Book Description
"[This] magnificent critical survey, with its inherent respect for both the 'Westt's mainstream high culture' and the 'radically changing world' of the 1990s, offers a new breakthrough for lay and scholarly readers alike....Allows readers to grasp the big picture of Western culture for the first time."
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Here are the great minds of Western civilization and their pivotal ideas, from Plato to Hegel, from Augustine to Nietzsche, from Copernicus to Freud. Richard Tarnas performs the near-miracle of describing profound philosophical concepts simply but without simplifying them. Ten years in the making and already hailed as a classic, THE PASSION OF THE WESERN MIND is truly a complete liberal education in a single volume.
Customer Reviews:
pity about the lapse into new age speculation.......2007-09-29
I won't write much here as many have done a great job of summation, however I did just want to voice my disappointment with the epilogue. Much of the book seems to have the intellectual and reasearch rigour I like to see in such books, but the new age nonsense really leads me to question his credibility and so doubt I read till I reached it. Though its obviously not as up to date or the same in its attempted scope I would personally recommend Russell's "History of Western Philosophy" for a more insightful look at Western thought or even Watson's "Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud".
A Nice Survey and More Importantly, Critique of the Western Mind.......2007-08-17
Tarnas begins with Plato, working backward and forward from him. Plato's Forms, in particular, set the stage for the rest of the book, in my view. According to Plato, there are transcendent Forms for 'Man', 'Tree', 'Woman', for example, that the soul was exposed to before birth and remembers later in life. These Forms are timeless, trancendent and most, Beautiful.
Aristotle, the tenth in line from Pythagoras, quickly relegates Plato's Forms to the particular, noting their birth, maturation and decay within the object with no recourse to a transcendent realm.
The important thing is, in the greek rationalism of both Plato and Aristotle, the world is knowable and is a Cosmos, an ordered whole that can be readily understood by the human mind.
The philosophies of Plato and Aristotle move to the Arabics during the Dark Ages, until the medieval times, when the Arabics courteously return the two behemoths to western civilization where St. Augustine applies Platonic thought to theology, while St. Thomas Aquinas later does the same with Aristotle.
Somewhere in the mix, Ockham applies his razor to the idea of the Forms, being the first to deny a Form's transcendent or immanent reality, but rather positing that the Form is a construct of the human mind. Party pooper.
Modern science, which has divested the world of anything human,where the universe now contains no spirit or transcendent form, sets it's sights on a disenchanted universe that is now viewed as being mechanistic at best, lifeless at worst.
Man is taken, by way of Copernicus, then Kepler and Galileo, from being the absolute center of the Ptolemaic universe, to being a nondescript inhabitant on a planet moving about a sun, which is one of potentially millions of such stars in the now vast space of the experienced world.
During the Enlightenment, man having eaten the soul of the Cosmos and stolen it's intelligence and claimed it for himself, suddenly turns the lense on himself thorugh Descartes and Kant.
Not only is the Cosmos dead and lifeless and altogether inhuman, but man is incapable of perceiving said Cosmos in an objective way. Man inherently attaches Reality to the universe by viewing the world through the apriori lenses of time, space, cause and effect and so on.
So now, we have a dead and lifeless vast impersonal universe inhabited by man, who, due to his psychological makeup, can never understand said world objectively.
Nietzsche sounds the death knell. He says God is dead, but really, it is man, glourious understanding, at one with the world, man who is crucified. Nietzsche pronounces the birth of the modern era, where not by intelligence, which has been discounted, not by religion, which is suffering cognitive disonance due to the emerging scientific worldview (Darwinism, Atomism, the everexpanding nothingness peered at through ever stronger telescopic lenses), but sheer Will that will decide who is right.
Finally on to the postmodern picture. History has been dominated by white european males. Not only is the universe (and man) unknowable, but we don't even know the proper questions to ask. Language is a prison, seeking to encapsulate experience and reduce Reality to the constructs of the human mind. Western man, through the prevailing dichotomy of his science and religion, has raped women, the environment, destroyed the ozone, produced the atomic bomb, and on and on. No one has hold of the Truth. Truth is provincial, localized and relative, dependent upon a contingent human being. No world view has precedence over another. There is no prevailing meta-narrative that can capture global humanity and unite it.
But dear reader, there is hope. There is hope from the beginning pages of this book through to the epilogue. Tarnas wisely weaves a thread throughout that offers a glimpse into a potential new birth for mankind. Tarnas points out history seems to be coming to a culmination, something is definitely on the horizon for all of us.
I leave it to you, to read this wonderful book, to discover what possibilities (if not facts) lie ahead for humanity.
The book is well worth the read.
Informative, but hard to read........2007-07-02
A great account of Western history, but with too many unnecessary words and too many complex sentences. The wording of the book makes it a lot less enjoyable than it should be. I wish I could find a similar book without Tarnas' annoying writing style.
