Neil Gaiman 'Neverwhere'

A tale set in a strange and fantastical world beneath London. A place of monsters and unlikely heroes, of floating markets and lost subway stations, of circumlocutious villains and of enigmatic angels. Typical Neil Gaiman; terrific!

 Headline Review, 372 pages

 

 

Mark Lynas 'Six Degrees'

This is a popularist, and rather alarmist book on climate change.  The book is divided into sections each one covering the effect of increasing amounts of climate change, degree by degree up to six degrees, and hence the title.  So, is the book convincing; would I give it to a sceptic?

Unfortunately, I would not! With purplish prose and an alarmist tendency this book would be one of last books I would give out. For me the author does his subject a grave disservice by constantly taking the most pessimistic position. This is most clear in the early chapters; once the larger temperature rises are reached it is hard to take anything but a pessimistic view! But to go back to my point, in the chapter dealing with a one degree rise hurricanes, we are told, may be more likely. The author's of an investigation into hurricane Catarina are quoted as saying 'Therefore, there is evidence to suggest that Catarina could be linked to climate change in the southern hemisphere circulation...'.  Lynas then continues with 'could be' effectually replaced by 'will be'.  Please do not get me wrong,  I am not a climate change denier, but I think it is critically important that a popular book like 'Six Degrees' will be taken seriously by the deniers, and I can hear some of my denier friends saying 'Yes, but the guys only said "could be", and it's only their view anyway'. Once the denier can see a crack in the argument they are likely to use a crowbar to bring the whole thing down.  In fairness as the book progressed I found it improved, and it is valuable in covering aspects such as access to fresh water which can be ignored in other texts.  Indeed the final chapter discussing future options is very good indeed and I am indebted to Lynas for the following 'Calculated globally, human society consumes the equivalent of 400 years' worth of ancient solar energy (expressed in terms of the net primary productivity of plants during previous geological eras) each year through our use of fossil fuels'  (source given as Dukes J., 2003 Climate Change,  61, 31-44). So in conclusion, not a book I would give to a sceptic, but never-the-less with some interesting points to make, maybe better just to read the second half.

(On a pedantic note page 54 states 'that a 'half point (drop) on the pH scale (8.2 to 7.7) represents a fivefold increase in acidity', actually it represents a 3.2 fold increase).

Harper Perennial, 346 pages

 

 

Ian Jenkins 'The Lion of Knidos'

This is an interesting little book. It concentrates on a single artefact in the British Museum (the large stone lion currently on display in the New Court), discusses its discovery and places it in historical and cultural context. Other notable artefacts, such as those from the Mausoleum of Mausolus, The Aphrodite of Knidos and the statue of Demeter from Knidos are also discussed.

So if you're in the British Museum do take a look at the Lion of Knidos and if, like me you want to know more, then do buy this book.

The British Museum Press, 62 pages

 

 

Douglas Adams 'The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy'

At the risk of appearing a killjoy I thought that the original radio play was much better. An OK read, but not a great one.

Pan Books, 158 pages

 

 

Tacitus 'The Annals of Imperial Rome'

What survives of Tacitus' Annals cover the period from the end of the reign of Augustus until early in the reign of Nero. Originally, they extended until the death of Nero, but the final 19 years and well as significant chunks during the period above are missing. However, even incomplete The Annals make interesting reading. Moments of history come alive and are shown from an almost contemporary perspective. However, like all the other classical historians I have read Tacitus is not writing an objective historical account and in a number of places, most notably when dealing with Tiberius, who reigned some 80 years before, Tacitus displays a strong sense of disapproval. He likes to state the facts whilst presenting them in a way which reveals his opinion, which does allow the reader to make their own judgements.  I found that as the The Annals progressed, and court intrigues led to increasingly violent purges the tone of the book became darker. Tacitus is determined to show us the dark side of imperial Rome, of where autocratic government can go. He also presents a world whose attitudes are very different from our own; for example, when a great man was placed on trial frequently his slaves were tortured to obtain the facts.

It is this, rather alien, perspective which makes such a book interesting. It is possible to quibble about objective history, but The Annals presents Roman history as seen by a Roman and is valuable for that alone.

