Knowledge Book, The: Everything You Need to Know to Get by in the 21st Century - Softcover

National Geographic

Softcover

ISBN 10: 142620518X ISBN 13: 9781426205187

Publisher: National Geographic, 2009

Synopsis

Indispensable for every home, library, and office, The Knowledge Book distills thousands of years of humankind’s most significant ideas and achievements explains how they are linked and why they are important and packs everything into a single, irresistibly readable volume. The richly illustrated pages burst with essential facts from all major fields of knowledge: science, technology, philosophy, art, religion, economics, and more.

Loaded with cross-referencing, fact boxes, and other helpful features, the book is topically organized into five sections: Earth and Space; Mathematics and the Sciences; Politics and Economics; Religion, Philosophy, and Psychology; and the Arts. An introductory spread opens each section, summarizing its biggest ideas and discoveries. Time lines and fact boxes place events in the context of history, while sidebars add interesting details on processes, inventions, and artistic techniques. Famous personalities are introduced in highlighted columns. Finally, each section ends with a notation that lists the major issues to be resolved in our day. Color-coded tabs guide readers through the book and support this innovative and accessible approach.

More than a thousand vibrant images captivate readers who enjoy visual learning and function as a colorful catalog of essential knowledge.

About this title

About the Author

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC is one of the world’s leading nonfiction publishers, proudly supporting the work of scientists, explorers, photographers, and authors, as well as publishing a diverse list of books that celebrate the world and all that is in it. National Geographic Books creates and distributes print and digital works that inspire, entertain, teach, and give readers access to a world of discovery and possibility on a wide range of nonfiction subjects from animals to travel, cartography to history, fun facts to moving stories. A portion of all National Geographic proceeds is used to fund exploration, conservation, and education through ongoing contributions to the work of the National Geographic Society.

From Booklist

The Knowledge Book is appropriate for high-school and college students or the lifelong learner. The foreword’s author, David Wallechinsky, encourages the reader to open the volume to any page and discover basic knowledge on a subject. Students might consider it a Cliff Notes for just about any assignment. The volume is divided by subjects, many that are courses in high school and college—“Biology,” “Religion,” etc. There are fewer and smaller color photos than in Firefly’s World of Facts, but there are still plenty of boxes, graphics, sidebars, time lines, and tables. A single page on Automotive engineering describes the subject, provides key facts, explains the motor and body of a car, and includes a description of a gasoline-powered engine.  This reference source will be popular in high-school, academic, and public libraries. --Christine Bulson

Edition details

• Publisher: National Geographic
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 142620518X
• ISBN 13: 9781426205187
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 400