"Wordy" but informative.......2007-06-27
I got this book because it was required text for a graduate course that I am taking with the University of Denver. I initially found the sentence construction distracting-- The author uses such complex sentences with so many extraneous words that at times it is difficult to follow his meaning; however, once you get used to the author's writing style, it is easy to follow. The book is a fascinating detail of how people in the Western world have come to think and believe as they do. It outlines the great philosophers and thought movements throughout time, beginning with the Greeks. The author also explains why there is such a dichotomy in Western thinking today. This is a "must read" for anyone interested in Western philosophy, and for anyone who simply wants to understand why it is so difficult for the East and West to understand one another. This book would be a good companion to "Guns, Germs, and Steel."
Excellent.......2007-01-13
An amazingly articulate, well-written treatise on the origins of Western thought. Where our ideas originate from is fantastically revealed. Although a challenging read, this book is delightful to encounter.
Book Description
“International interest in this distinctive art form was renewed by Sherwood, whose personal collection is considered the world’s most comprehensive. Captivating and commanding, this opulent compilation superbly show-cases vivid new interpretations of familiar subjects.” —Booklist. “Equally important for both botanical and art collections.”—Library Journal.
Customer Reviews:
Reference .......2007-01-11
This book is very helpful, especially as a reference for anyone learning botanical illustration or anyone wanting to learn about specific botanical artists.
It's beautiful art work also makes it very nice as a "coffee table" book for others to admire.
Great Contemporary Botanical Art.......2005-05-07
As a rank beginner in watercolor and pen and ink I much appreciate the effort it takes to produce great illustrations of natural objects. Shirley Sherwood has brought together her remarkable collection of modern botanical paintings (and some ink renderings) in "A Passion for Plants: Contemporary Botanical Masterworks" and made them accessible to the public. It is certainly an impressive effort.
Unlike many styles of illustration, botanical art usually involved a finely detailed painting on a white background, occasionally with additional smaller drawings or paintings. Occasionally a background is also provided, but most have no background. The renditions of just about every artist featured are extremely well done and it is hard to pick a favorite. Kate Nessler's watercolor of Rose Hips & Oak Leaves, Mariko Imai's exquisite watercolors of carnivorous plants, Elizabeth Dowle's paintings of fruit, Francesca Anderson's detailed ink renditions of sunflowers and cacti, and John Wilkinson's ultra realistic (complete with insect damage and hover flies!) watercolor of Ligularia, are just a few of the treats in this magnificent book. It sure makes for a tough standard, but a worthy one, for us beginners!
A great book for artists, botanists and anyone interested in plant illustration!
A superb, international collection of botanical art........2002-05-30
This is an excellent collection of botanical illustrations reproduced in very detailed, rich color on quality paper. Artists from all over the world are represented with brief biographies of each one. I think this book is one of the best books to have if you love botanical illustration and would like to see examples done by highly skilled, scientifically accurate illustrators. Just as good or better than the first Shirley Sherwood collection book.
Amazon.com
There is a pleasing irony that a single family--the Leakeys--has been one of the most important and effective forces in the age-old effort to trace the human family to its origins. Virginia Morell's book is a fascinating and authoritative personal and scientific biography of the real family (comprised of Louis, Mary, and Richard Leakey), their scientific progeny, and (again in a fitting touch of irony), the competing bands of modern anthropologists competing over limited paleontological and conceptual resources of publication, prestige, and power, much like ancient hominid bands competing for caves, copulations, and carcasses. Highly Recommended.
Book Description
looks different". says The New York Times Book Review. This fascinating biography of the "First Family" of anthropology reveals how their discoveries, collaborations, and rivalries contributed to our own knowledge of the origins of humankind. Includes 50 photos.
Customer Reviews:
Definitive Biography of the First Family of Hominid Research.......2002-09-16
Morell's astounding level of research reveals the Leakeys individually, as a family, and as dogged searchers for the truth about man's origins--and as living, breathing humans. Through letters, diaries, journals, personal interviews, and family archives, they speak to the reader with unprecedented candor about their personal travails, but more importantly, about their early struggles for funding, their fossil discoveries in remote desert locations, their constant surprise by the historical record, and their uncertainty, to this day, about modern man's exact lineage.
Some Leakey peccadilloes, never secret, are fully documented here: Louis's constant womanizing and his "adoption" of young female researchers, such as Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas; Mary's scotch-drinking, her cigar-smoking, and her intolerance of those on her Stinker List, some of them other researchers; and Richard's boyish brashness and arrogance, along with his health problems and dislike of Donald Johanson. Less appreciated, however, is the fact that before Louis's work and significant discoveries, people still believed that early man was from China or Europe, not Africa. Mary Leakey was the first person ever to excavate a Paleolithic site, and her meticulous care about documenting the tools and animals found in the same stratae as her hominid fossils, told here in detail, revolutionized the way fossils were recovered and catalogued. Richard found as many hominid fossils in two years (1971 and 1972) as Mary and Louis found in 36 years, and his level of dedication to research since finding his first hominid fossil at age 6, his mentoring of young researchers, and his creation of museums and foundations in Nairobi have perhaps received less attention than they deserve.
