In The Hands Of The Great Spirit
Mar 31, 2010 History
This is kind of a niche subject for most British readers, but the recent British Musuem exhibition on Warriors of the Plains made me curious enough to get hold of this book. It’s a comprehensive history of American Indians from neolithic times until the present day. As you can imagine, it’s probably quite abridged – that’s a lot of time to fit into one paperback. It is fairly fast-paced and it’s easy to miss a personal name or a short mention of a certain tribe or culture that becomes important 100 pages down the line or so. However, the pace does keep it entertaining, and not only does it teach you the basics of American Indian history, but it includes some folklore and mythology as well, and some lovely illustrations. Bonus! It also gives the reader a different perspective on early American history – the European colonies and wars, the Declaration of Independence and how these events affected Indians/Native Americans. It’s sympathetic without being saccharine, or falling into the patronising trap of the “noble savage” stereotype. If you have even a passing interest in history or seeing things from a new cultural perspective, give this a try.
Chimpanzee Politics
Mar 21, 2010 Politics and Society
The generally accepted image of a group of social animals involves a pack structure, with a strict pecking order. The toughest are firmly in charge, and challenges are settled with either a show of strength or outright battle.
Human societies are (usually) not quite as simple as this, so when you think about it, it’s not surprising that chimpanzee groups aren’t quite that cut-and-dried either. Chimpanzee Politics gives us an intimate look at the alliances, rebellions and Machiavellian scheming of a captive colony of chimpanzees. Butch lesbians, angry matriarchs, double-dealing leaders and more cliques than an American high school all play their parts, and you might even pick up some tips for your own office machinations if you’re that way incllined. If not, it’s still an informative and fun look at chimpanzee behaviour.
The Smallest Books
Mar 15, 2010 Uncategorized
Some of you may not be aware that a race to produce the smallest book possible has been going on for centuries. The Miniature Book Society has a huge display of the tiny things, and notable pre-21st Century American miniatures started in 1750 – 60 with a 1 11/16″ x 1 7/16″ edition of Verbum Sempiternum and culminated in 1932 with an edition of The Rose Garden of Omar Khayyam only 3/16 x 7/32.
New technology has allowed obsessives to go even further, though – in 2002 the Guinness Book of World Records confirmed the world’s smallest book had dimensions of only 0.9 x 0.9 mm, owned by Mark Palcovic of the University of Cincinnati . In 2007, the worlds first nanoscale book was published by Robert Chaplin. Measuring less than 0.07 x 0.1 mm, it can’t even be read with the naked eye.
Cosmos
Mar 7, 2010 Philosophy & Thinking, Politics and Society, Science and Technology
A journey through the history of the universe, our own human perspective on it and a look into the possible futures of mankind amongst the stars – Cosmos is a beautiful book that conveys Carl Sagan’s constant awe and wonder at the sheer size and strangeness of the cosmic ocean in which we are merely a floating speck.
The thirteen chapters in the book correspond to the 13 episodes of the original TV series, and the content ranges from philosophy and cultural history to hard physics and astronomy, and the book as a whole is both a celebration of the wonders of the universe, and a plea for us to come together as a species to explore it before we tear ourselves apart.
Jerry and Me: A Decade Of Correspondence With J. D. Salinger
Mar 3, 2010 General
Thanks to Spinballer for this link – the article tells the story of a teenage fan who became penpals with J D Salinger. It’s quite genuinely touching.
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Mar 3, 2010 Politics and Society
1984 may seem like an awfully old chestnut for a review, but I’ve come across a shocking number of people who have never read it, despite having enough of a concept of “Big Brother” to not question the name of the reality TV show/wreck, and have a tendency to repeat the phrase “Orwellian Nightmare” whenever the government does something. That being the case, I suppose we all need to persuade more people to read it.
1984’s sheer realism makes it terrifying – whereas in Brave New World we don’t really have the dystopian technology described, there’s really not much in 1984 that couldn’t theoretically be carried out right now, and the use of language to control society has interesting implications.
Get your tinfoil hat on, break out the Victory Gin and pick a hidden corner of your room to read this in, and learn to love Big Brother.
