It has been some time since I wrote a blog. So, to
get back in the groove, I thought I'd recommend some books (in no particular
order) for those curious about history.
1491:New
Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann.
If there are lessons to be learned from the past,
some of those discussed in this book have been forgotten or, conveniently,
swept under the proverbial rug. As its title suggests, this is a glimpse at new
revelations about the Americas before the arrival of Columbus. It offers
devastating new evidence to destroy the myth the first inhabitants were
ignorant savages who could only benefit from the civilizing influence of their
conquerors.
Humankind
by Alexander H. Harcourt.
A fascinating examination of how we (humans) became
who/what we are.
Harcourt, professor emeritus of anthropology at the
University of California, Davis, traces the journey of the human species out of
Africa and describes the biological and geographical forces which have shaped
the beast into what it is today in all its glorious variety.
In the process he never shirks from noting
differences of opinion or separating theory from established fact. His
explanations of how environment, biology and even culture have shaped the
differences between members of the same species across the world are lucid and
backed by the latest scientific thought. Evolution is an ongoing process and
more changes lie ahead.
Millennium
by
Ian Mortimer.
Despite resulting hardships, man has seldom chosen
to benefit from the lessons of history.Those harsh lessons have failed to sway
us from a tenacious belief technological advances will save us from the
problems of the past.
British historian Ian Mortimer assesses what he
considers the most important changes in Western civilization in the last
thousand years, predicts a dystopian future if we don't end our reliance on
fossil fuels but hints at a more optimistic stance pending some hard changes in
our lifestyle. His conclusions on what changes and which historic characters
had the most influence in each century from the eleventh to the twentieth may
surprise, even shock, the reader, but he does so in an erudite, entertaining
and convincing style.
A
Pirate of Exquisite Mind by Diana and Michael Preston.
A remarkable man died sometime in 1715 in London and
was buried in an unmarked grave.
This would be of little note were it not for the
fact he was one of the greatest explorers of all time, a pioneering navigator,
a naturalist, hydrographer, travel writer and--probably to his disadvantage--a
pirate. His maps were used by James Cook and Horatio Nelson, among others; his
work as a naturalist influenced von Humboldt and Darwin, and his writings
stirred the imagination of Defoe, Coleridge and Swift. William Dampier
circumnavigated the world three times and was the first Englishman to explore
Australia.
The
World of Washington Irving by Van Wyck Brooks.
This is my favorite of the series of books Brooks
wrote on the literary history of the United States.
Irving, one of my early favorites, was the first
American writer to live by his pen. This book by Brooks focuses on the world in
which he lived and introduces some fascinating Pennsylvanians, including
Charles Brockden Brown, the first true American novelist; Benjamin Franklin,
Joseph Priestley, Charles Wilson Peale, Alexander Wilson and others.
The
Wright Brothers by David McCullough.
Most recognize the Wright brothers as aviation
pioneers, but know little about them on a personal level.
Fact is, on a personal level, Wilbur and Orville
were generally reclusive, work-obsessed, idea-driven and with apparently little
time or interest in people outside their closely-knit family and a carefully
chosen group of friends with similar interests. In a word, they were nerds--who
would have struck a majority of their fellow creatures as odd in any time
period.
Defining
The World by Henry Hitchings.
When Americans say "dictionary" they
usually mean Webster. In the UK, the Oxford English Dictionary would more
likely come to mind.
A few might realize that for more than a century the
term meant Johnson to our ancestors.
For most, dictionary is like the 10
Commandments--writ in stone, accepted without question and its origin rarely
considered. It may be hard for many to realize there was no such authoritative
reference before Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language was
published on April 15, 1755. It took Johnson eight years (five more than he'd
anticipated) to complete the work.
Atlantic:
Great Sea Battles, Historic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a
Million Stories by Simon Winchester.
Winchester set out to write a book explaining all
there is to know about the Atlantic, which he considers to be our most
important ocean. An overwhelming task and one might doubt it's even possible.
He may not have succeeded in his initial goal but he comes as close as anyone
in writing a biography of our ocean.
He explains how the ocean was born, how people
living on its shores reacted to it and how, most importantly, it has influenced
the development of the civilized world. To do this, he tells tales of man's
first attempts to go out on the water, pirates, naval battles, the development
of sea-going commerce and other topics. He also includes numerous anecdotes from
his personal experience with the ocean.