The Leakeys believe at least two and perhaps three or four different hominids may have lived in certain areas simultaneously, sharing space for a million or more years, and that the exact line of descent to modern man is still unknown. Tens of thousands of extinct, fossilized species of hippos, elephants, saber-toothed cats, crocodiles, antelopes, and even insects, unearthed by the Leakeys, are overwhelming evidence that if species, including hominids, do not change and adapt, they die. While some may argue about how certain hominids are labeled, no one can argue with their existence in the historical record, and nearly all of them have been unearthed by just one family. These contributions continue beyond the purview of this book into a new generation: Dr. Louise Leakey and her mother Maeve (Richard's wife) found yet another completely new hominid species in March, 2001. Mary Whipple
A real page turner!.......1999-07-07
This is a long, engrossing, detailed book about the Leakey family and their impact on paleoanthropology in Africa. It's a real pot-boiler of a book--hard to put down and a totally fascinating study of the family. You get a real sense of their human failings as well as their triumphs. The family comes across as stubborn, intense, egomaniacal and prickly, as well as totally dedicated to their pursuit of man's ancestry in Africa. Although the author has a higher opinion of the Leakeys than some of their rivals (Donald Johanson), she by no means glosses over the more unsavory aspects of their characters. I would highly recommend this book, regardless of your level of familiarity with paleoanthropology.
PASSIONS is the key word - a family worth knowing.......1997-10-01
Amidst the splendor and corruption of Africa, this family battle the weather, the government, the prejudices, the lack of funds, and even each other. Their intelligence and love for the country is evident as they search for prehistoric evidence of earliest humans. The more I read about them, the more I admired their contribution to East Africa and to the world.
engrossing tales of archealogy and it's first family.......1997-02-15
This is an engrossing story of archealogy's first family. The title hints at their adventures, loves, intrigues, battles, all most passionate. I could not put the book down. The landscape of archealogy will forever be, for me, after this book, a color filled map with the land of our ancestors fully pictured in my mind. No longer will archealolgists seem to be dull digging tan people,but exciting real people, made of the passion of us all. A superb read
Average customer rating:
- The Unfinished Brain
- Genius Engine - A Laudable Book
- Many animals have working memory but the human brain is what gives our species a unique ability to reason and predict the future
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The Genius Engine: Where Memory, Reason, Passion, Violence, and Creativity Intersect in the Human Brain
Kathleen Stein
Manufacturer: Wiley
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ASIN: 0471262390 |
Book Description
Embarking on a spellbinding journey to the frontiers of neuroscience, acclaimed science editor and writer Kathleen Stein takes an enthralling in-depth look at the prefrontal cortex, the site of our working memory, impulse control, reason, perception, decision making, and emotional processing—all the things that comprise our human genius.
Customer Reviews:
The Unfinished Brain.......2007-09-25
This is a well-written and engaging book, yet it is also a little frustrating.
Kathleen Stein is a distinguished science writer and here she tries to unlock some of the secrets of the prefrontal cortex for a general audience. The prefrontal cortex is one of the most recently developed regions of the primate brain, and it is most highly developed in humans, where it is involved in planning, reasoning, working memory and the control of behavior and our internal landscape.
The book is the fruit of some detailed research and interviews with some of the experts working in the field of frontal lobe function.
The book begins with three pages of diagrams, followed by an "Introduction," and six chapters:
1. Memory: The DNA of Consciousness
2. Reason: Logic, Laughter, and Looking Within
3. Passion: In Cold Blood?
4. Violence: Morality and the Minds of the Killers
5. Creativity: Art as a Window into the Brain
6. Silicon Minds: The Rise of Machine Genius
These chapters are followed by some notes and a good index.
I have written before that I only review books that I really like: my reviews form a part of my "recommended reading" lists for classes and workshops. This book is well written, the author has done her research and had the help of some luminaries in the frontal lobe firmament. So why "only" four stars?
I do like the book, but it is not the easiest read, and I say that as a specialist! Unless you are someone who can construct three-dimensional maps in your head, it is difficult to see how all the regions of the brain hang together.
The second point is more subtle and has to do with what we call "neo-phrenology." Phrenology is an old and discredited art or measuring the bumps on the head to try and deduce a person's character and personality. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it re-emerged in a new guise: cognitive and emotional faculties started to be "localized" to certain regions of the brain. This piece of brain would "do" something, while another piece would have another job. With certain important exceptions, this idea is fundamentally flawed: many regions are specialized to perform certain tasks, but they also function as parts of larger systems and circuits. The prefrontal cortex is a good example of this concept. It has many specialized functions, but can also be recruited to contribute to other activities that may require more cognitive horsepower. Another example if the idea that people are "left-brained" or "right-brained." This is fine as a metaphor, but not as a neurological reality. Unless the connections between the cerebral hemispheres are severed, the two sides of the brain usually act together.
One of the problems with the old brain lesion studies was this: it is hard to try and work out what regions of the brain by looking at the consequences of injuries that often affect large portions of the brain, and secondly to then attribute a function to the damaged regions. If I remove the spark plugs from your car, and a passerby who knows nothing about cars notices that the wheels of the car are no longer turning, it would be easy to come to the conclusion that the spark plugs are directly responsible for the motion of the wheels.