I would recommend this book but suggest that you take your time over it. It gets heavy going in places, but in the end is well worth the effort.

Penguin Classics, 455 pages

 

 

Patrick Carnegy 'Wagner and the Art of the Theatre'

This is a history of theatre production from the late 19th century until the 1980s as demonstrated in the production of the operas of Richard Wagner. It is well researched, well written, and if you are interested in the subject matter extremely interesting. As an occasional Wagner nut I enjoyed it, although I did find parts hard going.  My only criticism of the book, and perhaps an unfair one at that, is that by focusing on the ground breaking productions, from Wagner's own until Hans Jürgen Syberberg's strange film of Parsifal in 1981, the book highlights the new and iconoclastic at the expense of the traditional against which the new is fighting.  This is almost unavoidable since a history reporting endless 'situation normal' would be very dull, but it is still important to note that more or less traditional stagings continue to be made and continue to be popular.

Carnegy discusses Wagner's own productions at some length and examines the composer's changing options on what constituted the ideal production. In some ways this acts as a rebut to the call for a traditional production, faithful to the letter of Wagner's instructions that Bryan Magee makes in 'Aspects of Wagner'.

Part of the power of Wagner's works is that when re-examined from different perspectives they reveal new aspects. Patrick Carnegy's book is an excellent history of this continuing exploration.

Yale University Press, 461 pages

 

 

Deborah Cadbury 'Space Race, The battle to rule the heavens'

After reading this author's excellent 'The Dinosaur Hunters' I started 'Space Race' with high expectations. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The book tells the parallel stories of the leaders of the American and the Russian space programs. Werner von Braun is well known, but his Russian counterpart Sergei Korolev is hardly known at all. Both men are fascinating characters and the book should have been excellent. Instead I found it seriously flawed. The author sensibility tells the two stories in parallel, but unfortunately this came over as artificial and weakened the narrative line of both stories. Then there is the question of how much von Braun new about the methods that the Nazis were using to construct his rockets, according to the epilogue quite a lot. So why was this important material left until the end? There were also a number of minor errors, for example we are told that on day 4 of the Apollo 11 mission Armstrong & Aldrin transferred to the lunar module, 'which lay embryo-like above the Apollo third stage' The time of the transfer in correct, but the lunar module had separated from the third stage on day 1. This is a relatively minor point, but in a factual book it is that kind of detail that gives the reader confidence in the author as a guide to the subject; if they are wrong here, then where else are they wrong? 

So, although I cannot really recommend 'Space Race' I am grateful to Deborah Cadbury for introducing me to the fascinating story of Sergei Korolev.

Harper Perennial, 372 pages

 

 

Gene Kranz 'Failure is not an option'

As he was a flight controller through the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs there can be no doubting Gene Kranz's credentials. He was there during many of the American space programs finest moments and in his memoirs he tells a fascinating account of history as seen from the sharp end.  Kranz's style can be terse, but for me this only helped to capture the tense no nonsense atmosphere of mission control. Despite this Kranz does raise a wry smile on several occasions; the technicians and astronauts worked hard and played hard, and he was in the centre of it. Despite his achievements Kranz comes over as a modest man who feels honoured to have been able to serve his country. One of the most interesting first-hand accounts I've read for a long time. Highly recommended.

Berkley Books, 415 pages

 

 

Dacre Stoker & Ian Holt 'Dracula, The un-dead'

This authorized sequel tries too hard to be original and inclusive of all the different strands of the Dracula myth. Not bad but could have been a lot better.

HarperCollins 424 pages

 

 

 Neil Gaiman, 'Stardust'

Another enjoyable Gaiman adventure. This is the story of Tristan Thorn, a young man who lives in Wall, a town which sits on the border of England and Faerie.  One night he promises to fetch a star that he and his beloved have just seen fall to earth. The star turns out to be girl with a broken leg, who is being chased by a witch, a couple of princes, an old woman with a strange bird and some ghosts. Will Tristan get back to Wall with the star, and what price will need to be paid? This is vintage Gaiman. Although much less dark than 'American Gods' or even 'Neverwhere' this modern fairy tale makes a delightful read, and I think would be a good introduction to Gaiman's writing.

