Rating: 
Summary: so....wtf is postmodernism???
Review: "A skepticism towards all meta-narratives" according to... Jacques Derrida, I think... This is about all the elaboration that is done on the subject of what post-modernism IS. With regards to what a meta-narrative is, it apparently refers to a fully general philosophical theory, concerning (e.g.) all knowledge-claims; all justificatory strategies; all moral values, rights, and obligations; all instances of injustice;
Apparently this 'theory' differs from nihilism, but if that is what defines it, I don't see how.
If you actually want to learn about post-modernism, this is not a book I could recommend; internet resources have been much more useful. The section on modern art history and the crisis of expression was interesting, as well as some other random factoids that apparently relate to post-modernism. On the whole though, I'd say this is a work totally devoid of substance, and and as I learn more I'm inclined to assign the same description to post-modernism itself. For a similar, comical, and much more scathing review, see the one below entitled "Trash" by 'a reader'.
Rating: 
Summary: A slide show for simpletons.
Review: How effective are cartoons at explaining complex theories in sociology and culturology? Answer: they're not.With the possible exception of an orchestral symphony translated into smoke signals, it's impossible to imagine a more egregious mismatch between content and medium of expression than this. After about five pages, you realise that the splash of illustrations not only are not an aide to comprehension, they are embarrassingly redundant. Postmodernism is an enormous field of thought, so much so that almost any author who has written an essay on it that claims to be an introduction begins with the apologetic preface that the subject virtually defies synopsis. Not these guys! Apparently the whole issue can be explained to even a novice with a series of pictures: words are almost an afterthought. How's that for scholarship? This series of books is quite simply the worst class of 'infotainment' you could encounter. The assumption that nobody will tackle these topics unless that are sweetened-up as 'fun' (i.e, comic strips) is an insult to anyone trying to grasp a complex topic. The whole format is built upon the tacit assumptions that learning can only be achieved through the medium of entertainment; that the potential buyer has a miniscule attention span; and that the most widely-scoped, recondite topics can all be boiled down to a comic strip. Please don't think this is academic elitism: if you think you'll come away from this book with a rounded view of the topic, do buy it. But I think you'll find that like so many other publications in the series, this book mentions everything and explains nothing.
Rating:
Summary: Introducing, my foot!
Review: I have the 1995 British edition of this book - same cover, same authors, presumably the same text inside, but with the title "Postmodernism for Beginners". I think that title falls foul of the U.K's Trade Description Act, but so, I think, does the present one. I know a little about Postmodernism from a much better short book (Christopher Butler's "Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction", Oxford 2002), and I found particularly the first half of the Appignanesi book absolutely impenetrable. That first half, unlike Butler's, includes Structuralism in Postmodernism; but on Structuralism you would do much better to read John Sturrock's short "Structuralism" (Paladin), which is much more lucid and accessible, even if it doesn't have pictures in it! The second half of the Appignanesi book does at least have some suggestive ideas about the contemporary world.
Rating: 
Summary: Everything is better with an Andy Warhol cartoon
Review: I love the Introducing series. They are excellent study guides for topics that may be unfamiliar. They are generally not to detailed but provide a good jumping off point for further research. Introducing Postmodernism was a bit vague, but i guess so is postmodernism itself. To completely understand the book, you first must have an idea what postmodernism is, and if you have such an idea, you don't really need a postmodern study guide. It gives alot of examples of postmodernity in society without actually stating what postmoderninsm is, but who CAN acctually state what postmodernism is? It discusses everyone from Stephen Hawking to Madonna, everything from "Cyberia" and genetic cloning to Disneyland and karaoke. It might give you some ideas if you have to write a paper, than again it just might frustrate you and cause you to spin off into cyberspace.