The third point is that there is growing evidence that the prefrontal cortex may be susceptible to functional and even anatomical growth and change: trying to describe it is like trying to hold quicksilver in your hand. This region of the brain has developed during recorded history and is probably continuing to develop at this moment.
The attempt to be readable has produced a worthy book that does not quite hit the mark. The prefrontal cortex is a unique series of circuits, but is it best not to perpetuate the idea that we can localize complex neurological and psychological activities to discrete regions of the brain.
That being said, this is one of the best books for the general public on a tantalizing set of systems in the brain.
Richard G. Petty, MD, author of Healing, Meaning and Purpose: The Magical Power of the Emerging Laws of Life
Genius Engine - A Laudable Book.......2007-07-12
The Genius Engine is a remarkable book.
It is a synthesis of our best understanding at present of that little understood part of our brain, the Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC). The PFC is what makes humans unique in our ability to think in abstractions, to plan, to multitask, to regulate our passions, to be creative, in short, what gives us our genius. Until now, our understanding of the PFC has been very limited. But thanks to new technology and means to study our brain in living human beings, we have a much better grasp of what happens inside our brain.
Kathleen Stein has done a great job in putting together all this explosion of new information that is coming in each moment. She has presented technical information in simple understandable terms, without being pedantic or overly simple. As a former neuroscience editor of Omni magazine, she has learnt her craft well. This is how new scientific information should be compiled for the public. However, this book is not only for the lay person, but also for the psychologist, the physician, the scientist. Its prose is lucid, `neither diffident nor ostentatious'.
The new advances may not only help us unlock the secrets of severe diseases like Bipolar disorder or schizophrenia and help us treat them better, but also teach us to live creatively and peacefully. There is a world within that if explored may show us our place in the Universe; or at least, inform us how best to have the Universe within synchronize with the Universe without. When mankind has figured out the secrets of String theories, quantum physics and dark matter cosmologies, the brain may well be the final frontier.
The Genius Engine is a laudable work. A tremendous effort brought out with natural ease.
Pariksith Singh, M.D.
Many animals have working memory but the human brain is what gives our species a unique ability to reason and predict the future.......2007-06-09
Many animals have working memory but the human brain is what gives our species a unique ability to reason and predict the future. THE GENIUS ENGINE: WHERE MEMORY, REASON, PASSION, VIOLENCE, AND CREATIVITY INTERSECT IN THE HUMAN BRAIN draws on the author's decades of experience as a science and technology writer and editor to explore how our prefrontal cortex has the flexibility to update and process information. Chapters consider how it operates and how it differs in individuals, making for an excellent analysis perfect for college-level collections strong in health, physiology, and brain science.
Book Description
This is the definitive, comprehensive guide to motorcycle design. Tapping a deep well of knowledge and a lifetime of experience, motorcycle racer and historian Mick Walker sheds light on the evolution of one of the world's ultimate status symbols and style icons -- a development owing as much to history, politics, and technology as it does to image, lifestyle, and design. In a survey that ranges from the late nineteenth-century pioneers like Gottlieb Daimler and Hildebrand & Wolfmüller to present-day manufacturers -- Harley Davidson, Ducati, Honda, BMW, Aprilia, and Triumph -- Walker sets each model within its historical context and outlines the main technological and stylistic innovations that make each bike unique.
Customer Reviews:
It's an oversized, definitive guide to motorbike design .......2007-10-07
If you're either a motorcycle enthusiast or a librarian catering to such, make it a point to consider MOTORCYCLE: EVOLUTION, DESIGN, PASSION. It's an oversized, definitive guide to motorbike design and goes beyond the usual showcase of bikes to tap into the wellspring of knowledge and life experience of motorcycle racer and historian Mike Walker. Motorcycle history and evolution are covered in a particularly notable set of vintage photos and historical review, making for a unique and valuable collection addition.
Passion........2007-03-07
Why are some folks passionate about motorcycles? Hell, I don't know. Maybe because they're exciting, sleek, powerful, open air, sexy, unique, not for the everyman, thrilling, sweat producing, demanding, resonant, and just so attractive. We need more books like this so others may be tempted to be 'just looking, honey'
Mr. Ed's Motorcycles.......2007-01-12
This is an excellent book , a must have for all historians or collectors. I highly recommend this book to all.
Motorcycle: Evolution, Design, Passion.......2007-01-11
Many nice examples of motorcycling inventions. Fine selection of pictures, covering examples of major breakthroughs in designing motorcycles. In my opinion the book lacks a little more dephs in the individual sections. Overall an ok buy for the price for the one who loves motorcycling.
Excellent gift!.......2007-01-11
I purchased this as a gift for someone who's interested in dirt bikes and recently street bikes. He loved it!
Average customer rating:
- It is fun!
- A most remarkable and enjoyable book
- mathematical Champagne
- Hey you!