Headline Review 196 pages

 

 

Michael Collins, 'Carrying the Fire, An Astronaut's Journeys'

Michael Collins is an interesting man, a Gemini and Apollo astronaut; the man who went to the moon in Apollo 11, but stayed in orbit.  In this book Collins writes about his journey from test pilot to lunar explorer. The story is told with humour, but also with passion and at times pathos. Collins seems like a rather modest man, he certainly details the problems that he had just getting on program in the first place.  Nor does he hide the frustrations he encountered. But overall, he comes over as a man doing an absorbing and at times dangerous job, one that he would probably pay to do. Obviously, Apollo 11 looms large, as does his other flight in Gemini 10, but I feel that overall this gives a good feel for what was like to have been an astronaut in NASA's golden age.  At the end Collins makes his frustration with man's retreat from the final frontier quite clear. I think that there can be few more eloquent advocates for the space program. And is he disappointed to have got so near to the moon but never landed?  On the strength of this book, absolutely not.

Highly recommended, interesting and in places inspirational.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux 478 pages

 

 

David J. C. Mackay 'Sustainable Energy – Without the hot air'

We read so many contradictory reports about sustainable energy, are wind power, solar power, tidal power practical? If we really wanted to move over to sustainable energy sources what are the smallest installations that we could get away with? Will changes in aircraft design make flying 'green' or electric cars make commuting environmentally friendly? There is so much hype it is difficult to know what to believe. Thankfully Professor Mackay has come to our rescue.  Armed with a battery of equations and figures he looks at the different claims from the perspective of physics. In general, he does not look at whether a technology is actually practical, but at what we can reasonably expect from it if it is were.  Working through the various areas of our energy use (transport, heating, manufacturing, food, etc) he builds up two stacks, one of current energy use and one of possible sustainable energy production. This allows him (and us) to produce an energy balance sheet. If we want to carry on as we are then what fraction of the world's surface would need to be turned over to solar energy collection, or how many new nuclear power stations built? The answers are not always comforting, but that is not Mackay's mission. Although this is in essence a physics text, the author does a good job in giving something for everyone, partly this is a question of writing style and presenting the figures on a human scale and partly because he separates the more mathematical parts into a series of technical chapters dealing with each topic.  At the end he provides an appendix of facts and figures which alone are almost worth the cost of the book. Incidentally, although I purchased the paper copy of this book, it is also available as a free download from www.withouthotair.com.

This is an interesting and refreshingly polemic free book on an emotive issue. It should be compulsory reading for all policy makers, not to mention journalists!

UIT Cambridge 366 pages

 

 

Bee Wilson, 'Swindled. From poison sweets to counterfeit coffee – The dark history of food cheats'

This entertaining book tells the story of food adulteration, from the brazen and often deadly scams of the past to some of today's more ambiguous issues.  Bee Wilson shows how improved scientific techniques have driven back the food swindlers, often through the dedicated efforts of a few crusaders, but also how advancing technologies open up new avenues for deceit. It is clear that putting chicory in coffee is adulteration, unless it's labelled as such of course; but what about a total artificial product like a soft drink, when is that adulterated, after all a modern fruit flavoured drink has probably never seen a real fruit. A disturbing theme that run throughout this book is that unless people are dying in droves governments tend to do nothing to protect their populous; indeed they will often kid themselves that their lassie faire attitude servers their votes better since it encourages industry, competition, free trade, etc.  So be warned, what's good for business may be good for government to, but it may not be good for you.

John Murray, 370 pages

 

 

 Leon Harkleroad 'The Math behind the Music'

What links piano tuning, bell ringing and Schoenberg's violin concerto? Well the title says it, mathematics and music. This interesting little book looks at the links between music and a number of mathematical ideas; such as Group Theory and probability. I would say that the book serves more as an appetizer than a main course, but that is surely the idea.  Although, in some cases I felt that the link was a bit laboured, such as the Schoenberg, for others, such as bell ringing, it seemed entirely appropriate and in all cases it was interesting and illuminating. The book begins with the best explanation of tuning and tempering than I have come across and ends with a chapter dealing with how not to mix math and music. So, if you interested in either topic and are not allergic to the other, then I think you will find something in this book to interest you.

