Don't Know Much about Geography: Everything You Need to Know about the World But Never Learned

by Kenneth C. Davis

Book Overview

Davis, author of the bestselling, nationally acclaimed Don't Know Much About History, turns his inimitable wit and wide-ranging knowledge to the subject of geography, proving once and for all that there is a lot more to it than labeling countries on a map. Along the way he tackles such questions as Where was the Garden of Eden?; Who killed the Dead Sea?; and What's so bad about the Badlands? Maps and illustrations.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688103324
• ISBN13: 9780688103323
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 398 Pages
• Weight: 1.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

"Don't Know Much About.." Series is Excellent!

I've read all of the books in the "Don't Know Much About.." series. If you're interested in getting a rather thorough overview without becoming an expert, these books are for you. They are so easy to read, that I couldn't but them down.

Interesting look at planet Earth

I had purchased the audio version of the author's "Don't Know Much About History" and had enjoyed it. I decided to purchase this selection and was not disappointed. The title of this book is a little misleading, as the topics are not limited to geography. The author also covers related topics such as meteorology and climatology, world economics, astronomy, political history. and others. This book focuses on two major types of information: (1) Things you probably learned in school and wish that you could remember -- but don't; (2) Unusual or surprising facts that you probably never knew. Like the "History" book, this one was written in a question and answer format. This technique allows the author to cover various snippets of information and jump around from topic to topic. Although some people like this technique, if you prefer books that flow naturally from topic to topic, this style may annoy you after a while. I agree with some reviewers that the author does tend to interject his personal beliefs and biases into the text. However, when he does so, he tries to back these up with facts. I did not find his commentary to be a negative, but rather found that they made the book more interesting. Note: This is a review of the AUDIBLE.COM audio version of the book (abridged). This audio version was fairly lively and easy to listen to. They tried to use a variety of readers to spice it up (one voice would ask a question and another would give the answer). I enjoyed it on my long commutes to work.

a great read

One of the more memorable times in my school life was in college when a professor actually made history fun to learn. I learned more in that class than I think I did in all the rest of my history classes throughout my life. Mr. Davis is able to do the same with geography in this wonderful book. I recommend this to anyone wishing to learn more about the world we live in.

A very nice refresher course on Geography.

I actually listened to this book on tape. The initial voice on the tape (for the first 20 minutes) made me dread having to listen to the WHOLE tape, but fortunately a pleasant well-spoken voice stepped in and completed the book! This was a fun geography review, with interesting stories to go along with the places being described. There was also a little weather, astronomy, and human history thrown in to further describe the location.This was a concise highlighted look at Geography, covering several dozen places with just the right amount of information on each. I very much enjoyed listening to this tape.

Excellent primer on world geography

Kenneth Davis' volume, "Don't Know Much About Geography," is a light-hearted, sometimes tongue-in-cheek look at world geography and how that geography has played a part in world history and the shaping of cultures. Though this is not an in-depth treatise on geography, Davis makes the subject relevant to his readers. A must read for any student just beginning geography as well as adults who want to refresh their memories.