An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't

Good jumping off point.

I really like the book. I think the author's sense of humor is fun. Obviously the book doesn't cover every subject in great detail but it certainly opened my mind to new concepts and gave me enough information to do my own study in greater depth on the subjects I found interesting. I bought this book in anticipation of being on a quiz show. I didn't make the cut for the show but I was very pleased with the new things I learned from this book.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Bits and pieces

I am typically drawn to these tid-bit style books. I enjoy reading useless and sometimes entertaining bits and pieces. So with that proclivity, I was given this as a gift.
While it has it's moments this is basically disjointed, disorganized and uninteresting. A lot of what appears in here is opinion based. I don't read these type of books for opinion. This is like a "best of" list book in parts. I don't care to read someone else's opinion on insignificant things.
I cannot urge anyone to buy this mess.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Interesting and useful.

I attended one of the best colleges in the country, one that is known for its so-called Common Core Curriculum, which should have educated all of us in the basics. Somehow I still managed to lack tons of information that I think that an educated person should know. I ran across this book and read about a tenth of it. That was enough to make me want to buy it, which I am doing today. I read the review from the reviewer who accused the writers of being homophobic and focusing on this aspect of their personalities in an unfair way. In the roughly tenth of the book that I have read, I found no mention at all of homosexuality of any kind, and suspect that the reviewer has a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A COMPLETE Waste of Time and Money

I bought this book in hopes of enriching my mind and refreshing my memory of certain themes covered in my college curriculum; I was sorely disappointed. The authors take a sneering approach to the subjects they cover, in what appears to be a poor, cavalier stab at humor. The effect is off-putting, and actually inspires a defensive attitude from their audience. Caution lovers of Literature: chances are that one or more of your favorite authors have been denigrated within this book's covers. The knowledge the authors of this book impart on the various topics they cover is scant at best, and these anaemic summaries are more often then not followed by embarrassingly one-sided, pretentious editorialization. If you have a love for knowledge and some modicum of education, beware this book. If you have no real interest in the topics at hand, and are merely looking for opinions to snarkily regurgitate to an audience who in turn has no real interest in the topics in order to make yourself appear more knowledgeable than you really are . . . well, then, you have discovered your Holy Grail.

2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

A horrible read

Admittedly, I did not complete this book. I managed to force my way through the first 100+ pages before just getting fed up with it so, it is quite possible it gets better but highly unlikely. The authors of this work are clearly elitist, homophobic, cynical snobs with nothing better to do with their time then to insult and belittle the great thinkers and creations of humankind. Almost every single accomplishment discussed is put-down and if the creation isn't put-down then the creator is disgraced and half of these great historical figures they discuss, after slandering and vilifying them the authors always end the writing by mentioning they were homosexual as if that might be the cause of their supposed lack of humanity and/or ability. I am typically a fan of the cynical humor but this book was just over the top and should not try and pass itself off as a reference book from which one can truly learn.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

fun facts you forgot you knew

very well written to be easy and fun to read in small bites, a good conversation starter.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very Disappointing

As someone who has read and loved history for many decades I thought this book would make a great addition to my collection, but I was very disappointed. Much of the information is piece-meal and incomplete, just enticing the reader a bit and then leaving them wondering where the rest of the story is. I was also surprised by the frequent and glaring anti-conservative messages, which were often unrelated to the topics being discussed. I understand that historians are human and have political leanings, but in this book too much opinion tainted the historical message. I was hoping for an informative new take on the topics included, and as I say, I was disappointed.

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Quick read!

General info for a rainy day read! Do not need to sit down and read at one sitting!

Just Okay

Not as comprehensive as I had hoped (and too "preachy" on some points). Could have been better organized and given a broader view of the areas it purports to cover.

I stayed up til 5am for 4 days straight reading this book.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was addicting the amount of information they were throwing at you. They make it easy to skip around to topics that interest you most. The authors actually have a sense of humor which makes for absorbing all this information a little easier and entertaining. I would have liked for a little more detail and more clarification on some issues. Sometimes it did seem like the authors expect you to already have common knowledge on certain subjects which made their explanation a little confusing. But otherwise, I appreciated how the authors compared what you learned in high school to what you should have learned instead.

Very very disappointed with this book.

Not well written and snarky pseudo-intellectual sarcasm included. Use wikipedia or buy an Oxford Dictionary or Encyclopedia instead. This was the first book I ever returned to B&N.

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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