- Marvellous collection of curious math facts
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A Passion for Mathematics: Numbers, Puzzles, Madness, Religion, and the Quest for Reality
Clifford A. Pickover
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0471690988 |
Book Description
A Passion for Mathematics is an educational, entertaining trip through the curiosities of the math world, blending an eclectic mix of history, biography, philosophy, number theory, geometry, probability, huge numbers, and mind-bending problems into a delightfully compelling collection that is sure to please math buffs, students, and experienced mathematicians alike. In each chapter, Clifford Pickover provides factoids, anecdotes, definitions, quotations, and captivating challenges that range from fun, quirky puzzles to insanely difficult problems. Readers will encounter mad mathematicians, strange number sequences, obstinate numbers, curious constants, magic squares, fractal geese, monkeys typing Hamlet, infinity, and much, much more. A Passion for Mathematics will feed readers’ fascination while giving them problem-solving skills a great workout!
Download Description
A singular collection of fascinating information for those who share a love of all things mathematical A Passion for Mathematics is a delightful, dizzying, and entertaining trip that includes an eclectic mix of history, biography, definitions, number theory, and mind-bending problems. Readers will encounter mad mathematicians, religious mathematicians, strange number sequences, obstinate numbers, curious constants, zany math problems, classic recreational puzzles, magic squares, fractal geese, monkeys typing Hamlet, infinity, and much, much more!
Customer Reviews:
It is fun!.......2007-08-01
The book's title is "A Passion for Mathematics: Numbers, Puzzles, Madness, Religion, and the Quest for Reality" is very accurate.
This is not a text book where you must to read page n-1 in order to understand page n. It is more like the Guinness Book of Records which you can open on any page and find something fascinating.
I found this book in our local library, but already after a couple of days I knew that I wanted this book. This was the only book I took with me on my recent trip overseas, and now it lying around in the kitchen and as I look into it at my leisure I find most fascinating anecdotes and problems.
Right from the onset the book captured me with the story of Ramanujan, a barefooted South Indian young man writing to a famous English mathematician. The mathematician (Hardy) first looked at it and threw the letter in the garbage, but then later took it out of, read it again and realized that the author must be a rare genius. Ramanujan was invited to England where he continue stunning his contemporaries with most unusual original discoveries. No mathematicians could follow Ramanujan's reasoning, but could see that his formulas were correct. Ramanujan himself explained that he received his formulas from an Indian Goddess while he was sleeping!
If you have a few mathematical programs such as Excel, Graph, Mathematica, or GSP, you can check out many of the problems, play with them, change them around or produces some pretty pictures like for example the "Schmidhuber Circles" on page 206.
The book does not require any deep knowledge of mathematics. This book can be equally enjoyed by highschool kids and university graduates.
Please don't believe me, check it out: The chances are that you will love it.
A most remarkable and enjoyable book.......2007-06-10
I have read hundreds of recreational math books over the years, and this recent addition has become my all time favorite -- a veritable smorgasbord of mathematical puzzles, factoids, amusing anecdotes about famous mathematicians, and insights into all nature of things. There is something for everyone, and the material is presented in a concise and entertaining way. As one example, you will learn the origin and orginator of most of the symbols we use -- e, pi, +, -, the factorial sign (!), etc. The book also shows a large number of delightful formulas by the Indian math protegy Ramanujan that are rare to see collected in a book for the general reader. Even the type font and layout makes for an easy read. Strongly recommended and a great gift for anyone with an interest in math.
mathematical Champagne.......2007-05-12
Sparkling, fascinating and creatively stimulating: the next best thing to a Brain Stimulator. A must have. Pickover as usual which means at his best.
Hey you!.......2006-07-25
I should have known better! My ineptitude with numbers overcame some of the simplest concepts in this book. Perhaps those with a modicum of intelligence would fare better.
Marvellous collection of curious math facts.......2006-05-30
Clifford A. Pickover's book A Passion for Mathematics is a marvellous collection of curious math facts that is sure to please lovers of Recreational Mathematics everywhere.
Pickover's book is filled with math curiosities that will enchant all those with a genuine interest in and love of recreational mathematics.
Pickover's book contains many mathematical gems. Within its covers there are many beautiful and interesting formulas involving the famous math constant, Pi. On page 78 of the book Pickover gives a truly beautiful and wonderful equation involving the two famous transcendentals, Pi and e. This equation illustrates the beauty and harmony that is to be found throughout mathematics.
The book is crammed with extremely interesting number facts. Many delightful puzzles are also packed between its covers.
I particularly liked Pickover's discussion of Sam Loyd's mixed teas puzzle, which illustrates just how good a mathematician Sam Loyd was.
This book will find a very welcome place on my bookshelf. Pickover's book will also be welcomed by all those who like to read about or collect curious mathematical facts and oddities.
Average customer rating:
- The passions of book- collecting
- Strictly amateur
- And you thought you like to buy books!!!!
- An exciting intellectual adventure
- The master of "books on books".
