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Eric N e l s o n , l eft, a n d Don Ryan have both a uthored books in t h e 'Idiot's Guide' series. Combi n i n g H awaiian s hirts with th eir doctoral c a p s s h ows the s e n s e o f humor n e e d e d in writing t h e books, w h i c h condense complicated subjects i n t o ea sy-to-follow formats.
Smart people know where to turn for help: to the Idiot's Guid.e
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f you're looking for a blow-by-blow account of the Roman conquest and rule or a concise wrap-up of the d ebate over creationism, you m ight wan t to consult an i d iot. O r rather, an I d iot's Guide. Two PLU faculty members h ave wri t ten popu lar books in "The Complete I d iot's G uide" series known for its prac tical, readable advice on compl icated topics. Don Ryan '79 and Eric Nelson '82 have fou r books between them, and each is at work on another. "We consider them textbooks for the lai ty," Nelson said. Ryan, a facu l ty fel low i n the Division of H umanities, h ad several Idiot's G u ide books, but realized there were none avai lable on archaeology, his spe cialty. He pro posed one to the publish er, Alp h a Books, and wrote the "The Comp lete I diot's G u ide to Lost C ivilizations." He fol lowed i t up wi th guides on b i b lical mysteries and ancient Egypt. H e's at work o n another book abou t the world of the Bible. Ryan suggested his colleague Eric
8 PLU SCENE FALL 2002 > LIFE OF THE MIND
Nelson, ass istant professor of classics, p ropose a book abou t the Roman Empire. Nelson did - and i t was pub lished in 2001. He is working on a book abou t Ancien t G reece and the Ancient Olympics, which is d u e to be published next summer, Just in time for people to brush u p before the 2004 Athens G ames.
Bright people might want to learn about a new subjedy but be overwhelmed by jargon filled academic journals or bored by a standard textbook. The Idioes Guide is a perfect alternative) the authors say. T h e s e r i e s p rese n ts t o p i c s i n an e asy- to- fo l l ow, s o m e w h a t lIg h t h e ar t e d y e t info r m ative fo r m a t . Tear-o u t fact s h e e ts , g l o s s a r i e s , a h u m o ro u s t o u c h a n d o t h e r fe a t u re s m ake t h e b o o k s e a s y to co m p r e h e n d , w i tho u t b e i ng s i m p l i s t i c .
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"You can't d u m b i t down so i t's con d escendi ng," Ryan said . "But you have to be authori tative. You write l ike you're talking to an i n troductory course." They real ize there is some s kepticism in the academic com m unity about books wi th the word "idiot" i n the title, but both fee l strongly that they are educating a b road audience wi th thei r vol umes. Bright people might want to learn about a new subject, but be over whelmed by jargon-filled academic journ al s o r bored by a standard text book. The I d iot's G u ide is a perfect alternative, the authors say. Both PLU professors' books have been steady sellers, and they h ave brought acclaim from experts and elicited responses from readers around the worl d . Cri tics also praise them. KMT: A Modern Jou rnal o f Ancient Egypt, said Ryan's guide to Ancient Egypt was very e ffective. "It also estab l ishes au thor Don Ryan as the first great popularizer of Egyptology in the Twenty-fi rs t Centu ry," said a review. James]. Clauss, p rofessor of classics at the U nivers i ty of Washi ngton, called Nelson's guide, "a clear and engaging accou n t of ancient Rome." Both au thors say the success of the i r books - o n what a r e not generally con s idered popular topics - shows the i n terest and i n te l l igence of readers. " People have a h unger - they want to k now about the past, how it ties i n to the presen t," Nelson said. The writing style takes some getting used to - it's hard to synthesize so m uc h material i n to concise and humorous p ieces, they say - but both men have developed a methodology for p u tting the books together. Their books are available at all bookstores i nclud ing the PLU Bookstore. "I think it's i mportant for academics to try to raise the level of public d is course," Nelson said . "And there are many people out there who k now about PLU now, because of the author bios printe d on the books." By Katherine Ned/and
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