TY  - BOOK
AU  - Hirsch,E.D.
AU  - Kett,Joseph F.
AU  - Trefil,James S.
TI  - The new dictionary of cultural literacy
SN  - 0618226478
AV  - E169.1 .H614 2002
PY  - 2002///
CY  - Boston
PB  - Houghton Mifflin
KW  - Civilization
KW  - Dictionaries
KW  - English language
KW  - United States
N1  - Includes index; The Theory Behind the Dictionary: Cultural Literacy and Education -- The Bible -- Mythology and Folklore -- Proverbs -- Idioms -- World Literature, Philosophy, and Religion -- Literature in English -- Conventions of Written English -- Fine Arts -- World History to 1550 -- World History since 1550 -- American History to 1865 -- American History since 1865 -- World Politics -- American Politics -- World Geography -- American Geography -- Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology -- Business and Economics -- Physical Sciences and Mathematics -- Earth Sciences -- Life Sciences -- Medicine and Health -- Technology
N2  - 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' essential knowledge bank up to date. Are you familiar with the digital divide, European Union, Kwanzaa, pheromones, Type A and Type B personalities, spam? Or, test your knowledge on cultural icons that have stood the test of time: Odysseus, Leaves of Grass, Cleopatra, Winston Churchill, the Taj Mahal, and many, many more. Numerous original entries have been revised to reflect the many recent changes in world history and politics, American literature, and, especially, science and technology; 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." 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
ER  -