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A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books
Nicholas A. Basbanes
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Amazon.com
What a delightful book about books and people who love books! As a second generation bibliophile, a possible bibliomane who had several people move out of my house a year ago because they erroneously believed that my books were taking over the household, and a devout employee of "Earth's Biggest Bookstore," I can vouch that Basbanes accurately describes the glorious role of book collectors as archivists of human knowledge, and -- in continual counterpoint -- sometimes pathologically obsessed book junkies.
Book Description
National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
Customer Reviews:
The passions of book- collecting.......2007-10-15
It is possible to love books without necessarily loving or caring for what is inside them. It is also possible to love books because one wishes to possess the knowledge, understanding, beauty, that is within them. In this truly epic history of book- collecting and its most passionate and eccentric collectors Basbanes uses his considerable journalistic skill to tell a story which no lover of books, inside or out, will want to miss. Incredible collectors who were more the slaves of their books( The bibliomaniacs) and who were more their masters ( The bibliophiles) have their histories told here. In the background is the long story of the thing - itself, its making and its transformations in time.
Basbanes also emphasizes the fact that the collectors have been great benefactors of human culture and learning. Their collections , as that of John Harvard have been the basis of great institutions of learning.
While some were so obsessed by possessing the books for themselves ( The world's greatest bibliokleptomaniac Stephen Blumberg whose story is featured when asked why he did not sell the books and make himself rich said " I want them all for myself") others deliberately collected for the benefit of Mankind ( The story of Aaron Lansky's singlehandedly saving a considerable share of the Yiddish books which otherwise would have bee lost, is an extremely moving one) .The nineteenth century French collector Xavier Marmier willed his own large collection to his provincial town library. But he also expressed gratitude to the booksellers whose shops he would visit each day. And above all he expressed his love of collecting, and how much pleasure he had derived from searching through and finding the treasures of his collection.
All in all this is a ' classic work' about one of humanity's most harmless obsessions, or as the title of the work calls it ' the gentle madness'. It provides what great literature of all kinds does, an enhanced sense of the possibilities of human life.
Strictly amateur.......2007-09-08
The only people impressed by Basbanes' books are those who don't really know very much about books, book collecting, libraries, or the antiquarian trade. This volume in particular is plagued with sloppy scholarship, conjecture, gossip, and unsubstantiated anecdote. He can't even get the names of major libraries right. It's certainly a fun read, but it shouldn't be taken seriously.
And you thought you like to buy books!!!!.......2007-06-27
An amazing collection of folks who just couldn't put down a good book. Extremely well written, highly entertaining. A "must read" for anyone who ever finds themselves with an abundance of books (or knows someone with the same affliction). Alas, Mr. Basbanes offers no cure, but since you can't possibly measure up to the characters he profiles, you will feel better about your own collection.
An exciting intellectual adventure.......2007-06-18
Spanning the long period from ancient times, when books were hand-copied, to the modern day, "A Gentle Madness" takes us on a strange and exciting journey through the world of rare book collectors. Our society owes a lot to book collectors. Determination, time, and money have enabled them to seek out and preserve rare books, manuscripts, documents, and letters of profound cultural and historical importance. Many of the most noted collectors have ultimately given their world-class libraries to colleges and universities, where the fruits of their labor have benefited generations of scholars and researchers. This book demonstrates, in a colorful manner, how book collectors are driven to seek out new acquisitions for their libraries. For some, it is a consuming passion. For a few, it is a dangerous obsession that forces them to sacrifice the basic amenities of life, or even break the law. Nicholas Basbanes not only introduces readers to book collectors throughout history, but also to the books themselves, and to the methods employed to obtain rare books. While anyone interested in history and scholarship will thoroughly enjoy this book, book collectors will have a very difficult time putting it down, except maybe to run down to the local antiquarian book store and spend some money!
The master of "books on books"........2007-01-23
This volume is indespensible, it is a gem, it is a work of profound scholarship assuring the bibliomaniac he/she is not alone. Basbanes gives the reader a volume jam-packed with investigative work, insight and compassion towards the mind of the bibliophile.
Providing a historical account of the formation of the great libraries, in particular those of the US, he analyses the motives of the "collector"; what it is that drives the desire to possess a book that knowingly will not be read. The chapters are case-histories of individuals (like me and probably like you) with the obsessive need to possess printed books, pamphlets and ephemera.
Rather than us being simply mad, Basbanes stresses the importance of the bibliophile collector to the development of national libraries and collections and for saving valuable material that would otherwise, in another context, have been regarded as worthless.
Inevitably money increasingly appears as the dominant factor that allowed an individual to amass a "great" collection; the need for the "gentle madness" of obsession playing second fiddle to the need for a very big bank check. But this emphasis on wealth is balanced by a rivetting chapter on the convicted bibliokleptomaniac, Blumenthal. In this final case history Basbanes takes a man convicted as the "greatest" book thief of the 21st century and provides a compassionate analysis that leads the reader (or at least it lead me) to question whether the jury were correct to convict him as being someone of sound mind. The dividing line between this "gentle madness" and insanity is a very fine one indeed.
The book is brilliant.