Rating:
Summary: Trash
Review: I really enjoyed the unique approach that this book took towards explaining post modernism in a straight forward non-academic manner. The book reads like Mad Magazine does Post Modernism. It is illustrated throughout and you know what...It's zany, fun, and delightful.. You would have to be a real sourpuss or maybe on of those three or four people who don't like Mad magazine, the Marx Brothers, or the Three Stooges not to enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Into 2 Won't Go
Review: Many readers are put off by the very idea of serious works being reduced to a comic book format. I'm not. My experience with the Classic Comic Books of old was a good one and helped stimulate me into a more conventional direction later on. It should be admitted, however, that some serious topics are more suited to that format than others. In this case, the authors' section on postmodern art is well suited as it traces the evolution of visual styles over the preceding decades. There is much to learn here. But this asset, I'm afraid, is simply outweighed by the other two sections. These deal with topics that likely defy the most skillful of conversion attempts. Put briefly, rendering the postmodern theory of these two sections into skimpy simplifying text along with none-to-helpful graphics is almost like rendering quantum theory into a serious discussion between Ren & Stimpy. The material is simply too refractory. The authors' effort represents an honorable failure; and a task made no easier by the fact that the rhetoric of many of PoMo's leading exponents has itself been exposed as empty and inflated. (Sokal & Bricmont's, *Fashionable Nonsense*) Still, whatever its ultimate worth, I think PoMo is worth pursuing since it does capture the Zeitgeist of two key contemporary trends: consumerism and globalization. More text, however, is required by any effective introduction. So, at your own risk.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Into 2 Won't Go
Review: Now that we are beginning to hear the first whispers that we are entering a whole new world/era, understanding Postmodernism might be as important as ever. "Introducing Postmodernism" is part of the Totem series of graphic study guides that takes readers on a quick tour through structuralism, deconstruction and semiotics as advanced by such Postmodern icons as Foucault, Levi-Strauss and Barthes. The text by Richard Appignanesi, the founding editor of the series, is illustrated by Chris Garratt. There are three parts, looking at the genealogy of Postmodern Art, Theory and History. The first part is clearly the strongest as it shows how the crisis in representation caused by the invention of photography impacted upon the world of art. Within this context impressionism, cubism, abstract expressionism and pop art represent a logical progression. The second part on theory gets into structuralism and semiotics, but without a specific textual context the level of abstraction remains problematic, which can be remedied in class via the use of concrete examples. The third and final section on history also offers a nice section on "The Satanic Versus" and the fatwa ordered against author Salman Rushdie by the Ayatollah Khomeini, which certainly takes on an additional level of interest in the current times. "Introducing Postmodernism" does throw an awful lot of concepts at the reader and I think you have to take care in setting it up for students and being sure they do not lose the fundamentals of Postmodernism in all the clutter of artists and concepts. I also find it very interesting that other books offering the basics of Postmodernism look at an essentially different roster of people, with Derrida and Madonna the apparent common denominators. I am using this book in an "Introduction to Popular Culture" class and hopefully it is going to work to have the cherubs understand the era in which they live.
Rating: 
Summary: Slammin!
Review: Perhaps one of the best introductions to the PoMo phenomenon. Funny how the most insightful sources are the most simple. The complexity of Derrida and Foucault seems to fade away as I moved from one section to the next. I really appreciated the writers attempt at not mocking the complex topic and trying to make is real. I was specially appreciative of the sections that introduced the PoMo phenomenon. Despite the lack of real direction Postmodern thinking provides, it is a really interesting phenomenon and worth exploring. If you take this as your starting point then move to "The Truth about the Truth: De-Confusing and Re-constructing the Postmodern World" by Walter Truett Anderson (also provided by Amazon.com) and then proceed to engage in the specific writers and artists themselves, this purposeful ambiguity will eventually fade away. Miguel Llora
Rating: 
Summary: Introducing A Book Review
Review: The book is the best short treatment of recent intellectual currents in western thought that I have read. It is especially applicable to the U.S. in the quotation: "The crux of postmodernity is that there are two 'presents'." One is a 'spectre' present, a Virtual Reality techno-media simulacrum that makes the other 'real' present appear borderline, fugitive, elusive." T.R. Cattan
Rating:
Summary: Introducing A Book Review
Review: The book is the best short treatment of recent intellectual currents in western thought that I have read. It is especially applicable to the U.S. in the quotation: "The crux of postmodernity is that there are two 'presents'." One is a 'spectre' present, a Virtual Reality techno-media simulacrum that makes the other 'real' present appear borderline, fugitive, elusive." T.R. Cattan
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