We look forward to seeing you on your next visit to the library. Find a location near you.

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
(OverDrive MP3 Audiobook, OverDrive Listen)

Book Cover
Average Rating
5 star
 
(2)
4 star
 
(0)
3 star
 
(0)
2 star
 
(0)
1 star
 
(0)
Published:
Blackstone Publishing 2007
Status:
Available from OverDrive
Description

In this eloquent and persuasive book, Neil Postman examines the deep and broad effects of television culture on the manner in which we conduct our public affairs, and how "entertainment values" have corrupted the very way we think. As politics, news, religion, education, and commerce are given less and less expression in the form of the printed word, they are rapidly being reshaped to suit the requirements of television. And because television is a visual medium, whose images are most pleasurably apprehended when they are fast-moving and dynamic, discourse on television has little tolerance for argument, hypothesis, or explanation. Postman argues that public discourse—the advancing of arguments in logical order for the public good, once a hallmark of American culture—is being converted from exposition and explanation to entertainment.

Also in This Series
Formats
OverDrive MP3 Audiobook
Works on MP3 Players, PCs, and Macs. Some mobile devices may require an application to be installed.
OverDrive Listen
Need Help?
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.
More Like This
Other Editions and Formats
More Copies In LINK+
Loading LINK+ Copies...
More Details
Format:
OverDrive MP3 Audiobook, OverDrive Listen
Edition:
Unabridged
Street Date:
01/01/2007
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781481546782
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Neil Postman. (2007). Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Unabridged Blackstone Publishing.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Neil Postman. 2007. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Blackstone Publishing.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Blackstone Publishing, 2007.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Neil Postman. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Unabridged Blackstone Publishing, 2007.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Copy Details
LibraryOwnedAvailable
Shared Digital Collection42

There are 2 holds on this title.

Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
c51466c4-6720-ba5d-d131-3a6c9ebe9773
Go To Grouped Work
Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 17:43:37
Date Updated:
Oct 21, 2022 20:20:48
Last Metadata Check:
Mar 28, 2024 13:00:14
Last Metadata Change:
Feb 17, 2024 11:31:36
Last Availability Check:
Mar 28, 2024 13:00:16
Last Availability Change:
Mar 28, 2024 13:00:16
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Mar 29, 2024 02:17:20

OverDrive Product Record

images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/0887-1/{19A5C860-E071-4218-850B-14602459B33B}IMG100.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/0887-1/{19A5C860-E071-4218-850B-14602459B33B}IMG200.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/0887-1/{19A5C860-E071-4218-850B-14602459B33B}IMG150.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/0887-1/{19A5C860-E071-4218-850B-14602459B33B}IMG400.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
formats
      • identifiers:
            • type: PublisherCatalogNumber
            • value: 9781982467425
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781481546782
      • name: OverDrive MP3 Audiobook
      • id: audiobook-mp3
      • identifiers:
            • type: PublisherCatalogNumber
            • value: 9781982467425
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781481546782
      • name: OverDrive Listen
      • id: audiobook-overdrive
mediaType
Audiobook
primaryCreator
    • role: Author
    • name: Neil Postman
title
Amusing Ourselves to Death
dateAdded
2016-06-16T22:47:00Z
contentDetails
      • href: https://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=141&titleID=119099
      • type: text/html
      • account:
          • name: Sacramento Public Library (CA)
          • id: 1151
sortTitle
Amusing Ourselves to Death Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
crossRefId
119099
subtitle
Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
id
19A5C860-E071-4218-850B-14602459B33B
starRating
4.2

OverDrive MetaData

isPublicDomain
False
formats
      • duration: 04:53:03
      • fileName: AmusingOurselvestoDeath0786155906
      • partCount: 4
      • fileSize: 138763474
      • identifiers:
            • audience: retailer
            • type: PublisherCatalogNumber
            • value: 9781982467425
            • audience: library
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781481546782
      • rights:
            • type: PlayOnPC
            • value: 1
            • type: PlayOnPCCount
            • value: -1
            • type: BurnToCD
            • value: 1
            • type: BurnToCDCount
            • value: -1
            • type: PlayOnPM
            • value: 1
            • type: TransferToSDMI
            • value: 1
            • type: TransferToNonSDMI
            • value: 1
            • type: TransferCount
            • value: -1
            • type: CollaborativePlay
            • value: 0
            • type: PublicPerformance
            • value: 0
            • type: TranscodeToAAC
            • value: 1
      • name: OverDrive MP3 Audiobook
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: audiobook-mp3
      • onSaleDate: 1/2/2007
      • samples:
            • source: Part 1
            • formatType: audiobook-mp3
            • url: https://excerpts.cdn.overdrive.com/FormatType-425/0887-1/119099-AmusingOurselvesToDeath.mp3
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: audiobook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=19a5c860-e071-4218-850b-14602459b33b&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
      • duration: 04:49:03
      • fileName: AmusingOurselvestoDeath0786155906
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 138750535
      • identifiers:
            • audience: retailer
            • type: PublisherCatalogNumber
            • value: 9781982467425
            • audience: library
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781481546782
      • name: OverDrive Listen
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: audiobook-overdrive
      • onSaleDate: 1/2/2007
      • samples:
            • source: Part 1
            • formatType: audiobook-mp3
            • url: https://excerpts.cdn.overdrive.com/FormatType-425/0887-1/119099-AmusingOurselvesToDeath.mp3
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: audiobook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=19a5c860-e071-4218-850b-14602459b33b&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
creators
      • role: Author
      • fileAs: Postman, Neil
      • bioText:

        Neil Postman (1931–2003) was chairman of the Department of Communication Arts at New York University and founder of its Media Ecology program. He wrote more than twenty books. His son Andrew Postman is the author of five books, and his work appears in numerous publications.

      • name: Neil Postman
      • role: Narrator
      • fileAs: Riggenbach, Jeff
      • name: Jeff Riggenbach
imprint
Blackstone Audio, Inc., and Buck 50 Productions, LLC
publishDate
2007-01-01T00:00:00-05:00
edition
Unabridged
isOwnedByCollections
True
title
Amusing Ourselves to Death
fullDescription

In this eloquent and persuasive book, Neil Postman examines the deep and broad effects of television culture on the manner in which we conduct our public affairs, and how "entertainment values" have corrupted the very way we think. As politics, news, religion, education, and commerce are given less and less expression in the form of the printed word, they are rapidly being reshaped to suit the requirements of television. And because television is a visual medium, whose images are most pleasurably apprehended when they are fast-moving and dynamic, discourse on television has little tolerance for argument, hypothesis, or explanation. Postman argues that public discourse—the advancing of arguments in logical order for the public good, once a hallmark of American culture—is being converted from exposition and explanation to entertainment.

gradeLevels
      • value: Grade 9
      • value: Grade 10
      • value: Grade 11
      • value: Grade 12
reviews
      • premium: True
      • source: AudioFile Magazine
      • content: This McCluhanesque diatribe begins by observing that our present and future resemble the predictions in Brave New World more than those of 1984. Technology, in particular television, has shaped our politics, news, religion, education, every aspect of our world. Rigginbach's reading is a little too fast-paced for this material; furthermore, the material is not suited to an audio format. Why did the author allow his thought to be corrupted by allowing their promulgation through non-print media. In addition, the examples he cites are ten years old; this week's television better supports his conclusions. The message is valid, but the medium through which it's presented is flawed. S.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        November 1, 1985
        From the author of Teaching as a Subversive Activity comes a sustained, withering and thought-provoking attack on television and what it is doing to us. Postman's theme is the decline of the printed word and the ascendancy of the "tube'' with its tendency to present everythingmurder, mayhem, politics, weatheras entertainment. The ultimate effect, as Postman sees it, is the shrivelling of public discourse as TV degrades our conception of what constitutes news, political debate, art, even religious thought. Early chapters trace America's one-time love affair with the printed word, from colonial pamphlets to the publication of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. There's a biting analysis of TV commercials as a form of ``instant therapy'' based on the assumption that human problems are easily solvable. Postman goes further than other critics in demonstrating that television represents a hostile attack on literate culture. October 30

popularity
2264
links
    • self:
        • href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BWwAAAA2I/products/19a5c860-e071-4218-850b-14602459b33b/metadata
        • type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json
id
19a5c860-e071-4218-850b-14602459b33b
starRating
4.1
images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/0887-1/{19A5C860-E071-4218-850B-14602459B33B}IMG100.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/0887-1/{19A5C860-E071-4218-850B-14602459B33B}IMG200.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/0887-1/{19A5C860-E071-4218-850B-14602459B33B}IMG150.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/0887-1/{19A5C860-E071-4218-850B-14602459B33B}IMG400.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
isPublicPerformanceAllowed
False
languages
      • code: en
      • name: English
subjects
      • value: Sociology
      • value: Nonfiction
publishDateText
01/01/2007
otherFormatIdentifiers
      • type: ISBN
      • value: 9781441767363
mediaType
Audiobook
shortDescription

In this eloquent and persuasive book, Neil Postman examines the deep and broad effects of television culture on the manner in which we conduct our public affairs, and how "entertainment values" have corrupted the very way we think. As politics, news, religion, education, and commerce are given less and less expression in the form of the printed word, they are rapidly being reshaped to suit the requirements of television. And because television is a visual medium, whose images are most pleasurably apprehended when they are fast-moving and dynamic, discourse on television has little tolerance for argument, hypothesis, or explanation. Postman argues that public discourse—the advancing of arguments in logical order for the public good, once a hallmark of American culture—is being converted from exposition and explanation to entertainment.

sortTitle
Amusing Ourselves to Death Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
crossRefId
119099
subtitle
Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
publisher
Blackstone Publishing
bisacCodes
      • code: SOC026000
      • description: Social Science / Sociology / General