Cambridge University Press 143 pages

 

 

Ben Goldacre 'Bad Science'

Anyone who has read Ben Goldacre's column in the Guardian newspaper or visited his website (http://www.badscience.net/) will be familiar with his message. Zero tolerance to the misuse of science, whether by drug companies, governments, mountebanks or even by the occasional scientist. Where Goldacre does such a great service is he explains how to analyse the studies so that you can see if the results are potentially dubious. He explains how a properly constructed medical trial is carried out and even more importantly why in is structured in the way that it is. Scientific method is not there to keep out new ideas, as some will tell you, but to allow objective measurements to be made. Goldacre also writes with style and wit and does not labour the points too much. This is a readable, enjoyable and informative book. I highly recommend it.

HarperCollins, 370 pages  

 

 

Len Deighton 'Blitzkrieg, From the Rise of Hitler to the fall of Dunkirk

I found that book very interesting. Well written and using a good amount of first-hand accounts this is a fast moving and highly readable book. Although Len Deighton goes into a lot of detail concerning military hardware and tactics, he never seems to neglect the political background. Indeed, as the book progresses he casts an increasingly critical eye upon the political and military decisions' of both sides, especially the allies. In fact, he suggests that had the allies acted quickly and decisively against the Germans during the early stages of their advance through France, the invasion could have been stopped. Of course, with the benefit of hindsight anyone can be wise, but Deighton makes a convincing case; technology had changed the nature of warfare, but not everyone had realized. Recommended

Random House, 295 pages

 

 

Ilya Prigogine 'Les lois du chaos'

I cannot recommend this book. For me it is falls into an uncomfortable mid ground between the non-technical and the over technical. The topic covered, where the arrow of time comes from, is very interesting, but at least for me this book which goes between over wordy and impenetrably mathematical, is not the place to read about it. Maybe someone with a better background in mathematics and physics would get more from it.

Champs Sciences, 125 pages

 

 

Dan Parry 'Moon shot'

This is the story of the flight of Apollo 11. It is well written and nicely complements the books of Michael Collins and Gene Kranz reviewed above. It covers both the flight and the events leading up to it in a fair degree of detail and fills in some of the gaps that those two first person perspectives do not cover. A good read.

Ebury Press 312 pages

 

 

Len Deighton 'Bomber'

This book makes difficult and uncomfortable reading. It describes in cold and dispassionate terms an RAF bomber raid on the fictional German town of Altgarten. The story is told from both sides with a cool precision, and Deighton's characters are presented warts and all as normal people in terrible circumstances. Although fictional, the book seems well researched and I suspect is an accurate presentation of the sort of events that really happened. The subject would easily lend itself to either accusations or jingoism, and I think that Deighton is to be congratulated for avoiding both. He is the storyteller; it is left to the reader to make their own conclusions. It is a long time since I have read such a powerful book as this.

Triad Panther, 488 pages

 

 

Donald K. Slayton with Michael Cassutt 'Deke!'

Donald K. Slayton 'Deke' is one of the unsung heroes of the US space program. Although chosen as one of the original Mercury astronauts, a heart condition kept him from flying until the Apollo-Soyuz mission in July 1975, and instead he became head of the Astronaut corps. Here he was responsible for deciding who flew when, and in effect chose the first man to step on to the moon. Later he became heavily involved in the Shuttle program and then left to join a commercial space venture. This book is his memoirs as told by him with contributions from colleagues, friends and family. The writing is down to earth and there is little padding. For me the most interesting aspects of the book were not the decisions of who flew when, but the technical arguments, especially those relating to the landing of the shuttle. So, perhaps not the ideal place to begin reading about the US space program, but still an interesting and worthwhile read.

