Before you ask...No, I'm not considering entering a monastery. But several times in his life Wittgenstein considered entering a monastery, and I wanteBefore you ask...No, I'm not considering entering a monastery. But several times in his life Wittgenstein considered entering a monastery, and I wanted to know more about what that could mean. This is a book about the ancient Carthusian order in England. The author contacted 5 men who had entered the order around 1960, and followed their journeys. You learn a lot about the day-to-day life and rituals, though it would help to be Catholic and know the jargon. (There's a glossary in the back, but it is still a bit impenetrable.) Of the 5, only one really lasted, though we learn that all were deeply affected by their experiences. I suppose what I missed was more about the spiritual journeys/experiences/insights of the 5. Perhaps this is what cannot be put into words, but I was sorry no real attempt was made. In any case, an interesting exploration of unfamiliar territory....more
I have to confess I haven't read any of McCullough's bios or histories, but I enjoyed this collection of his occasional pieces. They offer insights anI have to confess I haven't read any of McCullough's bios or histories, but I enjoyed this collection of his occasional pieces. They offer insights and inspirations for writers. But, mostly having been written 10-35 years ago, the essays have an optimism to them that just rings hollow in our own times. History does have the value he advocates, but only if people care about it--which fewer and fewer do. ...more
I have read a few books recently that address the different views of Jesus embodied in the various gospel stories. This was the best of them. Partly bI have read a few books recently that address the different views of Jesus embodied in the various gospel stories. This was the best of them. Partly because of the author's long career of work in this area, and partly because she aims her discussion at a thoughtful but not too-scholarly level. It is quite accessible and readable. The point that was most notable to me was her discussion of who was to blame for Jesus' crucifixion. The gospels tend to blame "the Jews" more than the Romans and local political powers. In fact in John, the last gospel, this is most evident. She makes the point that the Christians of this era had a lot to fear from the Roman powers and that they did all they could to not alienate them--so blaming "the Jews" was the safe story to tell. Pagels does not present as a Christian--though she is not unsympathetic. But her accounts of details of Jesus' life often connected with passages from the Hebrew Bible. Many Christians see the Hebrew passages as prophesying the later events around Jesus. But she is quite willing to propose that the gospel writers made up details in their accounts specifically to conform to earlier writings. You might say that this gives meaning to the whole. I have to say that this sounds quite plausible to me. Christians see things in certain ways. In her last chapter she looks at what attracts people in the contemporary world to Christianity. She looks for the timeless aspects of the Jesus story--that primarily have to do with care for the marginalized....more
The 4th edition of a deep dive into the history and story behind the song. It also offers all you want to know and more about the US recording businesThe 4th edition of a deep dive into the history and story behind the song. It also offers all you want to know and more about the US recording business in the 1920s and '30s. The author examines all the variant verses that have been included under this title and its brother "Gambler's Blues", and looks for the ur-story behind it, but concludes that the verses are an amalgam of verses from various sources that don't necessarily fit together. Of course this is how blues and folk songs often evolve. The author apparently has compiled a spotify playlist to go along with the book (under the book's title). That's a good idea, but I don't use spotify. It would have been nice to have a discography of what is more currently available on CD and LP....more
An engaging continuation of the story-line. Maybe a little too much correspondence. End of this second book makes you look forward to the concluding vAn engaging continuation of the story-line. Maybe a little too much correspondence. End of this second book makes you look forward to the concluding volume......more
A valuable book for analytic philosophers to read--making the case that even rational and otherwise respected thinkers like Gottlob Frege can be fasciA valuable book for analytic philosophers to read--making the case that even rational and otherwise respected thinkers like Gottlob Frege can be fascists. We can't simply dismiss all supporters of fascism as irrational. The evidence for Frege's fascism is quite sparse. He died in 1925 and his early editors (his son and an academic scholar) were embarrassed by his views and suppressed many relevant documents. Nevertheless some have survived, including a diary from 1924. And the author has done an impressive job of discovering other relevant material. Frege had positive things to say about Hitler and his 1923 failed Beer Hall Putsch. He advocated for the exclusion of Jews from not only rights but residence in Germany. And he idealized and did not disavow violence as means to these ends. It turns out that Frege took his political views seriously, defending them and acting on them to some extent. We who honor Frege for his work in logic can't simply dismiss his work in politics. And we as human beings can wonder how these views can all co-exist in the mind of someone we otherwise respect....more
