Mark Twain, The American Author

• Author: maxgaucho
• Date: March 23, 2009
• Category: People

Mark Twain, whose real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was a greatly admired American author. His status as a writer could not be made clearer than by the fact that it is by his pen name, Mark Twain, that he is known. As a writer of powerful ability he carved his name into the history books and is widely recognised as history’s definitive American author.

Twain led a fascinating life and his talents granted him the opportunity to mix with a great many people that most would never have the chance to meet. Amongst these people were members of European royal families, successful industrialists, and American presidents, as well as a great many famous artists.

In spite of his great success as a writer Twain was barely educated within school. At the age of eleven, shortly after his father’s untimely death, he became an apprentice for a printer and worked there for several years. He eventually moved to his brother’s newspaper and worked on that until the age of eighteen.

Seeking more from life he spent his free time educating himself in public libraries where he had a much greater variety of knowledge available to him than at conventional institutions of education. It was his enjoyment of learning that allowed him to become such a great author and provided him with many opportunities he would not otherwise have had.

He spent two years studying incredibly hard to become a steamboat pilot – a job which required an immense depth of knowledge of the American rivers. Eventually he persuaded a younger brother of his to do likewise, but this turned out badly for Twain. He had a vivid and detailed dream in which his brother died in the role of steamboat pilot which allegedly became true one month later.

An unassailable guilt haunted Twain for the rest of his life after this incident, and it was this bizarre occurrence which propelled his interest in psychic research.

Whilst he produced a vast amount of written material much of it is lost or appears under other pen names in small publications. However, his most notable works, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, are well documented and he is known to have given an explanation for the origin of the “Mark Twain” pen name.

It was undoubtedly Twain’s deeply American life which led him along the path that turned him into a great American author, and for this he deserves rememberance.

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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

• Author: maxgaucho
• Date: March 22, 2009
• Category: Books

Having retained a position on the New York Times Best-Sellers list for a long time now, A Thousand Splendid Suns is, indeed, a splendid novel. Hosseini, the man who wrote the critically successful “The KiteRunner”, has hit gold again with another tale set in Afghanistan this time revolving around the lives of two women as opposed to the two young boys of the earlier work.

Written with a richly satisfying style the story unfolds across four parts, each divided into chapters. The first and last chapter centre on one character, whilst the second focuses on both the main characters and the third focuses on the other of the two. Allowing the narrative focus to shift in this way keeps the book fresh throughout and encourages a greater reflection on the connection between the two characters.

The second part’s chapter structure adds more to this appeal by focussing on one character or the other in alternating chapters. Thus the novel flows from a long and detailed section on one character to a rapidly alternating and lighter section on two characters, before returning to another two more detailed sections at the end. The break after the first section to a more varied pattern in the second prevents the opening from becoming tedious or stale and allows the reader to develop a greater appreciation for both characters which sets them up for the rest of the story to come.

As well as being finely structured, the work also exhibits excellent depth in its characters and a well-wrought and complex plot. Hosseini has a masterful understanding of human drive and the finer aspects of guilt which play significant parts in both this story and also The Kite Runner. Through this he successfully creates protagonists that we feel for and believe in – a vital element in any character-centred novel.

It is the weight which these characters have, and the winding plot that they are involved in, which make the story so interesting whilst being kept fresh with an unusual structure that firmly plants the book amongst the finer literary works. Hosseini has successfully created a worthy successor to The Kite Runner in which he expands his abilities as a writer and provides a fantastic piece of writing for all to enjoy.

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The Difference between Children’s and Adult Fiction

• Author: maxgaucho
• Date: March 21, 2009
• Category: Other

Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and The Witcher. What do all these books have in common? They are all fantasy novels. Yet they divide clearly into two groups – Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are generally classified as children’s literature, whilst The Witcher is classified as for adults.