Forge 354 pages  

 

 

Christopher Riley and Phil Dolling 'NASA Mission AS-506, Apollo 11 Owner's Workshop Manual'

This book is published by Haynes, whose Workshop Manual series was famous for showing you how to dismantle and put back together your car. Well, this book won't show you how to service your Saturn V, but it will give you a pretty good idea of how it works. Liberally filled with colour photos and excellent cut away diagrams this manual covers the development, construction and missions of the Apollo program. Although in 196 pages this book can only serve as a general introduction, I felt that it succeeded very well, and that the level of technical vs. gee-wiz was about right. If I have any criticism it is that a couple of the cut away diagrams were too similar, and that it uses imperial units. If you're interested in space hardware I think that you'll enjoy this book.

Haynes, 196 pages

 

 

Len Deighton 'Winter, A Berlin Family 1899, 1945'

Another excellent book from Len Deighton. This is perhaps more rounded than Bomber, dealing as it does with events over near half a century, as opposed to one day. The cold and objective style remains the same, and as in Bomber, they suit the narrative extremely well. Here we are presented with two boys growing up in a rich Berlin family. Deighton shows us the events that shape them, but ruthlessly removes any superfluous material, so that this long book feels light and without any padding. The characters are well drawn and plausible, and as in Bomber we are left to make our own conclusions. This is particularly important with one of the brothers who becomes an important Nazi lawyer. Is he a villain, or a tarnished hero? That is left for us to decide. I felt that Deighton handles this brother particularly well; we observe the actions but are rarely party to the reasoning. This is a rich and powerful book, which I can imagine returning to again. Highly recommended.

Grafton Books, 536 pages

 

 

Philippe Hucher, 'Le jazz'

This book a short and cheap and the French pretty straight forward. It did make me see a political dimension to jazz, but that was all. Mostly I found the book uninspiring and uninspired, with long sections of 'abc' did this, and so did 'xyz', not to mention 'efg', and of course the great 'mno'.

Librio, 71 pages

 

 

Plutarch 'Fall of the Roman Republic' (translated by Rex Warner)

This is another collection of biographies from Plutarch's parallel lives.  As in 'The Rise and Fall of Athens' (reviewed above) this collection groups together a number of biographies from the same period and presents them in chronological order.  As always Plutarch is an interesting and engaging story teller. Unfortunately, he is normally more interested in recounting morally improving tales than in objective history and Rex Warner makes his frequent frustration with Plutarch clear in the introductions to a number of the biographies. However, on its own terms I found the book highly readable and often gripping; especially the story of Crassus, being drawn ever further into hostile territory and towards eventual defeat.  So, in summary, an entertaining and often gripping collection.

Penguin Classics, 361 pages

 

 

Jack McDevitt 'Seeker'

A highly enjoyable pulp Sci-Fi romp.  Not profound, not meant to be, and so much better than a lot of the more literary Sci-Fi that I've read.

Ace Books, 373 pages

 

 

David A. Mindell 'Digital Apollo, Human and Machine in Spaceflight'

I must admit that it took me a bit of time to get into this book. I had been expecting something more technical, instead this is about the ideological conflicts which shaped the development of the Apollo program. The Apollo astronauts were pilots, who wanted to pilot the space craft. The engineers however wanted reliable automatic systems to chauffer the crew. This old conflict of airman versus chauffeurs began with the first aircraft and lasted throughout the Apollo program and on into the Space Shuttle program. The final compromise was to use the astronauts as flexible and critical backup systems; ready to take over if necessary, but otherwise supervising.  The conflict is most clearly seen in the lunar landings themselves and Mindell devotes a considerable amount of space to detailing the human-machine interactions that took place during this critical phase. This makes for quite a close and detailed reading of the landing reports, but I found it fascinating. Once I realized that the book was not so much about the 'what', as about the 'why' of the Apollo systems I found it very absorbing. I do have a few criticisms, however. Some of the more technical sections could have been clearer, and there were too many needless technical drawings. Overall though, I found this an excellent and interesting read.

The MIT Press, 359 pages

 

 

Ehsan Masood, 'Science & Islam, A History'

This is a short and interesting book. It mainly covers the period 700 to 1400 AD. The impression that I had of this period, which stretched basically from the fall to Rome to the Renaissance, was of a period when science and learning in general hung fire. I knew that Arab translators copied Greek and Latin texted into Arabic, and so preserved a lot of material which would have otherwise been lost. However, I was not really prepared for the extent and depth of Islamic Science and learning. This fascinating little book gave me an interesting introduction to this subject. The Arabic scholars were much more than just the guardians of classical knowledge and this book makes it clear how much the Renaissance built upon their work. I highly recommend this book.

