Loren Eiseley. The Firmament of Time (1960)

     Loren Eiseley. The Firmament of Time (1960) The text of six lectures given while Eiseley was Visiting professor at the University of Cincinnati in 1959, this book gives many hints of the political and spiritual conditions of the times. The American fear and loathing of the Soviet Union increased the threat of nuclear war, especially since at the time no one fully understood the weakness of the USSR. Thus, Eiseley expresses his gloom about humanity’s future in terms of the apparent descent into the maelstrom of nuclear war. Nowadays, we fear the terrorists, who strike without warning and detection, and the crazy tyrants such as Korea’s Kim Il Jung.

     But the relevance of Eiseley’s themes doesn’t depend on any particular historic circumstance. He argues that our development of science without spiritual and artistic values is moving us towards an inhuman future, one on which the ordinary decencies will be meaningless. Yet he hopes that the human capacity to love and transcend oneself may yet rescue us from our diminished selves. In the last lecture, Eiseley expresses himself in mystical and poetic terms rather than scientific and philosophical ones. He knows that what he has to say can make sense in no other mode. An interesting and valuable book, even though Eiseley’s style and manner don’t quite suffice for the grand reach of his themes. Worth reading at least once. **½ (2005)

Three short reviews: Bent is the Bow, Whatever Happened to...?, Wycliffe and the House of Fear

     Geoffrey Trease. Bent is the Bow (1967) One of a projected series of books intended to help kids “To grow in imagination”, etc. This story reads like the opening sequence of a longer work about the Welsh border wars in the time of Henry IV and Owen Glendower Ca. 1400). The narrator, Hugh Vaughan, and his sister Megan are invited to be “guests” of a neighbouring English lord who appears to want to eliminate the boy so that his sister will become heiress, and hence marriageable to his weedy son, Stephen. The story ends on a positive note, with the children restored to their mother, but there is clearly much more to tell. I don’t know if Trease ever finished this tale. Illustrations by Charles Keeping. I’ll pass it on to Bria, and see what she thinks of it. It’s a “chapter book.” ** (2005)

     A. Mourby. Whatever Happened to...? (1997) Just what the title says, except that it’s fictional characters’ afterlives that Mourby has discovered. Most are 1st person accounts by the character or a related one. All come to a bad end, except the Big Bad Wolf, who is protected by bureaucratic ass-covering and myopia. Amusing, but not a keeper. I’ll give it to a Deserving Relative, who may pass it on as (s)he wishes. ** (2005)

     W. J. Burley. Wycliffe and the House of Fear (1995) Wycliffe, convalescing in a cottage rented from the Kemps, is drawn into the investigation when Kemp’s wife is murdered. The Kemps, a dysfunctional family, abound in suspects. Roger, the current holder of the estate, is a weakling with too much family pride, which has led him to do stupid things. Wycliffe uncovers the truth, of course, after a nice meander round and through family relationships and history. A pleasant entertainment. A more thorough treatment of Wycliffe’s relationship with his wife would add to the story, which as it stands is little more than a well done puzzle in the English manner. **½
(2005)

P. Collenette, ed. Winter’s Tales 23 (1977)

     P. Collenette, ed. Winter’s Tales 23 (1977) A collection of the kind of well-made short stories that at one time appeared regularly in pulp magazines of varying quality and target audience. By the time this series was published, that kind of story was already obsolescent, and collections like this were about the only channel for them. They are like bonbons or chocolates: after one bite, you know what kind of story it will be, and you can enjoy the confection. Forgettable but well-constructed fiction. * to ** (2005)

Anne Perry. Bethlehem Road (1990)

     Anne Perry. Bethlehem Road (1990) A “Victorian” mystery, quite well plotted, with adequate but somewhat unbelievable characters. The author provides helpful explanations for artefacts and customs, which I think mar the narrative, and the dialogue is often too modern American in idiom. There’s also a tremendous amount of clothing lore, which I suppose delights the apparently intended audience - middle-brow American women of a certain age and sensibility, who want to fantasise about being ladies a hundred-odd years ago. The detecting is perfunctory; the ‘tec’s wife is a lady, which gives her an entree to the upper class that he can’t access in the same way. I may read another of these if I find one at 10 cents at a yard sale. * (2005)

