Publisher : Random House Audio
Publication Date : 1995 10 17
>> kindle version formatted funny right edge cut off
4 5 stars for the book 2 stars for the kindle version i had purchased the first version in hardback loved it a fun way to review /or fill in gaps in a basic set of knowledge with lots of imbedded pictures the fairly consistent pro/con or HS vs college expectations per listing can get a little tired
i thought it would be a good addition to my kindle library particularly since it said it was optimized for DX in the sample i was already a little put off by just the table of contents which is literally in a table mode which you need to first enter as a table then select the section you want to go to then i noted that the space wasting two column approach of titles/heading in one column narrative in second column has a second penalty in kindle
the width sets vary some columns exhibit only 2 3 words per line of substantive text hugging the right edge with lots of blank space to the left this means you have to hit next page a lot beyond the scope of the sample i ran into a listing that actually had the right edge of text 4 5 characters chopped off even on the DX turned sideways landscape
my experience of amazon as an amazing customer service company continued as they gave me an uncomplicated swift refund i find them to be very responsive to critique they may fix these problems thereby making my review obsolete
>> An Incomplete Education
Don t buy for Kindle Probably a great read or reference in hard copy but the chart format for some topics are not fully displayed on the Kindle screen You cannot see the entire entry for some subjects in a section Table of Contents is not searchable you cannot navigate to a specific chapter heading in a reference book Previous favorable reviews were obviously referring to the hardcopy versions I would recommend it for print on paper reference reading but not for Kindle users How do I get a refund
>> Education for Dummies
Once in a while we get a little smug We think we know all there is to know about all there is to know My Daughter bought a copy of AN INCOMPLETE EDUCATION about 20 Years ago and I never have read it page to page But anytime I open the cover I learn something in spite of my Dummy mentality For example in my edition I just randomly flipped open to page 251 to find a Greek Literature Discussion of the The Iliad and the Odyssey on page 318 a synopsis of Schopenhauer s take on Philosophy on page 560 the life and loves of Louis XIV and on and on These random examples in and of themselves may not be your idea of an Education but it showed me how much I had either forgotten or just never knew
I recently purchased a newer edition and sent to a good friend The magic still works 20 years later My friend called me to rave about the gift that keeps giving
I highly recommend this volume of over three thousand answers to trivia substance and reference materials We are never so dumb as when we think we know it all