A short but nice overview of musical, literary and cultural underground activities in Czechoslovakia mostly in the 60's and 70's. Written by participaA short but nice overview of musical, literary and cultural underground activities in Czechoslovakia mostly in the 60's and 70's. Written by participants, some written before the 1989 revolution and some after. I particularly appreciated the attention to the musical group Plastic People of the Universe. I wonder if we will have to take a cue from Czech dissidents in this era for our own times. If so, they set an impressive precedent....more
A pleasure to read. Not exhaustive, but selective--featuring shops that represent various stages and styles in the long story of bookselling. Of coursA pleasure to read. Not exhaustive, but selective--featuring shops that represent various stages and styles in the long story of bookselling. Of course none of "my" favorites were featured, though Politics and Prose was mentioned occasionally. Nevertheless I'll add my 2 cents: Growing up we had no bookstore in town, so the local library was the main source of books. Apart from books I bought for college classes, I really didn't start gathering/collecting books until a retiring professor put a bunch of his books outside his office, and I thought I had found a goldmine. (Though don't think I have any of those books anymore.) In grad school at UCLA I think I mostly relied on the university bookstore, though I bought some books at Westwood Books (I think it was called--no longer around). But I spent some summers in Chicago and I fell in love with my first independent bookstore--Great Expectations, in Evanston https://chicagoreader.com/news-politi... . A marvelous place with an impressive collection of Philosophy books. Allegedly it was once mentioned by Umberto Eco as one of the great bookstores! (It went out of business in 2001.) Moving to Blacksburg, we had Books, Strings & Things--that sold books and records https://that70sblacksburg.blogspot.co... . That was also a wonderful place, and especially as a source of bootleg CD's in the '90's! It went out of business in the late '90's and was bought out by Booksmith, which hung on for a few years before it too went out of business around 2000. In the era before the internet and pre-Amazon I would study the latest Books in Print to find obscure books that interested me. Then I could order them through BS&T. I remember discovering Amazon in 1999. I'm sure I used it, but more for used books than new. I really fell in love with Borders. Especially one near where my parents lived between Akron and Cleveland. They had a whole aisle of Philosophy books, though it gradually shrank over the years! (They went out of business in 2011.) My wife's family lives in Greensboro, so I was delighted when Scuppernong Books opened there around 2014 https://www.scuppernongbooks.com/ . I have enjoyed supporting them, and they have done a lot to become a community site. So it created a real dilemma for me when an independent bookstore finally came back to Blacksburg in the form of Blacksburg Books https://www.blacksburgbooks.com/ . Neither store has a very large inventory, so I mostly support them by special orders, but now I sort of split my orders between them! While I still occasionally order used books through Amazon, I have tried to find them first at Zubal Books, in Cleveland https://www.zubalbooks.com/ . They used to be a great physical used bookstore, but a number of years ago they went totally on-line. Oh well. So that's my story. I'm sure all book lovers have stories about their favorite shops. But this book did a nice job of bringing that all back to mind....more
A long and diffuse survey of what we know about human pre-history. I am no expert on this, so I have to trust (or not) the authors to guide me throughA long and diffuse survey of what we know about human pre-history. I am no expert on this, so I have to trust (or not) the authors to guide me through this huge mound of material. My main take-away was that theorists of our pre-histories have tended to gravitate around certain assumptions and questions, and have ignored or minimized many societies that haven't fit their preconceptions and theories. These authors don't really offer any new or alternative theory, but rather try to open us up to seeing a tremendous amount of variation in pre-histories, and further open us to the possibility that our futures are not as determined as we might think, and there continue to be more options than we suppose. The book seems to me to be a good illustration of the value of Wittgenstein's later philosophy. His critique of previous philosophers (including his earlier self) was that there was too much of a desire to construct a theory, which led to oversimplifying or idealizing the evidence, instead of looking at the actual examples and variations that there are. His anti-theory approach has made him rather unpopular in contemporary philosophy, but it seems especially relevant to and supported by the material presented in this work....more