The Witcher is very obviously unsuitable for children being violent and, in places, sexual to a degree which would not be accepted for children by censorship. However, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter don’t seem to so clearly be excluded from the realms of adult fiction.

Whilst “adult” is sometimes taken to mean “containing content unsuitable for children” it can also be used to mean that the fiction is aimed primarily at adults. In this sense it may be that a book is not deemed exciting enough for a child, or too emotionally complex to be understood intelligibly by a child. Whilst the content is not of an unsuitably violent or sexual nature, it isn’t suited to a child’s mind on an intellectual ground.

This seems to draw a fairly distinct line between the categories, but the closer one looks the more broken that line becomes. Consider the popularity of both The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter amongst adults. Nobody would deny that they are not overwhelmingly successful in adult markets as well as children’s. Both books were written by their authors for children to read but interestingly the books fall into two fairly different age categories of reader.

Harry Potter is more popular amongst children than adults, something undeniable. However, The Lord of the Rings is almost certainly more popular amongst adults than it is amongst children. This is interesting when we consider than both were intended to be read by children.

What is it about the latter that makes it more suited to adults as well as children, whilst the former is more heavily suited to children alone? It probably lies somewhere amongst the concoction of writing style and subject matter. Neither story contains anything in the way of “adult” violence or sexuality and other, related, themes. But The Lord of the Rings can communicate more extensively with adults.

In this example alone we can see how the categorisations begin to fall apart when scrutinised – something aimed at children needn’t be exclusively read by them, and something aimed at adults needn’t be inaccessible to children. In cases where there is no direct aim, the case is made even stronger. So to speak of children’s novels may be a useful term in some circumstances, but to treat works which are aimed at children as being something adults shouldn’t read, and vice versa, is an approach which quickly falls flat on its face. Enjoy the fiction which is available to you and don’t let categorisations put you off – writing is meant for reading, and in almost all cases what is written was done so by an adult. If it came out of an adult’s mind, why shouldn’t it go back into another one?

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Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Books

• Author: maxgaucho
• Date: March 20, 2009
• Category: Books, Other

For the younger generations of today Dorling Kindersley is something of a household name. Without a doubt many of us have grown up reading Dorling Kindersley books from cover to cover and picking them up for a quick browse in times of boredom. Everyone knew what their large, thin, rectangular, Christmas-wrapped gifts were before they even opened them – Dorling Kindersley books.

I remember unwrapping presents just like these on numerous occasions during my childhood. Sometimes I felt disappointed knowing that I had received a book but, whilst my initial reaction may not have been one of elation, the value of the book really became apparent once time wore on a few weeks.

I loved my Dorling Kindersley books. Whenever I was stuck for something to do I used to pull one off the book shelf and start glossing over the pages, picking them at random and just reading whatever was there. They were a fantastic source of information and the Eyewitness series of DK books were full of appealing images which helped to keep things riveting for youngsters such as myself.

As a child images tell far, far more than just a thousand words. The imagination of a child is a powerful thing. Left to its own devices it can run riot with something as straight forwards as an empty, brown, cardboard box, so just think of the possibilities that are made available to such an imagination once a book full of facts and accompanying images is present.

I have known these books all my life and I really can’t see them dying out. They are a fantastic gift for a child. They engage them with bold design and bright images whilst pairing these up with useful facts that are supplied in bite-size chunks. In doing this DK have successfully made learning something fun for children to be involved in. Looking through one of the Eyewitness Guides wasn’t like reading through other textbooks – these books really had the power to carry you away.

This success deserves widespread praise as encouraging children to learn can be a difficult matter. Through the innovative practice which Dorling Kindersley has so thoroughly explored a style of book has been created that ideally suits the habits of young children and provides an entertaining educational stimulus.

I fondly remember my collection of DK Eyewitness Guides and I’m sure there are many others who do to. I only hope they continue to exist long enough that my own children, and their children, will be able to benefit from them too.

