Salvador Dalí Illustrates Alice in Wonderland, 1969. By Maria Popova UPDATE: At long last, a restored modern edition of this lost treasure. Also: the best illustrations from 150 years of Alice in Wonderland Last week, we marveled at Leonard Weisgard’s stunning illustrations for the first color edition of Alice in Wonderland, circa 1949. But it turns out they might not be the most culturally intriguing. Published by New York’s Maecenas Press-Random House in 1969 and distributed as their book of the month, the volume went on to become one of the most sought-after Dalí suites of all time.
As you might expect, the book isn’t exactly easy to acquire — Amazon currently spots just a single copy, handsomely priced at $12,900, and there’s even a video tutorial on what to look for when you hunt for this treasure: But the collaboration brought together two of the most exceptional creators of Western culture, both ticklers or curiosity and architects of the imagination, and who can really put a price tag on that? Amazon. Star Maker. Star Maker is a science fiction novel by Olaf Stapledon, published in 1937. The book describes a history of life in the universe, dwarfing in scale Stapledon's previous book, Last and First Men (1930), a history of the human species over two billion years.
Star Maker tackles philosophical themes such as the essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship between creation and creator. A pervading theme is that of progressive unity within and between different civilizations. Some of the elements and themes briefly discussed prefigure later fiction concerning genetic engineering and alien life forms. Arthur C. Clarke considered Star Maker to be one of the finest works of science fiction ever written. Plot[edit] The book begins with a single human narrator from England who is, via unexplained means, transported out of his body and finds himself able to explore space and other planets. Contents[edit] Appendix: A Note on Magnitude Reception[edit] Science[edit] Notes[edit]
Story of the Week: Free Fall. No Logo. Focus[edit] However, while globalization appears frequently as a recurring theme, Klein rarely addresses the topic of globalization itself, and usually indirectly. (She would go on to discuss globalization in much greater detail in her 2002 book, Fences and Windows.) Summary[edit] The book comprises four sections: "No Space", "No Choice", "No Jobs", and "No Logo".
The first three deal with the negative effects of brand-oriented corporate activity, while the fourth discusses various methods people have taken in order to fight back. "No Space"[edit] The book discusses how brand names such as Nike or Pepsi expanded beyond the mere products which bore their names, and how these names and logos began to appear everywhere. This section also looks at ways in which brands have "muscled" their presence into the school system, and how in doing so, they have pipelined advertisements into the schools, and have used their position to gather information about the students. "No Choice"[edit] Awards[edit] The Book of Five Rings.
The Book of Five Rings (五輪書, Go Rin No Sho?) Is a text on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general, written by the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi circa 1645. There have been various translations made over the years, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than only that of martial artists: for instance, some business leaders find its discussion of conflict and taking the advantage to be relevant to their work.
The modern-day Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū employs it as a manual of technique and philosophy. Musashi establishes a "no-nonsense" theme throughout the text. For instance, he repeatedly remarks that technical flourishes are excessive, and contrasts worrying about such things with the principle that all technique is simply a method of cutting down one's opponent. He also continually makes the point that the understandings expressed in the book are important for combat on any scale, whether a one-on-one duel or a massive battle. The five books[edit] The Book of Earth[1][edit] Notes[edit]
7 Must-Read Books on Music, Emotion & the Brain. By Maria Popova What Freud has to do with auditory cheesecake, European opera and world peace. Last year, Horizon’s fascinating documentary on how music works was one of our most-liked pickings of 2010. But perhaps even more fascinating than the subject of how music works is the question of why it makes us feel the way it does. Today, we try to answer it with seven essential books that bridge music, emotion and cognition, peeling away at that tender intersection of where your brain ends and your soul begins. We love the work of neuroscientist and prolific author Oliver Sacks, whose latest book, The Mind’s Eye, was one of our favorite brain books last year.
But some of his most compelling work has to do with the neuropscyhology of how music can transform our cognition, our behavior, and our very selves. Why music makes us feel the way it does is on par with questions about the nature of divinity or the origin of love. Patel also offers this beautiful definition of what music is: A Short History of Nearly Everything, Illustrated. By Maria Popova What charcoal has to do with democracy, equality and the cultural necessity for absurdity. A couple of weeks ago, after raving about one of our all-time favorite books, Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything, reader Ian Shepherd alerted us to the recent publication of an illustrated version of the book.
Needless to say, A Short History of Nearly Everything: Special Illustrated Edition is just as fantastic as you’d expect. Today, courtesy of Ian’s photographic skills, we take a peek inside as we await our copy in the mail: For the uninitiated, the book is a captivating exploration of how life evolved and how we humans came to make sense of it all. In 600 pages, Bryson offers a manifesto for scientific thought, written in a way that non-scientists can not merely understand but be swept away by, absorbing the author’s keen insight and chuckling at his well-timed wryness. “This is a book about how it happened. Images by Ian Shepherd Donating = Loving Share on Tumblr.
Alan Moore. Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell.[1] Frequently described as the best graphic novel writer in history,[2][3] he has been called "one of the most important British writers of the last fifty years".[4] He has occasionally used such pseudonyms as Curt Vile, Jill de Ray, Translucia Baboon and The Original Writer. Moore is an occultist, ceremonial magician,[6] and anarchist,[7] and has featured such themes in works including Promethea, From Hell, and V for Vendetta, as well as performing avant-garde spoken word occult "workings" with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.
Early life[edit] "LSD was an incredible experience. Not that I'm recommending it for anybody else; but for me it kind of – it hammered home to me that reality was not a fixed thing. Alan Moore (2003)[2](pp19–20) Career[edit] Early career: 1978–1980[edit] Kurt Vonnegut graphs the plot of every story.