans' bank of essential knowledge up to date. The original entries have been fully revised to reflect recent changes in world history and politics, American literature, and, especially, science and technology. Cultural icons that have stood the test of time (Odysseus, Leaves of Grass, Cleopatra, the Taj Mahal, D-Day) appear alongside entries on such varied concerns as cryptography, the digital divide, the European Union, Kwanzaa, pheromones, SPAM, Type A and Type B personalities, Web browsers, and much, much more. As our world becomes more global and interconnected, it grows smaller through the terms and touchstones that unite us. As E. D. Hirsch writes in the preface, "Community is built up of shared knowledge and values -- the same shared knowledge that is taken for granted when we read a book or newspaper, and that is also taken for granted as part of the fabric that connects us to one another." A delicious concoction of information for anyone who wants to be in the know, The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy brilliantly confirms once again that it is "an excellent piece of work . . . stimulating and enlightening" (New York Times) -- the most definitive and comprehensive family sourcebook of its kind.
Customer Reviews:
This was a hard book to find in local stores.......2007-10-18
The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy was a required dictionary which I could not fine in several of the local stores. I was helping my Granddauhter purchase her school supplies while my Daughter was at the Hospital. I called my Granddaughter to fine out how importance the dictionary was, when she told me she needed for class. I decided to go online to fine the dictionary she needed. My Granddaughter called me to thank me for finding what she needed and The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy was perfect for her class.
4 1/2 stars........2007-03-12
i am not the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you know what i mean. this book is just the ticket for a palooka like me. i've been dipping into the thing here and there for a couple of months now, and it's been a tremendous amount of fun. i was amazed by how much i had forgetten from my school days (i am 45). this compendium of learning covers a lot of ground, with a text that is clear and concise and enjoyable to read. the bible, mythology and folklore, literature, philosophy, religion, the english language, the fine arts, american history and world history, geography, psychology, sociolgy, business and economics, science, medicine, health, and technology, all get a going over. the format is easy and perfect for dipping into anywhere whenever you have the time to do so. a perfect coffee table book. a great bedside book. i highly recommend this to anyone who wishes to expand their knowledge or bone up on their facts in a wide variety of human endeavor.
Something for Everyone.......2007-01-20
This is one book eveybody who wishes to be a well rounded, educated reader should own. It gives you a general knowledge of most subjects from art & culture, to science, social issues, history, famous names and a whole lot more. It is an excellent source book.
Comprehensive but necessary?.......2007-01-10
I have strongly mixed feelings about Hirsch's idea of cultural literacy. Regardless, this text is exactly what Hirsch promises it to be: a dictionary of cultural references. The one thing that Hirsch fails to state (and perhaps it's implicit within his tome) is that the cultural dictionary is developed from a fairly WASP-like perspective. He disclaims that it is what "every American" needs to know, but fails to recognize his operating stance. There is a heavy American, Judeo-Christian, masculine influence in his book. This is by no means an unbiased cultural dictionary.
A great way to understand the history of our country.......2006-08-21
This book will help you to comprehend the background of our country a little more as well as give a high-level overview of where the foundations of our nation came from. Covering literature to common everyday sayings as well as the scientific side of things from an origin perspective, you will begin to have an appreciation for what our forefathers went through as they strove to build a society in the grand ol' USA.
Book Description
A valuable reference, this informative and entertaining volume presents a key to elucidating the symbolic worlds encountered in both the arts and the history of ideas. Alphabetical entries clarify essential meanings of each symbol, as drawn from religion, astrology, alchemy, numerology, other sources. 32 black-and-white illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent resource for writers, thinkers, students..........2005-11-05
I purchased this book in hardcover a few years ago, and have found myself going back to it again and again. In writing novels, I know no better reference book than this for providing inspiration and insight. The symbols listed often have meanings far beyond what most would think. The sections on colors and numbers alone are worth the cover price.
My only complaint is that the book is big *enough*, but make no mistake: the material in the book is dense, informative, and insightful. If you are a writer, a thinker, a student of history, or have any interest in the cultural artifacts of human societies, you can't go wrong with this volume. I cannot recommend it enough.
A Dictionary of Synbols.......2005-09-08
The book as good content, but needs illustrations/photo's to make it come to life to the reader.
A sacred way of looking at the outer world.......2004-01-24
This is one of the most frequently used and most deeply pondered works of my permanent collection. It is, in my humble opinion, the best single volume on the subject of symbols and symbolism written in modern times.