Not really for the general reader. The literary estates covered are all British or US writers of the last few centuries. The author of this book writeNot really for the general reader. The literary estates covered are all British or US writers of the last few centuries. The author of this book writes in a way that assumes the readers' familiarity with the work and back-stories of these writers. The author writes in an allusive way that seems aimed more at scholars than at a general reader. Still, there was interesting information conveyed, but not much in the way of morals or large conclusions. Here is a shorter and I think more interesting account of the archives of 2 German philosophers: https://aeon.co/essays/how-archives-c......more
Using significant events in the history of various Asian countries and US-Asian communities, this book traces various paths into our present state of Using significant events in the history of various Asian countries and US-Asian communities, this book traces various paths into our present state of things. More anecdotal than systematic, but all the more engaging for that. The author offers the challenge (p. 171) that "Many Americans cannot name one well-known Asian American." If you leave out athletes (Ohtani), leaders (Marcos), authors (Amy Tan) and singers (Yoko Ono), this may well be true. I thought of S.I. Hayakawa--a linguist and former US senator. But the question reminded me how little I and we know. Although the term "Asian American" is well-entrenched, the author reminds us of how much variety is hidden in the "Asian". But it is odd that people don't pay any attention to the variety hidden in the "American". It is unfortunately used as a synonym for US--but of course all of North and South America is "American", and it is too bad that we US folks continue to co-opt this label for ourselves....more
An interesting book. It covers the styles and era of music I like, and provides backstories about context that are right up my alley. I'm glad someoneAn interesting book. It covers the styles and era of music I like, and provides backstories about context that are right up my alley. I'm glad someone did all this digging. The only drawback was that there was no real narrative or storyline. It was more of one thing after another. Maybe there's really no particular story to tell. I did appreciate the last few pages where the author tried to wrap up his investigation....more
Aristotle's rather limited thoughts on the philosophy of mathematics plus a detailed commentary. Unfortunately his comments are mostly critical of othAristotle's rather limited thoughts on the philosophy of mathematics plus a detailed commentary. Unfortunately his comments are mostly critical of other views, often not well-identified. And they are poorly organized--probably ordered by an editor from multiple sources. In sum, rather unsatisfying....more
Interesting personal stories behind some of the seminal ideas in physics in the 20th century. But it seems to be as much fiction as fact. While this iInteresting personal stories behind some of the seminal ideas in physics in the 20th century. But it seems to be as much fiction as fact. While this is acknowledged up front, it still felt unsatisfying. The fantastical personal accounts sounded very much like the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It also reminds me of the novel about Ludwig Wittgenstein, The World As I Found It. Since I am a Wittgenstein scholar I couldn't help reading it with a biographer's eye. I like the idea in principle, but have trouble enjoying it in practice. I most enjoyed the closing story, The Night Gardener, since it was pure fiction....more
A fine book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I can't recall how I ran across it, but I'm glad I did. Maybe it was accidentally in an actual bookstorA fine book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I can't recall how I ran across it, but I'm glad I did. Maybe it was accidentally in an actual bookstore (Scuppernong?). Unlike a walk of the Appalachian Trail A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, this was as much about the people and the history as it was about the nature. The author had done considerable research of the history and geography of his possible routes from DC to NYC and chose his way accordingly. (And there is a lot of US history along that corridor.) But he was also open to the people he met and the things he learned along the way. This was also unlike The Rings of Saturn which focused not on the people along the way but on the destruction, disintegration, degradation and devastation in his walking tour of Eastern England. While the author acknowledged some of that, he also was open to the creation, growth, and variety of life. An intelligent, uplifting but tempered book....more
My hometown growing up (1957-1972). Brief histories and many photos. Most memorable line (p. 7): "Ohio became the 17th state on March 1, 1803. Twenty-My hometown growing up (1957-1972). Brief histories and many photos. Most memorable line (p. 7): "Ohio became the 17th state on March 1, 1803. Twenty-eight months later area Native Americans...were persuaded to give up land west of the [Cuyahoga] river...and the future area of Brecksville was surveyed." I think there must have been a lot of history obscured by that word "persuaded". I tell people I grew up in a diverse community--We had one Jewish family....more
Even after reading this long bio I still don't feel I have much understanding of this man who seems full of contradictions. But I have to thank him. AEven after reading this long bio I still don't feel I have much understanding of this man who seems full of contradictions. But I have to thank him. As someone was quoted on p. 474: "There were an awful lot of guys who weren't looking forward to landing on the Japanese beaches." That included my father....more