Average customer rating:
- Freeing Spinoza from the Stoics
|
Spinoza And the Stoics: Power, Politics And the Passions (Continuum Studies in Philosophy)
Firmin Debrabander
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Customer Reviews:
Freeing Spinoza from the Stoics.......2007-06-23
As a Spinoza enthusiast, I've heard way too many glib efforts over the years to link Spinoza to the Stoics. Thankfully, we finally have a book -- and a very well written one at that -- that analyzes how Spinoza borrows from the Stoics and how his philosophy departs from theirs. DeBrabander's Spinoza comes across as altogether different from the model Stoic philosopher. Rather than burying the emotions beneath that Leviathan known as the Stoic capacity for "self control," Spinoza is shown to be a philosopher who respects the power of passions. In fact, DeBrabander's Spinoza embraces the passions as the "path to salvation."
Well, OK. I'm not exactly suggesting the hero of this book is a wine-woman-and-song hedonist. But I couldn't help but enjoy the vitality of the Spinozist philosopher portrayed in this book. It is infinitely more attractive than, say, the ascetic stereotype of the Spinozist depicted in I.B. Singer's "The Spinoza of Market Street."
"Spinoza and the Stoics" may sound like a narrow topic for a book, but it covers quite a range of topics. Politics, ethics, theology, and psychology are all discussed at some length. For me, the single greatest portion of this work is its ending, in which DeBrabander demonstrates that Spinoza should no more be thought of as a utilitarian than as a Stoic. I am slated to teach a Spinoza workshop next month and very much look forward to sharing with the group verbatim this book's beautiful and insightful conclusion.
Book Description
The first complete history of gay and lesbian visual expression in all media, from the dawn of time to the present day--massive, fascinating, beautiful
As spectacular in its appearance as in its depth and range-- encompassing works of all genres in all ages on gay themes, by gay artists, or for gay patrons--Pictures and Passions supersedes more narrowly focused studies. Following an Introduction that discusses the sexual and artistic practices of prehistoric and early societies, Pictures and Passions examines the classical world's visual celebration of homoerotic love and how its status among the Greeks permeated later civilizations as an emblem of lost Arcadian ideals. The pictorial denigration and satire of the Middle Ages give way to the dawning tolerance of male beauty and affection in the Renaissance, then to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century economic and social transitions that stimulated the emergence of modern homosexual identity and cultural institutions, and finally to the flowering of modern homosexual art.
Throughout, gay and lesbian art and experience are seen in a broad context that includes non-Western cultures (with an entire chapter on Asia and Islam); traditional media such as painting, sculpture, architecture, and graphics; and modern commercial and mass media such as magazines, photography, and advertising. Pictures and Passions is a groundbreaking work of nuanced scholarship in a lucid and engaging idiom that will appeal to general readers, students, artists, and sophisticated gift givers.
Customer Reviews:
Very Entertaining and informative.......2006-10-09
I bought this primarily for the historical aspect and also as it was recommended by the artist Tee Corinne in her book `Intimacies'.
From the book description - This history of homoerotic art spans three millennia and explores traditions in Western, Middle-Eastern, and Asian cultures. In addition to celebrating glorious paintings and photographs, art professor Saslow illustrates the ways in which degrading images of gay men and lesbians have been used to infiltrate societies with negative assumptions of homosexuality. A groundbreaking work of nuanced scholarship encompassing all genres in all ages on gay themes. 145 illustrations, 32 in color.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: From Stone Age to Stonewall 1
Ch. 1 The Classical World: Greece and Rome 13
Ch. 2 The Middle Ages: Dogma Versus Desire 55
Ch. 3 From Renaissance to Reform: Europe and the Globe, 1400-1700 79
Ch. 4 Asia and Islam: Ancient Cultures, Modern Conflicts 125
Ch. 5 From Winckelmann to Wilde: The Birth of Modernity, 1700-1900 151
Ch. 6 Modernism, Multiplicity, and the Movement: 1900-1969 207
Ch. 7 Post-Stonewall, Post-Modern 259
Further Reading 311
Illustration Credits 319
Index 327
The First Complete History of Gay and Lesbian Visual Expression in All Media.......2006-01-04
"The first complete history of gay and lesbian visual expression in all media, from the dawn of time to the present day--massive, fascinating, beautiful. ¶ As spectacular in its appearance as in its depth and range--encompassing works of all genres in all ages on gay themes, by gay artists, or for gay patrons--Pictures and Passions supersedes more narrowly focused studies. Following an Introduction that discusses the sexual and artistic practices of prehistoric and early societies, Pictures and Passions examines the classical world`s visual celebration of homoerotic love and how its status among the Greeks permeated later civilizations as an emblem of lost Arcadian ideals. The pictorial denigration and satire of the Middle Ages give way to the dawning tolerance of male beauty and affection in the Renaissance, then to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century economic and social transitions that stimulated the emergence of modern homosexual identity and cultural institutions, and finally to the flowering of modern homosexual art. ¶ Throughout, gay and lesbian art and experience are seen in a broad context that includes non-Western cultures (with an entire chapter on Asia and Islam); traditional media such as painting, sculpture, architecture, and graphics; and modern commercial and mass media such as magazines, photography, and advertising. Pictures and Passions is a groundbreaking work of nuance scholarship in a lucid and engaging idiom that will appeal to general readers, students, artists, and sophisticated gift givers. ¶ Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Photo/Visual Arts"--© zebraz
BEYOND PERICLES, PEDERASTY AND POTTERY.......2000-01-25
In the relatively small area of gay studies devoted to the visual arts, "Pictures and Passions" is a standout. Just about everything that has gay or lesbian thematic relevance is in here, from cave drawings to Renaissance sculpture to Japanese pornographic "pillow books" to the cover of DIVA magazine.