J. Bronowski. The Common Sense of Science (1978)

      J. Bronowski. The Common Sense of Science (1978) Bronowski argues that the core values of science are profoundly human, and that science offers a way of seeing the world an oneself that can, perhaps, guide us through the perilous times ahead. In particular, he emphasises that science’s acceptance of uncertainty can promote tolerance, that its attitude of seeking knowledge to guide decisions can give us hope. A good book. *** (2005)

Martin Gardner. The Colossal Book of Mathematics (2001)

     Martin Gardner. The Colossal Book of Mathematics (2001) Probably the final collection of Gardner’s Scientific American columns, with addenda reporting on reader response and new developments in the math discussed. These columns describe and discuss more than set problems. They range over the whole of mathematics as she is now known. Martin is not only an excellent explainer, he is also knows the difference between hypothesis and speculation, both of which show up when math is applied to the real world. I could follow most of it.
     Two people I know were mentioned: Leo Moser, who taught Marie math at U of A; and Bas van Fraassen, one of the group of grad students who produced the U of A literary magazine (which we renamed from Stet to March , because it always came out in March); and hung around together. Bas has apparently made a name for himself as a “young philosopher” at U of T. I’ll have to google him. -- Anyhow, this is another keeper, a book that will be a pleasure to reread (in parts, not all at once.) ***
     Addendum: I found Bas’s website, and read a book by him (see below). He now has tenure at Harvard, likes mountaineering and cats (although he doesn’t have one), and seems to be concerned with making theology respectable. I’ll contact him, and see whether he’s willing to re-establish a connection. (2005)

Dubeck et al Fantastic Voyages (2004)

     Dubeck et al Fantastic Voyages (2004) This textbook bills itself as teaching science via SF films. It’s aimed at first year non-science majors in US colleges, and has the great merit of being written in mostly clear language. Occasionally, terms are used without explanation; I suppose the instructor will take care of that. Occasionally also, the need to write simply results in statements that are misleading and even false. For example, the authors claim that evolution leads to ever more complex organisms because more complex organisms are more successful, which is patently false. If it were true, the simple bacteria and protists would not have survived for billions of years.
     The discussion of The Andromeda Strain illustrates both the strengths and weaknesses of the authors’ approach. They claim that the Andromeda strain is not life as we know it, which is correct. However, they could have used the movie as an opportunity to consider the problem of definition. Life is defined in two ways. First, life is characterised by its behaviour (e.g., it utilises external energy to grow and reproduce, and reacts to external stimuli as either friendly or hostile to its existence). The second definition describes its content and structure (its chemistry is carbon-based, it consists of a cell whose covering protects it from the external world, it consists of a number of internal structures that carry out the life processes, and it can consist of any number of cells specialised to carry out one of the organism’s life processes). The fact that the Andromeda strain doesn’t have the chemical or physical structure of terrestrial life should raise questions about the sufficiency and meaning of these definitions, and the question of definition or conceptualisation generally.
     There are three sections, the first an overview of several general science topics, each including brief discussions of one or more relevant movies. Section two describes a number of SF movies and adds “literary commentaries”, which provide some background and comparisons to the source text (when there is one.) The last section summarises a number of movies without further commentary. The movies seem to be chosen partly with an eye on what the incoming freshmen have mostly likely seen, or what’s available at the video store, and partly as examples of both correct and incorrect science in SF.
     One of the authors is a professor of English Literature: it looks like she did the actual writing, and the other two contributed the knowledge and the organisation. Since the book is in a 2nd edition, it must have been successful, but I’d be wary of using it. It could have been done better -- the series of books beginning with The Physics of Star Trek are in my opinion better done. They are more precise in their explanations, and just as clear. This book would work as a reference in a Canadian senior high school science course. It could have a more complete listing of SF movies, but I suppose space/cost constraints govern such matters. ** (2005)