The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy

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' bank of essential knowledge up to date. The original entries have been fully revised to reflect recent changes in world history and politics, American literature, and, especially, science and technology. Cultural icons that have stood the test of time (Odysseus, Leaves of Grass, Cleopatra, the Taj Mahal, D-Day) appear alongside entries on such varied concerns as cryptography, the digital divide, the European Union, Kwanzaa, pheromones, SPAM, Type A and Type B personalities, Web browsers, and much, much more. 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, and that is also taken for granted as part of the fabric that connects us to one another." 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.

E. D. Hirsch, Jr. is the University Professor of Education and Humanities and the Linden Kent Memorial Professor of English Emeritus at the University of Virginia.

Contents
Preface vii
Introduction to the First Edition x
The Theory Behind the Dictionary: Cultural Literacy and Education xii
How to Use This Dictionary xvii

The Bible 1
Mythology and Folklore 27
Proverbs 47
Idioms 59
World Literature, Philosophy, and Religion 83
Literature in English 115
Conventions of Written English 147
Fine Arts 163
World History to 1550 202
World History since 1550 217
American History to 1865 251
American History since 1865 277
World Politics 311
American Politics 329
World Geography 356
American Geography 408
Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology 425
Business and Economics 448
Physical Sciences and Mathematics 473
Earth Sciences 509
Life Sciences 523
Medicine and Health 546
Technology 587
Photo and Illustration Credits 607
Index 609