McLuhan For Beginners

Writers & Readers Documentary Comic Book #70

by W. Terrence Gordon, Susan Willmarth (Illustrations)

Marshall McLuhan was one of the most brilliant and original thinkers of the 20th century. He was so far ahead of his time that he predicted the future and offered a critique of human behavior in a media saturated world that is perhaps more valuable in today's Internet age than it was in his own time. McLuhan pioneered the study of Media, unified Art and Science, and warned us about the perils of a televised, computerized, famous-for-15-minutes, social media world. A world where we would live in each other's faces, and become so alike, so isolated, so anonymous that violence would become a scream of identity, a way of saying, "I am not invisible." McLuhan tried to teach us to guard against these dehumanizing, debasing effects of technology, and a thousand other things, but we got reality television anyway. The centennial celebration of McLuhan's life and the re-release of his books has led to a surge of new interest in his thinking and teachings. McLuhan For Beginners provides an essential introduction that is clear, comprehensive, and easy to remember. It is full of wise and witty art by Susan Willmarth that is a perfect match to W. Terrence Gordon's writing. McLuhan envisioned the media generated Global Village before it existed, and no one since McLuhan has described its allure and pitfalls better.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Biography, Comics

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1997

Reviews

[Loyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I love books with "Dummies" "Idiots" or "for Beginners" in the title (note the sarcasm), they are often useful tools to define the key ideas of a particular person or subject. This is, of course, a rationalization for reading something with the term "Dummies" in a public place, like wearing a neon overcoat flashing "come look at the ignorant person."

I've read many books about and by Marshall McLuhan, and his epigrammatic approach to ideas about the media universe would seem to be perfect for a comic-book style treatment. Unfortunately, this book is not quite up to the task. The ideas are thought-provoking and original (even for today), but the layout and illustration of the book leave much to be desired. In fact, the illustrators chosen for the entire "for Beginners" series, with the sizable exception of Robert Crumb's "Kafka for Beginners"—one of the best-illustrated books on Kafka I've ever read—are third-rate, disorganized and amazingly amateur.

Get this book for McLuhan's ideas, not the production.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relatively easy-to-digest visual introduction to Marshall McLuhan's work in media studies.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not simple stuff, but it is printed in a childlike font, so that makes it "for beginners" - right?

[Sparrow .]

These comic book-style “intro” books (and the illustrations by Susan Willmarth are awful) are like getting stoned: for two simpatico hours, you Understand Everything, then you wake up the next morning and last night’s subject is a mauve blur. (Also in this series: “Derrida for Beginners,” “Wittgenstein for Beginners,” “Black Panthers for Beginners,” “Sex for Beginners.”)

Opening at random:

“An archetype is a category you can add to (the more you have read, the more names you can add to those of Beowulf and Batman); a cliché is not a category and you cannot add to it.”

[Pablo Granada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una divertida síntesis del pensamiento mcluhiano. El uso de recursos gráficos para explicar las principales tesis de su perspectiva mediológica empalma con el estilo el que nos tiene acostumbrados en los textos mas difundidos de su obra original.

[kaitlin]

most of this went over my head but i don’t think that’s the books fault

[El diario de Tiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lectura para clase. Es interesante.

[Samantha Lopez · Rating 1 out of 5]

HONR 203

[Hugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very worth reading for those interested in MM. But it is not simple stuff. Even though this is billed as "for beginners" it might be best to check out some Youtube videos, audio files, or articles on McLuhan prior to reading the book. He has broad areas of opnion and those opnions have many facets...in my opnion the best way to absorb him is to hear his stuff from many different angles.

[Estefania Moreno]

Why i can't read this book?