I really consider this to be an intellectual and social history as much as a history-of-art text. Author James Saslow insists that we know enough about the cultural background of each place and time so that we can place the import of the homosexual art in its proper context. For example, anyone who expects ancient Athens to be San Francisco with togas is going to be disappointed--"homosexuality was simultaneously everywhere and nowhere" in the author's famous line; it was culturally pervasive but did not give rise to anything like our 20th century gay life.
In Europe, different centuries have different signatures; at some times male homosexuality and lesbianism could be openly alluded to in art and at other times, only symbolically, as through religious allegory (St. Sebastian was a favorite). At no time--not even when persecution of homosexuals was at its peak--did I feel that Saslow was scraping the bottom of the barrel for gay subject matter. There was always something interesting going on. Non-European subject matter receives treatment too.
The last thirty years, the so-called "post-Stonewall" era, have been a boon for gay and lesbian art in America, and the last fifty pages of this book dwells on that. I for one wish Saslow had been a little more selective about this period--there is some great stuff chronicled here, but also some fairly trashy pop art that it is safe to say won't last.
Since "Pictures and Passions" is a history of thought book as much as a history-of-art book, if any aspect of the field suffers, it is artistic technique. This is not a book to learn about the rise of perspective, or what impressionism is, or why abstract art rose to prominence. For that, the reader would have to consult one of the standard texts on the subject or a beginner's work like "Art for Dummies." I can easily see this book being used in a Gay Studies course in college, or to add diversity to a standard art course. I think it will find a good audience among art lovers, and hopefully not just gay men and lesbians. The book itself is an attractive presentation, copiously illustrated, and includes color panels. Saslow's prose is acadmic but no more than it has to be.
Book Description
Gloria Wekker analyzes the phenomenon of mati work, an old practice among Afro-Surinamese working-class women in which marriage is rejected in favor of male and female sexual partners. Wekker vividly describes the lives of these women, who prefer to create alternative families of kin, lovers, and children, and gives a fascinating account of women's sexuality that is not limited to either heterosexuality or same-sex sexuality. She offers new perspectives on the lives of Caribbean women, transnational gay and lesbian movements, and an Afro-Surinamese tradition that challenges conventional Western notions of marriage, gender, identity, and desire. Bringing these women's voices to the forefront, she offers an extensive and groundbreaking analysis of the unique historical, religious, psychological, economic, linguistic, cultural, and political forces that have shaped their lives.
Customer Reviews:
Simply Excellent!.......2007-08-20
This book is an excellent blend of anthropology, ethnic studies, women's studies, gay studies, and postcolonial studies. Progressives bemoan studies that fail to consider race, class, gender, and sexuality together; well, this is an important intervention in that dearth of material. For those who do not understand the difference between essentialism and constructionism, this will make you understand.
Professor Griff, Winnie Mandela, Robert Mugabe and so many others make false claims that Africa had no homosexuality until Europeans intervened. Dr. Wekker disproves that by showing how Surinamese mati are influenced greatly by West African religion and principles. You could almost say this is an Afrocentric support of Blacks in same-sex romantic relationships. This is a book that Black gay male and lesbian activists all over the Diaspora need to own and read. Some may want to read this book along side "African Homosexualities."
When quoting informants, Dr. Wekker uses their actual Surinamese language and then translates it into English. For polyglots and those familiar with the Dutch-speaking world, this may be informative. However, there is a way that it just takes up space. This book would have been 50 pages shorter without it. Perhaps, Dr. Wekker wants readers to inhabit multilingual terrains, as Gloria Anzaldua did. Still, I think readers like me who don't understand any form or Dutch will skip through a lot. I did love some of the colorful idioms and phrases here. One Surinamese woman says, "Only god knows why he didn't give the horse horns." I'm still trying to find a way to use that phrase in 21st-century America! (By the way, the author writes in American English, rather than British English.)
Dr. Wekker tries to "keep it real." She stands against bourgeois posing intended to impress elite audiences. Still, there is a way that this book makes us Black people look bad. The book is filled with violence, sexual promiscuity, womanizing from either gender, disparagement of marriage, and other things that some may find objectionable. I do worry about what would happen if this book gets into the wrong people's hands.
You can see and hear the author in a documentary called "Middle Sexes" narrated by Gore Vidal. As women's studies departments become gender studies departments, readers may want to peruse this alongside Bana-Shute's book on Surinamese men.
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