Cultural Literacy

The Bartlby.com website harbors an interesting resource pulled together by E. D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil, The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002:

The manifestation of one of the most influential modern educational theories, the 6,900 entries in this major new reference work form the touchstone of what it means to be not only just a literate American but an active citizen in our multicultural democracy.

Upon investigation, however, it appears this is far more than a dictionary and resembles an encyclopedia, kind of in competition with Bartlby's online Columbia Encyclopedia. I'd say, give it a spin. Between a capella and zygote, you're bound to learn something useful.

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