"By definition, a prejudice is a principle that its owner does not intend to examine. Which does not prove it is wrong. And what a comforting thing it is."
Wallace Stegner The Spectator Bird, novel.
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Monday, July 20, 2015
Monday, July 13, 2015
Quote of the Post
"Curious indeed that in this life, brief and precariously enjoyed, men should so set their hearts on building a permanence in words: something to stand, in the lovely stability of ink and leaden type, as our speech out of silence to those who follow on. Indefensible absurdity, and yet the secret and impassioned dream of those who write!
I was about to say that, for the writing of anything truly durable, the first requisite is plenty of silence. Then I recall Dr. Johnson's preface to his Dictionary- 'written not in the soft obscurities of retirement, or under the shelter of academic bowers, but amid inconvenience and distraction, in sickness and in sorrow.' "
Christopher Morley ,Meditations of a Bookseller, essay. Collected in Pipefuls
I was about to say that, for the writing of anything truly durable, the first requisite is plenty of silence. Then I recall Dr. Johnson's preface to his Dictionary- 'written not in the soft obscurities of retirement, or under the shelter of academic bowers, but amid inconvenience and distraction, in sickness and in sorrow.' "
Christopher Morley ,Meditations of a Bookseller, essay. Collected in Pipefuls
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Quote of the Post
" There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."
Somerset Maugham
For my sister, the novelist.
Somerset Maugham
For my sister, the novelist.
The Thing That Counts
The USAPATRIOT Act (yes, it's an acronym,) has provisions which will soon expire. I wait in vain for the whole fucking thing to die a well deserved death, but many seem to think that it keeps us safe, even at the expense of some of our Liberty.
I would remind the cowards that the prime directive of our government is not to keep us safe at any cost. The prime directive of our government is to protect our freedom at any cost.
I would remind the cowards that the prime directive of our government is not to keep us safe at any cost. The prime directive of our government is to protect our freedom at any cost.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Quote of the Post
It Really Is Prologue
".... What used to be described as a thoughtless act of aggression was now regarded as the courage one would expect to find in a party member; to think of the future and wait was merely another way of saying one was a coward; any idea of moderation was just an attempt to disguise one's unmanly character; ability to understand a question from all sides meant that one was totally unfitted for action. Fanatical enthusiasm was the mark of a real man, and to plot against an enemy behind his back was perfectly legitimate self-defense. Anyone who held violent opinions could always be trusted, and anyone who objected to them became a suspect.... The plain way of looking at things, which is so much the mark of a noble nature, was regarded as a ridiculous quality and soon ceased to exist. Society became divided into camps in which no man trusted his fellow."
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War
Quoted in: Thomas Cahill, Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter
Sound familiar?
The Cahill book is recommended on this blog, along with his others. He calls them 'The Hinges Of History', and I can't praise them highly enough.
Happy reading.
".... What used to be described as a thoughtless act of aggression was now regarded as the courage one would expect to find in a party member; to think of the future and wait was merely another way of saying one was a coward; any idea of moderation was just an attempt to disguise one's unmanly character; ability to understand a question from all sides meant that one was totally unfitted for action. Fanatical enthusiasm was the mark of a real man, and to plot against an enemy behind his back was perfectly legitimate self-defense. Anyone who held violent opinions could always be trusted, and anyone who objected to them became a suspect.... The plain way of looking at things, which is so much the mark of a noble nature, was regarded as a ridiculous quality and soon ceased to exist. Society became divided into camps in which no man trusted his fellow."
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War
Quoted in: Thomas Cahill, Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter
Sound familiar?
The Cahill book is recommended on this blog, along with his others. He calls them 'The Hinges Of History', and I can't praise them highly enough.
Happy reading.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Should Auld Acquaintance...
Last week, I ran into an old friend at the library. I hadn't seen, or even thought of him, for at least twenty years; but it was as if no time had passed since last we met.
My friend's name is Horace Rumpole, English barrister. He's the creation of John Mortimer, and the 'Rumpole of the Bailey' stories have given me hours of entertainment.
I'd been looking for Walter Mosely's Devil in a Blue Dress, which happened to be out. Mortimer was shelved just to the left, and I grabbed a handful of old Rumpole, instead.
Rumpole.
I've often said that no one writing in the English language is better at naming characters than Charles Dickens (yeah, I know, Shakespeare wasn't bad, either.) Just think of Pip, or Scrooge and you know who they are. Old Fezziwig is the very embodiment of yuletide cheer. But Rumpole, now. Rumpled, gruff, portly; certainly a major-league wiseass. It's all in the name.
If you haven't figured it out, he comes highly recommended. The stories are witty and sometimes hilarious.
John Mortimer's Rumpole stories are collected in some of the following:
Rumpole of the Bailey
The Trials of Rumpole
Rumpole for the Defense
Rumpole's Return
Rumpole and the Golden Thread
Rumpole's Last Case
Rumpole and the Age of Miracles
Non Rumpole books include:
Paradise Postponed
Summer's Lease
Titmuss Regained
There are many more than I've listed. Good Reading.
My friend's name is Horace Rumpole, English barrister. He's the creation of John Mortimer, and the 'Rumpole of the Bailey' stories have given me hours of entertainment.
I'd been looking for Walter Mosely's Devil in a Blue Dress, which happened to be out. Mortimer was shelved just to the left, and I grabbed a handful of old Rumpole, instead.
Rumpole.
I've often said that no one writing in the English language is better at naming characters than Charles Dickens (yeah, I know, Shakespeare wasn't bad, either.) Just think of Pip, or Scrooge and you know who they are. Old Fezziwig is the very embodiment of yuletide cheer. But Rumpole, now. Rumpled, gruff, portly; certainly a major-league wiseass. It's all in the name.
If you haven't figured it out, he comes highly recommended. The stories are witty and sometimes hilarious.
John Mortimer's Rumpole stories are collected in some of the following:
Rumpole of the Bailey
The Trials of Rumpole
Rumpole for the Defense
Rumpole's Return
Rumpole and the Golden Thread
Rumpole's Last Case
Rumpole and the Age of Miracles
Non Rumpole books include:
Paradise Postponed
Summer's Lease
Titmuss Regained
There are many more than I've listed. Good Reading.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Quote of the Post (and a definition)
"Read, every day, something no one else is reading.
Think, every day, something no one else is thinking.
Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do.
It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity."
Christopher Morley, a final message to his friends.
Librocubicularist: One fond of reading in bed. Coined by Morley in The Haunted Bookshop.
I was pleased to find out that someone had gone to the trouble of coining a word for my third favorite thing to do in bed. I was also pleased to realize that I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it.
Think, every day, something no one else is thinking.
Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do.
It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity."
Christopher Morley, a final message to his friends.
Librocubicularist: One fond of reading in bed. Coined by Morley in The Haunted Bookshop.
I was pleased to find out that someone had gone to the trouble of coining a word for my third favorite thing to do in bed. I was also pleased to realize that I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it.
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