Symbolism is a sacred way of looking at the outer world. It is a way of connecting the outer and inner worlds. A materialist sees, let's say an eagle, and simply sees a bird, while a symbolist sees an eagle and sees a message, a lesson, or a sermon. To the symbolist, the eagle also represents height, spirit, the sun, nobility, power, the lion of the air, etc. The symbolist doesn't totally ignore the materialist and mundane aspect of the eagle, he just realises that there is immeasurably MORE behind it.
The introduction of this book is an excellent essay of the symbolist mind-set. It covers symbolism in platonic thought, hermetism, renaissance thought, alchemy, heraldry, dream symbolism, as well as, the views of Goethe, Saunier, Bele, Guenon, Eliade, Scheider, and, of course, Jung.
The body of the book is in dictionary form with concise but comprehensive descriptions of topics from a historic and multi-cultural viewpoint. This is assisted by the many excellent line drawings, as well as, two sections of carefully chosen black and white photographs.
This is a book of correspondenses, of resonance, of the common rythym that connects things with a higher, sacred place. You learn that there are immeasurable depths to creation- and that you have merely been skipping across the surface of that creation like a stone across deep waters....
Book Description
A National bestseller, The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy has been widely acclaimed for identifying and defining the core body of knowledge that no literare American should be without. Now in this newly revised and updated edition, the authors provice a comprehensive look at cultural literacy for the nineties. New entries reflect suggestions from hundreds of readers. The dictionary takes into account the growing consensus over the specifics of multiculturalism, the political and geographic changes in the world, and the new ideas and terms that flow constantly from scientific research and technological development. The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy challenges us to find out more about what we know and helps us make sense of what we read, hear, and learn. It is a "must have" book for every home.
Customer Reviews:
dictionary of cultural literacy.......2007-10-13
This book is full of information that is not necessary as well as misinformation. What every American needs to know? Give me a break. They need to know the truth. Native Americans are given no credit for their contributions to the Europeans ability to survive after they stole the lands. Over 1200 nations were here before they arrived. Africans and Asians well let's not talk about that. The Bible is not pertinent to American literacy either. Most Christian don't know what negative impact the world of Christianity had on indigenous cultures around the world. What every American needs to know is the real truth. Cultural literacy? The pyramids were not built by slave labor. Many individuals I know and respect are well educated even though they are not part of those so-called great religions. The banjo is an African instrument. Europe is not a continent, it is part of Asia or should we say Euroasia. Many more mistakes to mention. This is not a good book and leads to the already confused state of most Americans who do not know the real history of the Western hemisphere.
A Must- Have.......2002-09-22
This book gives short descriptions of everything you could ever want to know about. It is truly the companion to any culturally-literal person. I used it in my government class and it helped a great deal, and I also used it in a lit class to decipher the Bible. It helps in any subject, definitely something every college student, and people of all ages, should own.
know something about everything.......2002-06-15
I was given this book as a birthday present about 8 years ago. It is still on my shelf, and it still gets used every once an awhile. It is a wonderful book for people who are very curious, people who would like a little refresher on general knowledge, and for people who love jeopoardy and triva pursuit. The book is divided into different categories which cover a broad base of knowledge, including history, religion, mythology, social science, and literature. I would like to see a new edition with more current event information, however, I still believe that this is a good buy, especially for students, teachers, or trivia buffs, because it is an excellent (and quick) reference guide to just about everything.
Becoming outdated...so to speak.......2002-05-05
When/where is the 3rd Edition?????????? I agree with those who have also asked this question. We're almost 10 years after the fact!!! I bought my initial "Dictionary" times 4 H.S. graduates, way back in 1994. I couldn't believe, today, in the bookstore, that they are still selling a 1993 edition, in the year 2002! Comes on, authors, bring us up to date. Do I really want to purchase 1993's, for this year's graduates???? Is there anything comparable to this book, readers out there, that you can tell me about, that I can purchase in this dictionary's stead? Thank you.
Cultural Awareness for Dummies.......2002-01-07
This is a classic favorite of sociologists. Gives thumbnail definitions of modern technical terms(Ex: virtual reality, medical terms(Ex: AZT), business terms(Ex: junk bonds). Although for adults, the core knowledge of this work was distilled for the series: "What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know."
The author, Hirsch, an English professor, was criticized for being and "elitist" for gearing his work to the dominant culture, however, the book can be used as an invaluable resource to immigrants, underprivileged, and anyone who is overwhelmed by the rapidly changing and increasing world of terminology!!
