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Title: The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know
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Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
List Price: $29.95
Our Price: $15.92
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| Customer Reviews: |
| The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know by Houghton Mifflin Great Purchase | | Every American family should own this book! It has all the essential details presented in an organized, succinct manner. Easy to use, fun to flip to random pages and see what you do or do not remember from school. | | The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know by Houghton Mifflin Not an easy way to learn "What Every American Needs to Know" | I do not recommend this book. It is a dictionary and if you want to learn "What Every American Needs to Know" it is very hard to do so by reading a dictionary with entries arranged in alphabetical order. For example, in the section about the Bible, you will learn first who "Abraham and Isaac" are, before learning who "Adam and Eve" are, and even before learning what the "Bible" itself is, since it starts with the letter "B".
The entries are supposed to be cross referenced, but this only means that words that have their own entries are highlighted in the explanations. Now you have to go to the index to find on what page they are explained, which is a waste of time. (Of course, it is a waste of time to use a printed dictionary in the first place.)
The dictionary is divided into sections by topic. But these sections include too many different subtopics. For example, English-language writers and fictional characters are all in one section. Now, if you want a list of all the important English writers, you have to go through all the entries in the section. If you want all non-English language writers it's even worse - they are in the section "World literature, philosophy, and religion." If you want to learn "What Every American Needs to Know," you will want to go by categories instead of reading an entry for "philosophy" followed by an entry for "Pinocchio".
Pronunciation - some entries include a pronunciation guide, which is great. But they made it difficult to understand that pronunciation by using their own confusing way of writing it, so you have to check the key to see what it means. For example, "o" in the guide should be pronounced like the letter "o" in "pot", while "oh" - like the letter "o" in "go". Now tell me if that's "easily understood" - not at all, everywhere else "h" is used to mark short vowels, not long ones! And how do you know when you actually have to pronounce the sound "h" as in "hat"! (OK, that's easily understood, but it annoys me anyway).
The binding is bad as well - books this big should be stitched, but this one isn't, so the pages separate from the book as I read.
In conclusion - the explanations in this dictionary are OK, but they should have been organized better according to topics and subtopics and sorted in chronological order where appropriate. Appendices with lists of entries on specific topics would have been helpful as well. | | The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know by Houghton Mifflin This was a hard book to find in local stores | | 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. | | The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know by Houghton Mifflin 4 1/2 stars. | | 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. | | The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know by Houghton Mifflin Something for Everyone | | 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. | | The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know by Houghton Mifflin Product 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. |
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