Childhood Chronicles Before Narnia
Authors: C. S. Lewis and W. H. Lewis
Genre: fiction
Publication info: HarperCollins, 2008
Pages: 240
Do you remember what kinds of stories you wrote when you were eight years old? I remember one about staying overnight in a haunted house, and I thought it was pretty clever. Well, this book has put me in my place.
Boxen is a collection of stories that C. S. Lewis, better known as Jack, wrote with his older brother, Warnie. They began when Jack was eight and continued to develop their fictional world over the next several years. These are no ordinary childhood stories. They don't talk about a frog who is trying to get across the road. They tell of a frog who is prime minister of a joint kingdom who struggles with political factions in the country and deals with enemies outside the country. I still can't imagine how two children came up with all this.
As I said, Boxen (the kingdom) is actually made up of two separate kingdoms joined by an alliance. Animal Land is Jack's creation, and India (a fictional version, obviously) is Warnie's. Together the brothers developed a complex political history for this place, complete with opposing parties, significant monarchs, and warfare. I guess that's what happens when all you have for entertainment is listening to your dad talk politics with the neighbors.
The stories in this book come in several forms. There are histories, written in the style of a history textbook. There are actual stories, both short and long. There are even some plays, which I think might even be the most entertaining. Throughout this book also are illustrations produced by the Lewis brothers, including Warnie's very detailed cross-section of a ship. It just blows me away how creative and intelligent these guys were.
Of course, the stories are not without their flaws. They are preserved exactly how the boys wrote them, including all the misspellings. Some of the plots are very odd, and some never get resolved. But it's important to remember that the Lewis boys had no intention to publish this work. They did it for themselves only. And honestly, I find all the mistakes charming.
So if you're a fan of C. S. Lewis and want to know more about what kind of an imagination he and his brother had, definitely check out this book. Aside from the content, it is a beautiful printing, complete with a ribbon bookmark!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Advocate for the Dead
The Story of Joel Brand
Author: Alex Weissberg
Genre: nonfiction, history
Publication info: Andre Deutsch, 1958
Pages: 255
The story of how I got my hands on this book is almost as interesting as the story this book contains.
I returned recently from the study abroad in Great Britain that I mentioned in an earlier post. During our time across the pond, we stayed in a fair share of hostels. If you've never stayed in a hostel or don't know what one is, let me tell you that it's quite an experience. A hostel is almost like a hotel, but it's usually cheaper, and it has a more communal feel. It's a nice option if you're trying to save money while traveling, but I'll just say that next time I go to Europe I'm going to find a decent hotel. But I digress.
One feature of most of the hostels we stayed in was a bookcase filled with a random assortment of books for you to borrow, trade, or maybe even buy. I made a point of scanning the collection of every hostel we visited, knowing full well that I had nothing to trade, having packed as light as I could (and still barely making the weight limit on the airliner).
At one particularly nice hostel in Conwy, Wales (if you ever get the chance to visit that town, I highly recommend it), I was checking out the books in the evening, when I came across a black, unassuming book. Advocate for the Dead was the faded title printed on the spine. Intrigued, I flipped it open, and what was one of the first words I saw? Budapest! If you don't know already, I have a special interest in all things related to Hungary, and I considered it a rare experience to come across a book that actually talks about that oft-forgotten country. But this one seemed to be all about Hungary. I didn't know much else about the book, but I knew that I wanted it.
The only problem was that I didn't have a book to trade for it. I almost decided to forget about it, but a friend from the study abroad group suggested that I go talk to the people at reception. So I did. I asked them what their policy on the books was. They asked me whether the book I wanted was a popular title. I showed it to them, and after one look they told me I could keep it, free of charge. That's the benefit of being interested in a fifty-year-old book.
Okay, so maybe that story isn't too interesting. But the book is good. Joel Brand, whose story this book tells, was a leader of a Jewish underground movement in Budapest. I've already rambled long enough, so I won't go into detail, but I will say that I learned about an aspect of World War II that I never knew before. I also learned that Nazi politics are confusing. Politics in general are confusing, really.
The moral of the story: Look for old books at hostels. And go to Wales.
Note: When I looked for this book on Amazon, all I could find were out-of-print editions that are being sold for a hefty price. Looks like I really struck gold.
Author: Alex Weissberg
Genre: nonfiction, history
Publication info: Andre Deutsch, 1958
Pages: 255
The story of how I got my hands on this book is almost as interesting as the story this book contains.
I returned recently from the study abroad in Great Britain that I mentioned in an earlier post. During our time across the pond, we stayed in a fair share of hostels. If you've never stayed in a hostel or don't know what one is, let me tell you that it's quite an experience. A hostel is almost like a hotel, but it's usually cheaper, and it has a more communal feel. It's a nice option if you're trying to save money while traveling, but I'll just say that next time I go to Europe I'm going to find a decent hotel. But I digress.
One feature of most of the hostels we stayed in was a bookcase filled with a random assortment of books for you to borrow, trade, or maybe even buy. I made a point of scanning the collection of every hostel we visited, knowing full well that I had nothing to trade, having packed as light as I could (and still barely making the weight limit on the airliner).
At one particularly nice hostel in Conwy, Wales (if you ever get the chance to visit that town, I highly recommend it), I was checking out the books in the evening, when I came across a black, unassuming book. Advocate for the Dead was the faded title printed on the spine. Intrigued, I flipped it open, and what was one of the first words I saw? Budapest! If you don't know already, I have a special interest in all things related to Hungary, and I considered it a rare experience to come across a book that actually talks about that oft-forgotten country. But this one seemed to be all about Hungary. I didn't know much else about the book, but I knew that I wanted it.