Book Description
Fully updated for the twenty-first century, The New First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy gathers together all of the essential facts that youngsters should have at their fingertips for school success. The child education expert E. D. Hirsch, Jr., cuts through the wealth of information available today to highlight those terms that a child should be familiar with by the end of sixth grade. With nearly 3,000 concise definitions, including 250 new entries (Harry Potter, centaurs, northern lights, and World Series, to name a few), this popular sourcebook makes finding information easy. Here is everything your child needs to know to be culturally literate in 21 different subject areas, from mythology to literature to U.S. history to science and technology, and much more.
Customer Reviews:
Best book ever.......2007-01-28
I had the first edition and now the second edition is equally as enlightening. This is a valuable book,
Not Only Your Child.......2007-01-21
This is a valuable item for all New Citizens as well as for any adult who's had a "whole word" education. I give a copy to any new colleagues from a non-English speaking country.
This is a useful book for high school freshman........2005-09-25
I was surprised to discover how many common proverbs and phrases
are confounding to high school freshman. This book has helped me to better understand the cultural awareness that these
students have not yet acquired. It has also been a useful
tool for working to bridge that gap.
Book Description
This revised edition of A First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy offers the common core of knowledge children should have by the end of grade school. E. D. Hirsch, author of the best-selling Cultural Literacy and co-author of The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, has updated his popular children's version for a generation that needs not only a solid grounding in the arts and sciences but a clear understanding of the world around them - from world geography to the World Wide Web. Inviting and informative, the book is organized by subject, including mythology, history, religion and philosophy, music, art, geography, medicine, technology, and many more. No other book gives children so much of the world, from ancient history to current technology, in one engaging volume.
Customer Reviews:
Couldn't get past page 52.......2002-09-30
I had hoped to give this book to my 11-year old daughter to use as a jumping-off point for many of the subjects we would be studying in our home school. I decided to review it myself first and was surprised to find on page 52 that Mr. Hirsch credits Harriet Beecher Stowe instead of Julia Ward Howe with writing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Instead of continuing through the book with a red pencil, I decided to throw it away and start somewhere else.
Errors of fact to a point of comedy.......2001-11-20
Serious students -- even young ones -- will find laughable errors in this poorly edited reference. Three examples follow:
My fifth grade students, who routinely measure angles in radians to solve school problems, were amused that, on page 185, the author insists that "angles are always measured in degrees."
In science class, the students learned (on page 214) that plants and animals are different organisms. Then, they learned (same page) that "a carnivor is an animal that..." and immediately found a highlighted section that says "Some plants, such as the Venus flytrap, are carnivors." This cracked up the kids who have just had an introduction to simple logic.
Our favorite lesson came when the author taught us that light travels much farther in a minute than it does in a year! This we learned by comparing page 202 ("A light year is the distance light travels in a year, about six million miles.") with page 205 ("Light travels at about 186,000 miles per second..."). It didn't take the smartest fifth-grader to multiply 186,000 by 60 and report that light travels more than eleven million miles in a minute, but only six million miles in an E.D. Hirsch year (page 202).
In fact, other errors abound, and the main use of this book in my classes has been to warn youngsters that "it ain't necessarily so" and to fuel our running contest to see who can find other errors in "What Children Need to Know."
Praise and glory be to E.D. Hirsch.......2001-10-10
Before E.D. Hirsch came along we were wallowing in the dark wasteland of ignorance. The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy is somewhat of a Bible to me and my kinfolk. When ever I need practical help I can always turn to Hirsch's words of wisdom and they guide me towards the essential truths...
Basically this is everything you need to know and everything your child needs to know all together in one book. In fact, you can throw away every book you've ever read- this has EVERYTHING. Forget anything else you've ever read, that isn't important.
The world according to E.D. Hirsch is the world according to me.
Hopefully public educators will see E.D. Hirsch for the visionary genius that he is and force all children to follow his path to higher wisdom.
Dictionary of Cultural Literacy is quick reference for all.......2001-04-28
As an "over-fifty" college graduate with occasional lapses (or suspicions of such lapses)the children's version of E.D.Hirsch, Jr.'s A FIRST DICTIONARY OF CULTURAL LITERACY is an excellent reference to confirm facts quickly and accurately. It is not a substitute for encyclopedias or scholarly references but does fairly accurately and succinctly confirm facts that comprise a fund of knowledge common to all Americans. Although it was originally purchased for use by our elementary age children, it is a reference that I turn to for quick confirmation.
