Compulsively Aimless

Africa holds the largest desert, greatest jungles, mythic rivers, and a intense, almost destructive draw for European explorers.  Here's my smattering of books on the second largest continent.  1.  The Lost Cities of Africa, Basil Davidson (1959).   Fifteen hundred years before Europeans explored the interior of Africa, cities thrived with trade.  Davidson tells the story of these lost cities through the detective work of archeology .  Bought used State Department Bookstore.     2.  The Africans, David Lamb (1985).   Part travelogue, part history, Lamb traveled 300,000 miles through sub-Saharan Africa.  Lamb talks with Presidents-for-life, guerrilla leaders, and even witch doctors.  Bought used State Department Bookstore.     3.  Venture To the Interior, Laurens Van Der Post (1952).  Van Der Post lead an extraordinary life as a a farmer, soldier, prisoner-of-war and writer.  This...

Want to be cool and hip?  Not thought of as a square?  Whether you care or not lots of others do.  Here are my books on who the cool kids are: 1.  The Taste Makers, Russell Lynes (1954).   Lynes writes in a conversational style about the history of taste in America.  He looks at those that try to shape taste from architects, designers, corporations critics artists. and frauds.  Takes you to the cusp of the Beatnik era.  Black and white pictures.  Bought used at an unremembered location.         2.  Hip: the History, John Leland (2004).   Leland looks at sex, musicrace, fashion and drugs and youth rebellion to bring us the idea of Hip.  He starts with Walt Whitman and moves to the Jazz Age, the Beats and Punk Rock.  Black and white pictures.  Gift from a friend.             3.  Modern Times, Modern Places, Peter Conrad (1999).   Conrad takes a broad look ...

There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting and enslaving than the life at sea. ---Joseph Conrad Life on a ship is a world in miniature.   Everything you know is there populated by a crew, officers and captain.  To survive the storms, privat ion and wartime, the crew must follow the structure of a strictly control led environment.  This can either degenerate into mutiny or great success .   Here's a short list of books that show both sides of the coin. 1.   The Mutiny On Board the H.M. Bounty, William Bligh (Signet Classic, 1961).  First published in 1972, Captain Bligh 's account is t he most well known of mutinies.  He uses the ship's log to present an objective account leaving the reader to judge what type of captain he really was.  If nothing else, Bligh and his small crew of loyalists demonstrated an amazing account of seamanship to survive a 3,600 mile south Pacific voyage in the Bounty's long boat.   Made...

You don't need a book to learn how to drink but plenty of books have been written to show us where and what to drink.   Here's what I have. 1.  N ew York City's Best Dive Bars: Drinking and Diving In the Five Borough, Wendy Mitchell (2003). An e ntertaining little gem of a guide.  M itchell sets out rules for what it means to be a "dive " and what constitutes successful "diving".  Each bar gets a rat ing on perks and dive factor.  Helpful c at ag o ries including smokiest , most women and best Sun day afternoon drinking and worst bathrooms.  Bought new somewhere for gotten.  Drink was not i n volved . 2.  And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails, Wayne Curti s (2006). Cu r ti s gives us an American history lesson in booze.  Starts with t he expl osion of rum in colonial America throu gh P rohibition to the smart 1950s cocktail to h ipster micro-brews.   Boug ht on Amazon. 3. T he Drinki...

The Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock is an iconic moment of American history.  The small colony was nearly wiped out in the first few years through sickness, hunger and fighting among the each other and the native Americans.  My maternal grand mother  joined the Mayflower Society after tracing the family lineage to Samuel Fuller, the colony's "self-taught" surgeon.  Nothing makes history more compelling tha n a personal connection. And so I collected the following books. 1.  Mayflower, Nathaniel Philbrick (2006). Philbrick sets a dark theme of starvation, Indian wars with less than pious Pilgrims.   He s tarts with the Pilgrims departure from England and ends with the creation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1677.  Named one of the best books of 2006 by the NYT.  Pictures and sketches throughout.  Bought used at BJ's Books in Warrenton, VA. 2.  The Plymouth Adventure, Ernest Gebler ((1950). Voyage of the M...

Dear Readers,   In the last month I've had to move to a house with about half the space and very little in the way of book shelve space.  For the moment, 80 percent of my library is boxed and stored in the attic until I either build an addition on the house for the books or go up to the attic and visit them box by box.  This has put a serious crimp in my posting new lists.  I'm determined to continue adding more lists but it may be some time before I can get at them.  Meanwhile, hope you enjoy the existing lists.    I'll be back. JK

One sign of bibliomania is buying books about books.  I've always been conflicted about this.  I'd rather be reading actual books themselves than spending time reading about reading.  Here's my list of meta-books. 1.  A Passion for Books: A Book Lover's Treasury of Stories, Essays, Humor, Lore, and Lists on Collecting , Reading, Borrowing, Lending, Caring for and Appreciating Books (1999).  The subtitle says it all.  Bought used at Valley Books, Amherst, MA.      2.  The List of Books, A Library of over 3,000 works, Frederick Raphael and Kenneth McLeish (1981).  One of the most thoughtful list of books assembled.  Lists by category, best books of the decade.  Specific symbols denoting books of special interest.  Birthday gift 1981.  3.  The Lifetime Reading Plan, Clifton Fadiman (1960).   Fadiman outlines a plan for reading your way through the great minds of Western civilization.  Bought...