Icons Books, 240 pages

 

 

Arkady & Boris Strugatsky, 'Roadside Picnic'

This is a science fiction classic. It tells the story of the outcasts who make a living taking artefacts from a forbidden zone which was once the site of an alien visit. The zone is capricious and dangerous and extracts a high price on those who enter it. Written in early 1970s Russia, it was refused publication for eight years and only then published in a heavy censored form. I had expected a more obviously political piece, but instead found a highly readable, if intense, novel. If you like Sci-Fi and want something with a different flavour, then I can recommend it.

Gollancz, 145 pages

 

 

Len Deighton, 'Spy Hook'

This is first novel of a trilogy and should probably be seen in that context. Like most of Deighton's stuff that I've read, I found it gripping. I kept waiting for a resolution, but none came.  The book ends with the hero fleeing into the Berlin night. To be continued.

Grafton Books, 267 pages

 

 

Len Deighton, 'Spy Line'

The second novel of the trilogy. The plot thickens and darkens; dealing and double dealing. Our darkly humorous hero, Bernard Samson is back working for 'The Department'; but who is pulling the strings and who should he trust. More gripping Deighton. Recommended, but read 'Spy Hook' first.

Grafton Books, 316 pages

 

 

Dennis R. Jenkins, 'X-15, Extending the Frontiers of Flight'

At a time when NASA's Space Shuttle program is coming to an end, it is interesting to look back on an earlier program, from an earlier time. The X-15 was an experimental plane which North American built for the US government, principally for the NACA which became NASA. Although an important step towards the Space Shuttle, the X-15 was the product a totally different financial world. In the 1950's when the project was begun budgets were much less tightly controlled. Take, for example the cost of the three X-15 tracking stations; the initial budget was $1,500,000, whilst the final cost was around $12,000,000! When the program was wrapped up in 1968 the total cost was an estimated $300 million; for three aircraft, which flew under their own stream for a total of 30 and a quarter hours. However, technically the planes were a triumph, boldly going where no plane had gone before; thirteen flights reached higher than 80 Km, two over 100 Km; a maximum speed of Mach 6.70 (7,273 km/hr). The objective was to learn about airflow at hypersonic speeds, and apparently over 40 years later the X-15 is still one of the major sources of information. Able to reach the edge of space, the X-15 pushed the available technology to the limits.  

Take the control systems; for much of the time the X-15 could be controlled like a normal plane, but at high altitudes the air was too thin for the wings to function normally and instead small rocket thrusters were developed. To allow the pilot to control the plane in a consistent manner in these very different environments, a computer controller 'fly-by-wire' system was developed. To plan the flights and prepare the pilots simulation techniques were developed. In all areas the X-15 program pushed the boundaries of the possible. But at a steep financial, and with the loss of one pilot, human, cost.

All of these aspects are covered in this interesting and detailed book. It's not a light read, there is a lot of who said what at which meeting, but in its way,  it is a compelling one. I'm sure there are better popular introductions, but I don't think that is the aim of this book. It is more of a history book, intended to cover a single project in considerable detail. Although I found it hard going in parts, I definitely found the book worth reading.

A quick note about the book's format. This is an eBook, available freely from NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/aero_x15_detail.html). There are a number of formats; I read the .prc version on a Kindle. Although, some of the figures were small, most were readable. A couple of illustrations are rather poor quality in both .prc and PDF versions.

NASA, 644 Pages in PDF version

 

 

Henning Mankell 'The Dogs of Riga, An Inspector Wallander Mystery'

An enjoyable read. Not as much of a who-done-it as I might of liked, but still good. I found Inspector Wallander an interesting lead character, and I'll probably read more of the series. Recommended.

