Category: Books

I loved this Book, the biography of a literary giant. It was written by Maya Jasanoff, primarily a historian not a literary academic.  Jasanoff, herself, writes beautifully: “Estuaries are liminal spaces between the river and the sea, and up the estuaries of Borneo, Conrad encountered liminal figures, living between cultures, a European or two among … Continue reading Review: The Dawn Watch; Joseph Conrad in a Global World by Maya Jasanoff (2017) Assessment 9 out of 10

I both loved and felt belittled by this Book. The title has multiple meanings, the writer’s Journey along the Atlantic Edge and a Journey in which beliefs about past and present are challenged. The Frayed Edge implies both the deeply indented coast, with offshore islands, skerries and reefs, and the coastal communities and culture, variously … Continue reading Review: The Frayed Atlantic Edge; a Historian’s Journey from Shetland to the Channel by David Gange Assessment 8 out of 10

Tim Cresswell is Professor of Human Geography at the University of Edinburgh. He considers the meaning of place for geographers, philosophers, artists and architects. He explores radical ideas in geography, for instance “Queer Places” and the occupation of Tiananmen Square, Tahrir Square, Cairo and Wall Street as significant moments of protest at significant places. I … Continue reading Review: Place; an Introduction by Tim Cresswell second edition (2015) Assessment 9 out of 10

Laycock is a Cambridge classicist who, as an aid worker, saw state-break up at first hand in Bosnia and Kosovo. That experience clearly influenced his thesis that in Britain Romanization was only skin deep; there were continuing tribal divisions, which the Roman regime in Britain exacerbated as much as reduced. Rome introduced civil administration based … Continue reading Review: Britannia,the Failed State;Tribal Conflicts and the End of Roman Britain by Stuart Laycock (2008) Assessment 7 out of 10

Events, in 1946 and 1947, are described, culminating in British withdrawal and establishment of the new states of India and Pakistan. The book runs to 210 pages, plus maps, a list of abbreviations, a glossary, monochrome photographs, notes, a bibliography and index. For £12 it is good value. The book records both the negotiation of … Continue reading Review: The Great Partition; the Making of India and Pakistan by Yasmin Khan (2007) Assessment 9 out of 10

Climbing down a cliff, I broke my ankle. In the resulting period of enforced idleness, I signed up for an online course, for which this was the recommended text. It is a relatively big (21×27.5 cms), but short book of 252 pages, plus a glossary and index. Closely printed in two columns, there are numerous … Continue reading Review: Human Evolution ; an Illustrated Introduction by Roger Lewin (2004) Assessment 6 out of 10

Mithen’s central thesis is that the development of children’s minds mirrors development of the human brain and therefore the course of evolution. The text is 250 pages long, including numerous diagrams. These are followed by 50 pages of two column closely printed notes and further reading, a source to be plundered. The thesis is like … Continue reading Review: The Prehistory of the Mind; a Search for the Origins of Art, Religion and Science by Steven Mithen(1998) Assessment 9 out of 10

This version published in 2017 updates the 1994 original, which in turn was based on John Kelleher’s doctoral thesis. It describes Jersey as a “peculiar “of the English crown, a jurisdiction which continued and continues without being a nation-state in a world dominated by nation-states. There were changes in population, society, economy and culture. However … Continue reading Review: The Triumph of the Country; The Rural Community in 19th Century Jersey by John Kelleher (2017) Assessment 9 out of 10

The Reviews stimulated little disagreement, but much debate. All were impressed by the 4 Levels of Prosperity as a model of a changing world and changing cultures. In Ruth’s view the Book’s essential message was not whether the world was on balance a better or worse (endangered) place but that, as decision makers, we need … Continue reading Discussion: Factfulness; Ten Reasons We Are Wrong About the World and Why Things Are Better than You Think by Hans Rosling et al

I didn’t much like the Book. Tellingly, I kept calling it “Forgetfulness”. There were strengths: The analysis of social economic & demographic transitions. Four Prosperity Levels are recognised Levels 1-4, the explanation of people moving up the Levels interesting.  An impressive list of matters are improving, slavery, oil spills, HIV infection, battle death, smallpox, nuclear … Continue reading Review : Factfulness; Ten Reasons We Are Wrong About the World and Why Things Are Better than You Think by Hans Rosling et al (2019) Assessment 3 out of 10