The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind

Of course not. But the breadth and depth of this book are amazing. I've been meaning to review for some time but just don't think I can do it justice in a short review. This is not a reference book. It is a "general knowledge" book covering every subject imaginable- literature, politics, science, you name it. And the depth of coverage is remarkable. It not only covers objective information but also subjective- greatest writers, books, etc. And best of all, it is interesting and fun. I was surprised by the number of things I had never really thought about (or had forgotten about) until I came across them in the book. For example, I made the mistake of reading Dante at a too young age and had it fixed in my mind that I didn't like his work. This sparked my curiousity and I downloaded "Divine Comedy". And loved it of course. That is just one of several examples, some I've followed up and some I haven't yet. I doubt that I would have stumbled across half of this just cruising the internet. Very happy I found this book- it has opened up so many avenues for more reading and research. I think that I got more general knowledge out of this than I remember from my college days 20 years ago :-)

I almost didn’t buy this book because someone complained that its contents are not indexed and can’t be used for quick lookup. Actually Kindle’s search engine instantly finds what you want, along with interesting correlations and cross-references that you might not have expected. Discussions are clear, concise, reasonably detailed. Access is faster and easier than with a Kindle web search (which can be a second step when more depth is needed). I think this is good value for money.

This weighty tome is chock-a-block full of so much information it’s mind boggling. I’ve only begun to to skim the surface, but what I have covered so far is truly impressive. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to continue to learn for years beyond their formal education.

This is an amazing reference. It is written in a very accessible, superbly edited New York Times style. The knowledge within is well-researched and valuable. It covers a wide variety of topics and is well-organized. But what you really need to ask yourself in deciding to buy it is, "With the Internet, why do I need this?" I see a few possibilities: - You do not have the Internet (I am curious how you are reading my review if this is the case), or for some reason of circumstance, your Internet is not always reliable. This is why I bought it. - You are looking to discover knowledge in a more random way, by flipping through a book, instead of seeking out specific things online. This is, of course, a great resource for that kind of thing. - You like books and prefer to use them. I do, too, and I think this book would be an excellent addition to your library. I think for many people, this isn't a "necessary" book to own. But, if you fall into one of those three categories and you have an insatiable thirst for knowledge, this book is a MUST have.

I bought this title (KIndle version) thinking it would be along the lines of the classic Columbia Desk Encyclopedia. It consists rather of a series of fairly lengthy essays on a variety of broad topics pretty much covering the gamut of human knowledge in of course a very general way. The essays seem well researched in most cases and will provide a reliable introduction to fields a reader is not familiar with. The lack of a fast, indexed searched to specific topics or keywords, however, limits its usefulness as a quick reference source. Searching for keywords seems to be brute force as my Kindle Fire plows through the entire text, which can take an unduly long time.

This books holds a wealth of knowledge. Scooped it up for a great price.

Very good source - amazing amount of information. Cause statements on nuclear accidents might need work.

It's from the NY Times, so expect some biased editing. It is packed with a little bit of everything. Tons of useless trivia mixed with truly essential knowledge.

Wide range of topics .. all interesting.

最近ベストセラーの本よりもこっちの方が多くの分野に渡って書いてある、おすすめです。

das Lexikon ist eine echte Alternative, schön das es das gibt in der online - Zeit hatte die 2004er Ausgabe, die mich animierte die neueste zu kaufen

la calidad de los productos

No diagrams or pictures in the kindle version in what I have read so far. Makes it difficult to envision some of the verbal descriptions. Read through the Architecture section without a drawing or picture.