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“The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals” by Michael Pollan

• Author: maxgaucho
• Date: March 19, 2009
• Category: Books

Every year sees the release of countless new popularist books which pander to fads and current media interests. Seeking a quick buck they sell the reader well short providing them with poor quality nonsense that does nothing more than to confuse the general population even further on issues that quite often merit some serious thought.

However, it is a pleasure to say that this is not one of those books. Whilst this is a very topical read which caters to the current interest in food and the way it is produced it does everything that it can to inform the reader and open their eyes to an array of information they didn’t previously know.

The book’s initial focus is on the food industry’s use of oil and corn as a major component of the processes involved in getting it from the fields and into our stomachs. Oil forms an essential component to the fertiliser and pesticide sprayed on crops, is used as fuel to transport the harvest, is sometimes a method of powering machinery in various refinement processes, and is vital to the packaging which most food comes in.

The impact of our eating habits on the world’s oil crisis is immediately highlighted here, but the book moves on quickly discussing the extent to which corn is also used in our food products – it is the chief food source for farmed animals and also provides an array of extracts which go into ready made foods. The book highlights the way in which low corn prices lead to larger crops being grown and ultimately masses more waste being produced.

Little is known about the impact which all of this corn and oil has on our own health at the end of the chain of processes either. Today there are many groups which lobby against the use of chemical products on our foods and, more than likely, they are right to do so.

Thus the book turns to an examination of alternative methods of production and talks about a particular farm where the owner describes himself as a “grass farmer”. Yet this isn’t what it seems – he doesn’t just grow large crops of grass but maintains a system in which grass is the core element of a whole variety of farm products, from chickens to cows and plenty in between. His method is to use a rotation system wherein the cows are moved from field to field as the grass comes into its prime and are left to graze and fertilize the soil for a small time period before being moved on.

Insights such as this and many others make this book, which raises questions about what production methods we as consumers should accept, a fascinating read and worthy of serious attention from the public at large.

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“The Wikipedia Revolution” by Andrew Lih

• Author: maxgaucho
• Date:
• Category: Books

Who hasn’t heard of Wikipedia? The chances are that if you’ve heard of the internet, you’ve also heard of this website. There’s even a fairly high chance that if you haven’t heard of the internet you’d still have heard of Wikipedia, it’s that well-known!

In this book Andrew Lih, a Wikipedia insider, talks about the rise to stardom of this unique website and the effect it’s had on the internet since. This is the first time someone on the inside of the Wikipedia walls has spoken publicly about the growth of the site which makes for some very interesting reading.

Wikipedia is now a global phenomenon which has approximately thirty million new words added to it a month! This staggering figure stands alongside the two or so million individual articles which these words make up. The range of topics is absolutely vast and growing at an incredible rate. Never has an encyclopaedia existed which can be freely edited by any member of the public the world over provided that they have an internet connection.

The book explores the journey which took the website from a small-time project to the eighth most popular website in the world in just a few years. Running beneath the success of the site is the desire which the public have to share knowledge freely which raises interesting questions about the world of books.

Whilst fiction may be under a somewhat different classification from standard information, almost all other types of book put a price tag on knowledge. There are those who argue about the justification for this stating that you cannot claim the rights to information but, alas, to expect all knowledge for free in a world where we have to earn money to live is simply futile. The truth is that money makes available a much, much, greater amount of knowledge to the general public than would otherwise be the case as if it weren’t possible to earn money from publishing ideas nobody would have the time it takes to come up with ideas and nor would they have the money to distribute them widely.

Regardless, this book proves to be an exceptionally interesting read which examines not only the success of the website itself but the broader cultural impact which it has had. Ironically there isn’t yet a wikipedia entry for this book, but why not read it and then publish a wikipedia article about it yourself to help spread the word about the world’s greatest free encyclopedia.

