AnIncompleteEducation:3,684ThingsYouShouldHaveLearnedbutProbablyDidn't

Whenitwasoriginallypublishedin1987,AnIncompleteEducationbecameasurprisebestseller.Nowthisinstantclassichasbeencompletelyupdated,outfittedwithawholenewarsenalofindispensableknowledgeonglobalaffairs,popularculture,economictrends,scientificprinciples,andmodernarts.Here’syourchancetobrushuponallthosesubjectsyousleptthroughinschool,reacquaintyourselfwithallthefactsyouonceknew(thenpromptlyforgot),catchuponmajordevelopmentsintheworldtoday,andbecometheRenaissancemanorwomanyoualwaysknewyoucouldbe!HowdoyoutelltheBalkansfromtheCaucasus?What’sthedifferencebetweenfissionandfusion?WhigsandTories?ShiitesandSunnis?Deductionandinduction?Whyaren’tallShakespeareancomediesnecessarilythigh-slappers?Whataretranscendentalnumbersandwhataretheygoodfor?WhatreallyhappenedinPlato’scave?Ispostmodernismdeadorjusthavingabadhairday?Andforextracredit,whenshouldyouusetheadjectivecontinualandwhenshouldyouusecontinuous?AnIncompleteEducationanswerstheseandthousandsofotherquestionswithincomparablewit,style,andclarity.AmericanStudies,ArtHistory,Economics,Film,Literature,Music,Philosophy,PoliticalScience,Psychology,Religion,Science,andWorldHistory:Here’sthebottomlineoneachofthesemajordisciplines,distilledtoitsessenceandservedupwithconsummateflair.Inthisrevisededitionyou’llfindavitallyexpandedtreatmentofinternationalissues,reflectingtheseismicgeopoliticalupheavalsofthepastdecade,fromeconomicfree-fallinSouthAmericatoCentralAfrica’sworldwar,andfromviolentradicalizationintheMuslimworldtothecrucialtradeagreementsthataredefiningglobalizationforthetwenty-firstcentury.Anddon’tforgettoreadthesectionANervousAmerican’sGuidetoLivingandLovingonFiveContinentsbeforeyouanswerapersonaladintheInternationalHeraldTribune.Asdelightfulasitisilluminating,AnIncompleteEducationpackstenthousandyearsofcultureintoasinglesuperblyreadablevolume.Thisisabooktocelebrate,toshare,togiveandreceive,toporeoverandbrowsethrough,andtoreturntoagainandagain.