Vantage Books, 342 pages

 

 

Alessandra Celletti and Ettore Perozzi, 'Celestial Mechanics, The Waltz of the Planets'

The authors of this book have done an excellent job in presenting a complex and highly mathematical field in a very readable, and pretty much equation free way. However, I don't think that they have trivialized the subject. Instead, they allow the lay reader to see through the complex 'tools-of-the-trade' to the results. After finishing this book, I can't calculate where the gaps are in the rings of Saturn, but I do have a much better understanding of why there are gaps at all! I am also beginning to appreciate how far the solar system is from a clock work mechanism, it may look completely stable and regular, but is it really and for how long? I have a couple of minor quibbles; the book appears to be translated into English, and the language is occasionally rather idiosyncratic; also, the caption of figure 9.6 is wrong. Still, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in astronomy.

Springer, I read the Kindle Edition, so no page numbers.

 

 

Len Deighton, 'Spy Sinker'

This, the third novel of the series, picks up the story from before 'Spy Hook' and ends at about the same place as 'Spy Line'. Events are revisited, and the story retold from other perspectives. But, what will happen to our hero Bernard Sampson, how will things turn out? Another excellently written espionage novel. Deighton skilfully reveals enough to prevent frustration, but leaves plenty for other novels. To be continued…

Grafton Book, 387 pages

 

 

G. Belzoni, 'Narrative of the Operations and Recent Discoveries in Egypt and Nubia'

Known as 'The Great Belzoni' Giovanni Battista Belzoni was a pioneer explorer of Egypt. Employed by the British consul Henry Salt, Belzoni travelled the length and breadth of Egypt studying the antiquities, and if possible taking them home with him. Some of the most famous pieces in the Egyptian collection of the British Museum were collected by Belzoni. In 1820 he published this account of his travels. It is now out of print but luckily a digitized version is the Google Books collection. I found Belzoni to be an interesting raconteur. Visiting Egypt before Champollion's decipherment of hieroglyphs Belzoni had only the reports of Greek historians and his own observations to go on. However, he appears to have been a man not content to rely on what others had said, but to see for himself and make his only conclusions. Although, not at all an archaeologist, Belzoni comes over as much more than treasure hunter; in places almost a man struggling to develop the techniques of a new science.

The digitized edition I read (link here) does not include any of the illustrations, which is a shame since they may have lightened what can in places be a rather heavy read (also, I have noticed that the online edition does include an appendix which was not included in the PDF download). Perhaps it is time of the British Museum to acknowledge Belzoni's work and publish a new edition, with illustrations of the sites and the pieces collected. In any case, well worth reading.

483 pages

 

George Bernard Shaw 'The Perfect Wagnerite'

Originally appearing in 1898 this is a classic analysis of Wagner's opera cycle 'The Ring of the Nibelung'. Viewing the working through the lens of a Victorian socialist, Bernard Shaw gives a plausible interpretation of much of Ring. Retelling the story in a rather amusing way, Bernard Shaw presents the various gods, giants, dwarfs and heroes as characters in an allegory of capitalism. However, for me the big problem with this Bernard Shaw's analysis is that 'much of the Ring' is in this case very far from 'all' or even 'most of the Ring'. Part way through act 3 of Siegfried we are told 'And now, O Nibelugen Spectator, pluck up; for all allegories come to an end somewhere; and the hour of your release from these explanations is at hand. The rest of what you are going to see is opera, and nothing but opera'. Thus, Bernard Shaw gives up on the remaining quarter of the cycle and dismisses it as mere opera, grand, dramatic and passionate though it may be, it does not warrant or indeed support, serious analysis. Here, I have to part company with Bernard Shaw, if the analysis needs to reject over 25% of the material to work, then maybe the analysis is wrong. Bernard Shaw goes to some lengths to explain that what with writing the texts in reverse order, but composing the music in the correct order, and being tried and having worked on the project for over twenty years Wagner decided to go with what he had in hand and set the original text of Götterdämmerung rather than revising it to fit in with the ideas of the previous operas. Thus, the final opera is reduced to a rather long-winded appendix. Personally, I find this rather hard to swallow. I found Bernard Shaw an interesting and often perceptive commentator, but a little like Wagner's Wotan, he sees the world through only one eye and thus is blind to half of Wagner's world. But still, though enlightening and frustrating in equal measure, I do think this book is worth the time of any Wagner lover. Also, the book has wonderful cartoon illustrations by Julio Fernandez. In some ways I found these the best bit of the book.