I loved the topic of this book. The writing didn't impress quite as much, but still well worth reading! It evokes so many thoughts I'm not sure how toI loved the topic of this book. The writing didn't impress quite as much, but still well worth reading! It evokes so many thoughts I'm not sure how to organize this review. I'll start with my experience with libraries. My first memory of library books was going on vacation to Cape Hatteras in 1961 when I was 6. I remember that I checked out a few biographies of baseball players to bring along and read on the trip. I think one was of Ty Cobb. My first real responsibility, not quite a job, since I was a volunteer, was working at the medical library of the nearby VA hospital the summer after my senior year of HS in 1972. I reorganized their card catalogue system--by hand. My first actual paying job was working at the College of William and Mary library the next summer, checking books in and out, and re-shelving. My first academic position was at UC San Diego. I loved the architecture of their library, now named after Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) and his wife. (Check it out--it's easy to find an image online.) In 1999 I spent two days in the Wren Library of Trinity College, Cambridge, studying material in their Ludwig Wittgenstein archive. I have continued to make use of my discoveries there ever since in my publications. While we associate libraries with acquiring and borrowing books, the authors remind us that part of a librarian's job is to get rid of books (unless you work at the Library of Congress, I guess). When I was in grad school at UCLA the Philosophy Department had its own library. A rather famous logician, Richard Montague, had been murdered in 1971, and his "papers" from his office were stored in a closet across the hall from the library. I took the opportunity to look through them one day, but they were in complete disarray, and I was not a logician. A few years ago I noticed that a linguist at UCSD was working on a biography of Montague, so I contacted him to see how it was going. We corresponded some, but I didn't have anything to offer. Apparently in the intervening years the papers from the department as well as personal papers from his home had been all deposited at the university library. Montague was a gay man apparently murdered by a casual lover, but the case was never solved. So a biography promised to be a fascinating combination of life and work. When the author started to research the Montague material at the library he noticed there was a distinct lack of personal material. Upon inquiring with the manuscript librarian he was told that the personal material has been disposed of, since this was an academic library. He couldn't believe it. But material is also sometimes lost involuntarily. In the 1930's an academic in Germany decided to collect all the papers and the letters to and from the logician Gottlob Frege. He amassed a good deal of material and deposited it at the library at the University of Muenster. Allied bombing during 1944-1945 destroyed the library, and all of that collection was lost. An ironic footnote to this story is that Frege had corresponded with Ludwig Wittgenstein during and after the First World War. The academic asked Wittgenstein, in 1936, if he would share the letters he received from Frege, and he declined to do so. In retrospect it is lucky that he declined, since they too would have been destroyed, as Wittgenstein's own letters to Frege were destroyed by the bombing. Frege's letters to Wittgenstein were discovered many years after his death. Of course Germany contributed its share of destruction of books during WWII as well. Holland House in London was destroyed during the blitz of 1940, though a famous photo (easily found online) shows browsers examining the remains of the library in the rubble. A framed copy of that photo hangs in my office. But of course, in addition to public libraries, there are also private ones, such as ones own. I have two--one in my office comprising my philosophical books, and the one at home comprising all the rest. Books are just one focus of my collecting instinct, which includes music, stamps and baseball cards. I wrote about why I collect books and music in an op-ed several years ago: https://roanoke.com/opinion/klagge-me... . There I noted that while I had once hoped that my children would be interested in all these books and music, it has become clear that they are not. And the authors note that this is the fate of many libraries--the values that drive the collector are rarely shared by others of the next generation. Indeed, much of what our parents and grandparents owned and valued simply doesn't matter to us--and why should it? We have to get used to the idea that it is enough that something matters to me, and not expect or insist that it should matter to others. Since I'm nearing retirement, I have tried to acknowledge this dynamic by offering my colleagues the chance to look through my books at work and take what they would like (with some exceptions). They leave with between one and a dozen books. That way I feel like I've found a good home for some of them. But I have to admit that there are still very many that have not yet found a good home. Oh well. One of my professors in grad school, Rogers Albritton, always rented and never bought a house in LA. I don't know if this was because of the expense or the responsibility, but