Opinionated Propaganda!.......1999-09-07
This book promulgates disinformation about the "separation of church and state". On page 340, this ideology is defined as "required by the first Amendment to the United States Constitution". This idea of "separation" was a quote from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson regarding a single denomination and is taken out of context when applied to school issues of prayer, etc. Nowhere does the constitution refer to any such mandate. What is more disgraceful, the co-author, Joseph F. Kent is a professor of History. come on, professor, do your homework - try reading the constitution for once.
Average customer rating:
- Indeed a bit pompous, but has still a bigger issue
- An outstanding e-reference
- Not the greatest book, but still indispensible
- Valuable resource
- Great reference manual
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Wired Style: Principles of English Usage in the Digital Age
Manufacturer: Publishers Group West
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ASIN: 1888869011 |
Amazon.com
The meek may inherit the earth, but they do not write style guides. Supremely self-confident, if sometimes cocky, the editors of Wired have done a grand job of describing their style and offering it as a standard for anyone who's interested. There are chapters on voice, jargon, slang, and usage, all described from a Wired sensibility. Their section called "When in Doubt, Close It Up" may even help end the perennial question of "is it e-mail or email?" The book has an accompanying Web site at http://www.wiredstyle.com.
Customer Reviews:
Indeed a bit pompous, but has still a bigger issue.......2004-05-19
Think of "Wired Style" as the 'Chicago Manual of Style' (well, sort of) as stated by Newsweek back in 1999 when this book first came out, and you probably by now can realize where the fundamental problem of the book is. While it does come accross as a bit pompous at times, indeed, the biggest issue it has is the fact that it hasn't been updated since its first edition, five years ago, an entire lifetime by Internet standards. As a result, several ubiquitous terms that you run into everywhere today are missing: blog, RSS, CSS, XHTML, flat panel, and the list goes on and on. So, as much as they ditch the more conservative AP Stylebook, it is not that much better as a tool for editors/writers working in the "digital age", so I don't see much of a point in buying it at this point any more.
An outstanding e-reference.......2004-03-03
This is one of my all-time favorite style guides. Compact, up-to-date, informational yet fun to read. Wired Style answers questions that apparently never occurred to Strunk and White (or to Chicago Manual of Style). The answers are not as prescriptive as those in some style guides, but are written more like "guides" that reveal the thought processes behind the suggestions.
Not the greatest book, but still indispensible.......2003-01-15
There's no doubt that the Wired Style guide is not the best style guide ever written; that said, with Chicago and AP still shockingly behind on integrating usages of Internet and technology-based words into their guides, this book is absolutely indispensible. AP might give three varients of an online word, but Wired gives a more complete listing of all known varients. Whether you like it or not, if you write about the Internet, or ever have to explain Web strategy to someone in writing, you need this book. The other sources out there just don't cut it.
And, as a bonus, if you use a word like "usability," and everyone looks at you funny, this book gives you a backup reference to point to, so you don't look like the one inventing words. (This has in fact happened to me, and it made me question who could possibly not have heard of usability in this day and age -- oh well.)
Valuable resource.......2001-07-24
There is often a debate on how to treat a tech word like email. Should we be like AP or the way the digital press speaks? I found this a great compendium of latest logic in the lexicon of technology. Additionally, the editors are self-deprecating enough to suggest that the standard will likely change -- standby.
Great reference manual.......2001-07-06
As an editor of an online publication, I find myself picking up Wired Style again and again. It has great definitions for terms that frequently come up. Want to know what open source is? Or asynchronous transfer mode? There's also cute stuff in there, like who coined the word nerd (Dr. Seuss). I'm not sure I would pick this book up just to read, but if you're in a position where you need to look up terms quickly, this is the best out there in the high-tech arena.
Average customer rating:
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Concise Dictionary of European Proverbs
Emanuel Strauss
Manufacturer: Routledge
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ASIN: 0415160502 |
Book Description
This concise edition of the definitive 3-volume Dictionary of European Proverbs constitutes a fascinating collection of proverbs in 29 languages. The entries are arranged alphabetically according to the English equivalent, allowing the reader to identify common trends easily and quickly.
* All proverbs listed in original language
* 29 European languages featured
* Includes all proverbs in current use
* Thoroughly checked by language specialists to ensure accuracy.
The Concise Dictionary of European Proverbs is based on over 40 years in-depth research by the compiler. It is an essential reference source for linguists, ethnologists and folklorists, and of interest to anyone wanting to know about the origins, development and current usage of the proverb.
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