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Jared Diamond’s “The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal”

• Author: maxgaucho
• Date: March 17, 2009
• Category: Books

Jared Diamond is an evolutionary biologist and physiologist. Of prime concern to him is the nature of the human as an evolved species of the chimpanzee. This book has seen widespread popularity and is currently in its third edition having first been released in 1991 and most recently seen release in 2006.

Whilst the book is not brand new it is of particular relevance now as Charles Darwin’s birth bicentenary has recently been celebrated along with the anniversary of his most famous book “On the Origin of Species”. Diamond talks at great length about evolution in this book which may be of particular interest to those with a curiousity for the whole idea of evolution.

In an attempt to make new ground this work does not look to our opposable thumb, nor our capacity for the usage of tools as the primary form of distinction between us and other animals. Rather, it discusses the importance of the human larynx which grants fine linguistic control to us. The explanation which Diamond provides for the great spurt of evolution we underwent away from our close relatives, the chimpanzees and bonobos, relates to our abilities for verbal communication.

The book attempts to chart the history of human evolution and discusses a range of very interesting topics including the bizarre nature of human sexuality amongst many other ideas. In examining our history Diamond hopes we can better steer the course of our future to avoid those potential disasters which currently face us – one example being nuclear war.

The title is derived from the fact that our DNA code is incredibly close to that of chimpanzees and bonobos, actually showing a difference of only around 1.5%. We are more closely related to these species than to any other animal, and they are more closely related to us than any of the other primates, such as gorillas, or other animals generally which suggests we are part of the same species. Diamond goes so far as to say that there is really no reason why, under the traditional scientific approach, we should not be counted as a sub-species of the chimpanzee genus.

Having received several awards and many excellent reviews from newspapers including the New York Times this book is a real joy to read. It is both fascinating and entertaining, and causes us to reflect on the nature of our being. The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal is a triumph and makes for some excellent topical reading at a time where evolution is being so hotly debated.

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What is the perfect reading material for the toilet?

• Author: maxgaucho
• Date: March 16, 2009
• Category: Books, Other

There are many people who like to read when they go to the toilet, and this is something which has always puzzled me. Is it that they want to alienate themselves as far as possible from the unholy act of defecation and reading serves as a sufficient means of distancing oneself from this horrendous process?

I’m not sure about that. I certainly have no unshakable need to remove myself from natural bodily alleviations, and I take it that there are many others who are the same (seeing as I know more people who don’t read on the toilet than who do). However, regardless of precise numbers, it is an indubitable truth that a large number of people do include toilet reading on their list of daily activities.

Now, I understand that busy people may want to make the most of the time they spend on the toilet and, rather than simply waste it, actually continue some form of activity which could be considered a part of daily life, but it does seem to me that the amount of reading one could get done in the time it takes to use the toilet is rather minimal, and the increased difficulty in manual tasks which holding any reading material brings would offset the extra two minutes of reading which can be carried out.

Regardless, people still persist in taking literature of all sorts into the toilet with them which begs the next question: what do they read in there? Surely it isn’t practical to continue reading a serious work which requires concentration and absorption to really get the most out of, so the chances are what’s read in the toilet is lighter in nature than your average War and Peace epic.

Thus perfect reading material for the toilet would likely have to be something which can be picked up and put down easily, providing information in short bursts without calling for too much thought. As such the “picture-book”, or coffee-table book, as well as comics, newspapers, magazines, and bizarre fact-books and almanacs would all seem like ideal choices for a quick toilet-trip.

Having witnessed a toilet-reader entering this habitat on numerous occasions I noticed that it was largely magazines which were taken in for reading, although occasionally there were books. I suppose if you can read at a very fast rate any book is suitable for this purpose, but for the average person light reading material works best. So it looks like the answer to the question is fairly straight-forward – simple books, or article-based works, are best for this activity which is no real surprise.

However, in spite of this I still don’t know why people like to read while they go to the toilet. Still, at least part of the mystery has now been alleviated!