The only problem was that I didn't have a book to trade for it. I almost decided to forget about it, but a friend from the study abroad group suggested that I go talk to the people at reception. So I did. I asked them what their policy on the books was. They asked me whether the book I wanted was a popular title. I showed it to them, and after one look they told me I could keep it, free of charge. That's the benefit of being interested in a fifty-year-old book.
Okay, so maybe that story isn't too interesting. But the book is good. Joel Brand, whose story this book tells, was a leader of a Jewish underground movement in Budapest. I've already rambled long enough, so I won't go into detail, but I will say that I learned about an aspect of World War II that I never knew before. I also learned that Nazi politics are confusing. Politics in general are confusing, really.
The moral of the story: Look for old books at hostels. And go to Wales.
Note: When I looked for this book on Amazon, all I could find were out-of-print editions that are being sold for a hefty price. Looks like I really struck gold.
Monday, August 3, 2009
The Adventure of English
The Biography of a Language
Author: Melvyn Bragg
Genre: nonfiction
Publication info: Arcade Publishing, 2003
Pages: 322
Melvyn Bragg is a novelist as well as a nonfiction author who has written on a variety of topics. In The Adventure of English he writes not as a linguist but as someone who is keenly interested in the development of the language. So it was interesting to use this book as our history text during our study abroad in Great Britain.
As a linguistics student who has taken a couple classes on the history of English, I found it hard to get into this book. Most of the information wasn’t new to me. The approach, however, is unique. Bragg warns in the introduction that he writes about the English language as if it were a living entity with a mind and will of its own. And that’s exactly what he does. English settles down, gets attacked, fights back, becomes smothered, grows, expands, absorbs. It’s a different way of looking at things, but it can also get pretty tiring with how dramatic he sometimes makes it out to be.
Speaking of dramatic, Bragg does seem to enjoy using an epic style in this book. I wonder if it’s the novelist in him. And it’s not only English itself that gets this treatment. Major players in the development of the language—the Catholic Church, Tyndale, Shakespeare—also get some dramatic (and shamelessly opinionated) descriptions. Not very academic stuff, but I guess it is entertaining.
I do applaud him for taking a global approach to English. American English gets several chapters, including the language brought in by the slaves. Bragg also features Australian English, Caribbean English, and the varied forms that English has taken in Europe and Asia. Pretty ambitious for an amateur linguist, and he does a good job of it, too.
I have to say, though, that I was a little disappointed in Bragg’s emphasis on the vocabulary of English above everything else. Throughout the book he gives lists of words, phrases, and expressions that came from different sources and time periods. His research is impressive and interesting, but a language is much more than the individual words that make it up. A language is also how the words go together, when and why they are used, and many other things. Bragg pays less attention to these other things. I know I can’t expect him to give an in-depth study of every aspect of English throughout its history, but I definitely felt that his look at the language was imbalanced. Of course, there are plenty of other books to make up the difference.
I have been picky in my comments on this book. I blame that on my being a language nerd. That said, I would recommend this book to all of the language nerds out there. If you’re looking for a serious study of English, this probably isn’t the book for you, but if you want to learn more about how our beautiful, crazy, powerful language came to be what it is, give this book a try. Prepare for an adventure.
Author: Melvyn Bragg
Genre: nonfiction
Publication info: Arcade Publishing, 2003
Pages: 322
Melvyn Bragg is a novelist as well as a nonfiction author who has written on a variety of topics. In The Adventure of English he writes not as a linguist but as someone who is keenly interested in the development of the language. So it was interesting to use this book as our history text during our study abroad in Great Britain.
As a linguistics student who has taken a couple classes on the history of English, I found it hard to get into this book. Most of the information wasn’t new to me. The approach, however, is unique. Bragg warns in the introduction that he writes about the English language as if it were a living entity with a mind and will of its own. And that’s exactly what he does. English settles down, gets attacked, fights back, becomes smothered, grows, expands, absorbs. It’s a different way of looking at things, but it can also get pretty tiring with how dramatic he sometimes makes it out to be.
Speaking of dramatic, Bragg does seem to enjoy using an epic style in this book. I wonder if it’s the novelist in him. And it’s not only English itself that gets this treatment. Major players in the development of the language—the Catholic Church, Tyndale, Shakespeare—also get some dramatic (and shamelessly opinionated) descriptions. Not very academic stuff, but I guess it is entertaining.
I do applaud him for taking a global approach to English. American English gets several chapters, including the language brought in by the slaves. Bragg also features Australian English, Caribbean English, and the varied forms that English has taken in Europe and Asia. Pretty ambitious for an amateur linguist, and he does a good job of it, too.
I have to say, though, that I was a little disappointed in Bragg’s emphasis on the vocabulary of English above everything else. Throughout the book he gives lists of words, phrases, and expressions that came from different sources and time periods. His research is impressive and interesting, but a language is much more than the individual words that make it up. A language is also how the words go together, when and why they are used, and many other things. Bragg pays less attention to these other things. I know I can’t expect him to give an in-depth study of every aspect of English throughout its history, but I definitely felt that his look at the language was imbalanced. Of course, there are plenty of other books to make up the difference.
I have been picky in my comments on this book. I blame that on my being a language nerd. That said, I would recommend this book to all of the language nerds out there. If you’re looking for a serious study of English, this probably isn’t the book for you, but if you want to learn more about how our beautiful, crazy, powerful language came to be what it is, give this book a try. Prepare for an adventure.
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