#646 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Friday April 28)
Good morning,
Thought for the day, which resonates in today’s times:
“To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous.”
-- Confucius, The Analects (497BC)
Or as President Reagan said, “trust but verify.” And in these days with disinformation and dysfunction around us have taught us, we need to make sure we study hard and question what we hear.
BOOKS BY YEAR
Good morning. I like lists of books. I started this list a while back—it’s quirky…
There are many ways to understand and analyze history. There is the study of a “big event,” like the lead-up to American independence, the Civil War, the forces leading to World War I. There is seeing events through the perspective of the “great leaders,” like Lincoln or Churchill or Stalin. There is the study of an era, like the Renaissance or the Enlightenment. There is the study of the “real people” and social history. There’s the study of diaries and letters, to see the perspective in the words of the time. Then there are quirkier ways. One that I’ve enjoyed is the odd sub-genre of a book dedicated to a particular year.
Those of you who know me well, know that I’m pretty obsessive-compulsive about the organization of the books in our library. One shelf is devoted to books based upon the above years. Most are pretty obvious, some less so, but all entertaining. Here list of many of these, all entertaining and informative in their own right—and all evocative not just of the year, but the era and the events leading up to and following the pivotal year:
1066, The Hidden History in the Bayeux Tapestry, by Andrew Bridgeford. The Bayeux Tapestry, a work both of beauty and history, is the center of this telling of the Norman Conquest in this short book. The tapestry is well worth the visit to Northern France.
1215, The Year of the Magna Carta, by Dana Danziger. While ostensibly about the Charter of Liberties itself, it in fact is a book with short chapters on a variety of subjects (e.g., King John, hunting in the forest, political culture, law and order, the Church). Great immersion in the 13thcentury.
1453, The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and The West, by Roger Crowley. This is the story of the violent and cruel clash of Sultan Mehmet ii and Constantine XI and the fall of Constantinople. After this, the Hagia Sophia became a mosque and modern Istanbul began.
1491, New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, by Charles C. Mann. Not really about this year, as much as the time prior to the arrival of Europeans. For anyone who has climbed the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde, climbed the Aztec pyramids of the Yucatan, or trekked to Chichen Itza, one already senses the vast, sophisticated, urbanized cultures that predated our ancestors’ arrival.
1492, the Decline of Medievalism and the Rise of the Modern Age, by Barnet Litvinoff. It’s been a long time since I read this—I don’t have anything to add!
1603, The Death of Queen Elizabeth I, the Return of the Black Plague, the Rise of Shakespeare, Piracy, Witchcraft, and the Birth of the Stuart Era, by Christopher Lee. The title really describes the contents well. A plague, a complete upending of government, and the end of medievalism. Sounds familiar (well, at least two out of the three).
1688, a Global History, by John E. Wills, Jr. This is a great survey of the world at a pivotal time. The chapters are short, so whether you enjoy just a little history lesson a day, or are using these brief chapters as a soporific, it’s a great book. Truth in advertising: John was my Chinese history professor in college. Notwithstanding that I only got a B+ in his class, he was a great professor and I harbor no ill will (well, maybe a bit…).
The Scratch of a Pen, 1763 and the Transformation of North America, by Colin G. Calloway. Americans tend to think of 1776 as the beginning of the American experiment. But the case can be made that it began as soon as the Seven Years’ War ended. The Treaty of Paris established British hegemony over the eastern seaboard from Canada to Florida and pushed the French and Indians away. The war is where Major George Washington got his inauspicious start.
1831, Year of Eclipse, by Louis P. Masur. Covers an important year in American history—Nat Turner’s rebellion, de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, Jackson’s America, Indian Removal Acts, and other events presaging the Civil War. And, of course, a total eclipse…
April 1865, by Jay Winik. Okay, so it’s a month, not a year. This widely acclaimed book covers the month when the Civil War ended, President Lincoln was assassinated, and the beginnings of the messy attempts toward reconciliation.
The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883, Krakatoa, by Simon Winchester. Really not about the year and its effect on history; rather about the cataclysmic event and the effects on the environment and rebirth of the island. If you haven’t read anything by Simon Winchester, you’re missing out. His The Professor and the Madman tells the fascinating story of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Also try The Map That Changed the World.
One Summer, America, 1927, yet another brilliant book by Bill Bryson. The year saw Lindbergh cross the Atlantic, Babe Ruth’s 60 home run season with “Murderers’ Row,” arguably the greatest Yankee (or any) team ever, the first “talkie”—The Jazz Singer, and so much more, in Bryson’s breezy, conversational style.
1944: FDR and the Year That Changed History, by Jay Winik.
1946, The Making of the Modern World, by Victor Sebestyen. All right, perhaps a little dry, but a great read on the beginnings of the Cold War after the Allied victory. The year included the King David Hotel bombing, atomic bomb testing, riots in India, the new Japanese constitution (written with American help). I’m sure JD, Dennis and Tom have read or will read this!
October 1964, by David Halberstam. A great year of baseball. I miss baseball every day when the season isn’t going on. These sorts of books help…
1968: The Year That Rocked the World.
There also are works of fiction written about a year; for instance, 1984, 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke, 1876, by Gore Vidal (one of his series of historical novels of American history—a real sleeper and highly recommended), 1919, by Jon Dos Passos, and my recent favorite, 2020: 5 Minute Poems. Have a great day,
Glenn
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