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The rise in popularity of the “picture-book”

• Author: maxgaucho
• Date: March 15, 2009
• Category: Books, Other

One of the most notable modern sub-genres is the (usually comedic) picture-book. These books have become incredibly popular in recent years and are often sought after as gifts or coffee table items. Taking their lead from comic strips, picture books come in a variety of forms but all seek to entertain in a simple and light-hearted fashion.

Perhaps the first thing to note is the pick-up-and-put-down nature of these books. They are ideally suited to busy lifestyles where the opportunity to have a brief laugh or moment of enjoyment on infrequent occasions is highly sought after. The visual nature of the books means that they can be enjoyed almost effortlessly, much like newspaper comic strips.

The difference between these books and comic strips is, however, somewhat varied. Whilst some books differ only in that they are a collection of comic strips, others are one long piece of entertainment. The extended picture-based jokes which these books feature still retain the simplistic quality which our busy lives find so convenient but differentiate themselves subtly from comic strip collections.

One great example of this type of picture book is the “Blue Day Book” which features a series of animal photos and accompanying statements. Each page has one of these photo / statement combinations, and they follow on from each other. Gradually the entire sequence tells a message and the book works as a whole, as well as being enjoyable on a page-by-page basis. As such, it makes for an ideal book for modern life where time is often very limited.

Another factor which has contributed to the rising popularity of these books is contemporary taste and humour. Today it is more and more often becoming the case that surreal humour entertains us. As such, books like “The Bunny Suicides” have become very popular in which very odd situations are coupled with a bizarre humour. These humorous vignettes are ideally communicated through a comic-strip format which uses simple illustrations to depict funny, or witty, occurrences.

Modern taste plays a big part in the success of books such as these, but there is also no denying their suitability to busy modern living. Furthermore, we now live in a much more coffee-table era than ever before, where light banter and simple humour are prized amongst the youth. When combined it is easy to see how picture-books have become such a popular form of entertainment – a situation which looks unlikely to change for some time.

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Isaac Asimov’s “The Complete Stories - Volume I”

• Author: maxgaucho
• Date: March 14, 2009
• Category: Books

In “The Complete Stories – Volume I” a large number of Asimov’s short stories have been collected together. This makes for a fairly large book but, being broken down into many smaller chunks, it is easy to manage. The story isn’t a single long, complex, winding science-fiction tale so it shouldn’t alienate those who are not accustomed to the genre.

All of the stories contain Asimov’s trademark philosophical issues ranging across the whole spectrum of possibility but focussing on the ramifications for human social life on the whole. This, of course, is typical of the great science-fiction writers including Arthur C. Clarke as well as Kurt Vonnegut, but these tales retain the unique charm of Asimov’s stories without becoming too diluted by the sci-fi staples.

The first of the short-stories contained in this volume questions the moral implications of being able to view any point in the past directly, and things move on from there. These are not fast-paced adventure tales of space-pirates but rather measured attempts at dissecting concepts which we, today, take for granted.

The huge variety of topics Asimov dealt with in his life’s works is really quite astounding and leave one thinking that he must have been a very interesting man with a lot on his mind. In keeping with the best of his genre he raises ideas which many would never think of for themselves, and encourages us to reflect on our basic everyday assumptions.

If the works of Asimov are big on ideas, they are unfortunately small of finesse. Whilst he completed a huge number of stories full to the brim with fascinating ideas his skill as a writer was limited. His style is rather functional, and character developments are almost non-existent in most of his work. The plot is usually of a bare-bones nature and is chiefly a vehicle through which he communicates his central ideas fairly directly.

Many will appreciate this direct approach and praise it for avoiding confusion as well as making the concepts he is questioning more accessible. However, those who would like a powerful, as well as intellectual, read would find Asimov somewhat lacking.

This is really the only criticism of Asimov of note, and this is a fine collection of a number of his shorter works. As either an introduction to Asimov, or as an intellectually invigorating read, this is a perfect work that shouldn’t be missed.

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