The Music Page
I was talking with our oldest granddaughter the other night: I am absolutely convinced musicians are doing better these days than ever if measured by a) financial success; and/or, b) fame.
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The Book Page
Two Bombs
The Making of the Atomic Bomb, Richard Rhodes, c. 1996; The 25th Anniversary edition, c. 2012.
Apparently the last chapter of the original book was removed entirely. From a reader at Amazon.com:
A
quick note for anyone deciding which edition to buy: The "25th
Anniversary Edition" removes the book's final chapter completely, which
feels utterly disingenuous and revisionist to me. While Rhodes' "Dark
Sun" covers the same ground as the omitted epilogue, this edition ends
so abruptly I'm amazed there wasn't an advertisement for the other books
in his "nuclear anthology" on the final page. The Kindle version is
somewhat flawed; there are quite a few typos and dropped punctuation,
and it's not always obvious when direct quotations begin and end. I'd
recommend buying one of the older physical editions if you want to read
this book as it was meant to be read.
Having just visited Los Alamos, I am in my Robert Oppenheimer phase. LOL.
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Herodotus
The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories, edited by Robert B. Strassler; a new translation by Andrea L. Purvis, introduction by Rosalind Thomas.
- introduction
- nine books
- twenty-one appendices
- maps, glossary, and footnotes galore
- the usual "Landmark" format -- awesome
Yes, I will end up with the five (so far) "Landmark" volumes on my shelf. Hardback copies are out of my reach, but the softcover are doable. The hard cover Julius Caesar, for example, is more than $130. Plus shipping. And they are used copies but apparently in excellent condition.
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Camille
Provocations, Camille Paglia, c. 2018. Her introduction has a list of those for whom the book is not written, including:
This book is not for those who see women as victims and men as the enemy or who think that women are incapable of asserting their rights and human dignity everywhere, including the workplace, without the intervention and protection of authority figures deputized by the power of the state.
I wonder how this issue will play out in the Mideast. But I digress.
Wow, wow, wow!
For those who have always been intrigued by Ms Paglia this is a must-read, if not a must-have-on-my shelf. Wow.
I've only been able to page through it, but it looks awesome. It appears she and her editor have "simply" selected seventy-four (74) of her best essays. She is probably as good as anyone when it comes to film and culture. I think she gives Hunter S Thompson a run for his money.
There are eight sections. Each section has about a dozen essays, each essay two to eight pages long, with the average, it seems, about four pages.
An example of an essay from each section:
- Popular culture: "A Love Letter to Joan Rivers."
- Film: "Women and Magic in Alfred Hitchcock."
- Sex, Gender, Women: "On Ayn Rand."
- Literature: "Dispatches from the New Frontier: Writing on the Internet."
- Art: Millennium Masterwordks: "The Mona List."
- Education: "Free Speech and the Modern Campus."
- Politics: "No to the Invasion of Iraq."
- Religion: "Resolved: Religion Belongs in the Curriculum."
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The Art Page
I rarely buy books, but saw something on Drudge about this book, so I bought it. I love her insight. She is undeniably brilliant. I know you like music, so this was probably right up your alley. I wish it would have focused more on the current events around us today, as I love her take on the world around us. She is pretty much spot on.
ReplyDeleteI know Camille Paglia is a provocateur, and I may not agree with everything she says but, like you, I do love her take on the world around us. Snowflakes will not be able to handle her. Her college classes must be a hoot. She knows film and music very, very well. I am a sucker for any anthology of essays.
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