Time Incorporated, 114 pages

 

 

Ashley Kahn, 'Kind of Blue'

When I first asked a jazz fan where I should start listening, his response was unequivocal, 'Miles Davis, Kind of Blue. Greatest jazz album of all time'. I'm afraid to say that his advice was rather lost on me, 'Kind of Blue' was just too retrained, too cool; but a couple of years later I returned to it and was hooked. It really is a classic album, linking together many of the greats from a golden age of jazz; Mile Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball' Adderley…Just go to YouTube and search on 'miles davis so what'. This book is the story of the album; how for a brief moment the careers of those stellar artists crossed, and resulted in Kind of Blue. A book of this type could easily become too gushing in its praise, too technical, or just plain dull. Ashley Kahn avoids all of these traps to produce an immensely readable and enjoyable book. With the help of superb atmospheric photographs, the book draws the reader in. Of necessity some technical areas such as modes are covered, but these are clearly explained. I'm already a big fan of 'Kind of Blue', but I'm sure someone coming to the album for this first time would find this book just as compelling. Highly recommended.

Granta Books, 222 pages

 

 

B.F. Cook, 'The Elgin Marbles'

Whenever I visit the British Museum I try and see the Elgin Marbles. Last year I ran out of time, so I bought a book about them instead! In truth this book is not a substitute for visiting the marbles, it is however quite interesting. The history of the marbles from antiquity until the present is well covered. There are good descriptions of the sculptures and the illustrations are of good quality. However, I do have two reservations. Firstly, the book concentrates on the Parthenon sculptures which are in the British Museum. Understandably enough, after all the book is entitled 'The Elgin Marbles'; but it might have been nice to have more of a synthesis based on all of the existing fragments. Secondly the book was published in 1997 and so predates much recent scholarship concerning the painting of the sculptures in antiquity. Perhaps the time is ripe for a new edition.

The British Museum Press, 96 pages

 

 

Len Deighton', The Ipcress File'

This is a gritty dark spy thriller. Although Deighton's first novel, many of the characteristics that I so enjoyed in the latter stuff are already present; in particular giving the reader just enough information and a rather dark and subversive wit. Recommended.

Triad Granada, 222 pages

 

 

Orson Scott Card (ed.) 'Masterpieces, The best Science Fiction of the Century'

At around $11 this is a winning anthology. The twenty seven stories are arranged chronologically and include works by all of the big names of Sci-Fi. Many of the stories I'd read before, but on rereading I still enjoyed them. A couple of the authors were new to me and I will track down more of their work, especially Lloyd Biggle jr and George R. Martin. In summary, an excellent collection of Sci-Fi short stories with something for all tastes.

Penguin Putman, Kindle edition

 

 

Naomi Oreskes & Erik M. Conway, 'Merchants of Doubt'

This interesting book documents the efforts of a small group of, mostly retired, scientists to prevent environmental protection. Covering topics ranging from Acid Rain, Second Hand Smoking, Global Warming and the revisionist views on DDT their tactics and to some extent motivations are discussed. When research indicates that an established industry is doing something that may harm the common good, for example chlorofluorocarbons from aerosols damaging the ozone layer, these guys are wheeled out as experts to give a series of convicting sounding, but ultimately spurious arguments to the contrary. As time has passed these attacks have become increasingly aggressive and personal, witness for example the Climate Gate scandal which surrounded the leaked e-mails from the University of East Anglia. As someone who follows the writing of various climate change deniers there was little that surprised me, except perhaps that they are really just rehashing old arguments used in earlier fights. However, it is sad to see how real scientists are attacked for simply for reporting what they find. The authors make the interesting point that those contradicting the scientific view are frequently supporters of liberty and the free market, but that by denying the market the true facts, for example the real impact of CO2, they are preventing the market from functioning correctly and ultimately, perhaps compromising liberty itself.

Highly recommended.

Bloomsbury Press, 355 pages