he told me once that he thought his equity was in his books. Several years after he passed away I wrote to a friend in the department to ask what had happened to Rogers' books, and he said they had somehow just scattered and disappeared. Presumably the department had simply piled them up in the hall outside his office, free for the taking. The authors begin by talking about the famous ancient library at Alexandria which was a repository for much of the literature of the ancient world and which burned down, thereby losing some/much(?) of that literature--including Aristotle's legendary dialogues. The authors wonder if that story is apocryphal and suggest that the loss might have simply been due to later generations not caring about what was collected and the library drifting into ruin, as many libraries have over the centuries. But there is a bit of interesting evidence against that hypothesis. Euripides was a famous tragedian of Ancient Athens. He is thought to have written over 90 plays, of which less than 20 have survived. Interestingly about half of the surviving plays have titles beginning with H or I, which are almost adjacent in the Greek alphabet. If the manuscripts were stored in shelves alphabetically, as the authors suggest, then it seems likely that the shelf that those plays were stored in happened to fare better in the fire than some of the other shelves. While the focus of this book was on the content of libraries--books--there was also some discussion of the architecture and organization of libraries, and the role of librarians. But I was surprised that there was no mention of the best known thing about librarians: "Shush!"...more
Despite my being a W&M alum (class of 1976), this was a rather unsatisfying book. The author of the work spent the Introduction (pages 9-12) defendingDespite my being a W&M alum (class of 1976), this was a rather unsatisfying book. The author of the work spent the Introduction (pages 9-12) defending the decision to present the vignettes in the 3rd person, with no names. This anonymity of stories led to a feeling that they could have been about anyone anywhere. Allegedly there were some interviewees who wouldn't have allowed their stories to be included if they were named--and I can understand that. But then the policy was applied to all the stories, which seemed unnecessary, and unfortunate. Of course in a book like this one looks for stories that one can relate to--from the years you were there, or about people or places that you knew. There were precious few. But of course the book covered 50 years, so less than 10% will be the 4 years I was there. And I was in a major, Philosophy, that was relatively small. Oh well. How much of 50 years can you fit into a 170-page book? Despite the anonymity, I was able to identify a few people or events. So that was fun. What did I take away from my four years at W&M? When I went to college I wanted to get away from home. Not that home was bad at all, but I wanted a different experience of the world. My parents said that, transportation being a cost, I should stay within 500 miles of Cleveland. It turned out that Williamsburg was 505 miles from home. But my parents loved Colonial Williamsburg (which had given me a chance to tour the campus), so they relented. Also, cost in general was a big consideration (which ruled out the University of Chicago). While W&M was out-of-state for me, still, its being a state school meant it was considerably cheaper than a private school even for an out of state student. (I don't think that is as true now as it was then.) I was so taken by W&M that I applied early decision and got accepted, so I didn't have to apply anywhere else. And it was a different experience of the world. I was in the south. Even though most of my friends were from Northern VA or also out of state like me, it was different. Southern accents had a charm. It was important to me that it wasn't a large university and that the standards were high. I knew it had a good debate team, and that became my people for my first two years, and remained my social group even after I quit the last two years to focus my energy on doing well in Philosophy. My philosophy classes and profs gave me what I needed to get into several excellent PhD programs, including UCLA, where I went. Anyway, after a slow start, I got up to speed and W&M was a perfect place for me academically. Politically I got a start at W&M. I voted for McGovern by absentee ballot. I helped organize and spoke at 2 rallies--against Nixon after the "Saturday Night Massacre" in 1973, and against the college when they upped student fees to support the athletic budget in 1974. Also, during 2 summers I worked for the Appalachia Service Project, repairing homes in Eastern Kentucky. So I found my niche even in a conservative Southern context. I was randomly assigned to roommates my first 2 years, which was a learning experience. My 2nd roommate and I stayed together for our remaining time there. We lived in one of the first co-ed dorms in 1974-75. And he gave me my appreciation of blues music. I left with several friends who meant a lot to me at the time, even though we mostly didn't stay in touch. My favorite location was walking DOG Street at night, but other than that I never set foot in any CW buildings. So...that's what I'd add to the book! W&M alumni might be interested in this piece I just found about Sam Sadler and his 41 years at W&M: https://flathatnews.com/2016/04/25/sa......more
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