In a broad-ranging collection of essays on mathematics, theoretical physics, philosophy, literature, and religion, Gardener has a panoramic view from the shoulders of such giants as Einstein, William James, and L. Frank Baum. When a best-of collection spans almost 60 years, several disciplines, and a prolific output of books and articles for the New York Review of Books, Scientific American, and the Skeptical Inquirer, the odds are it will be stimulating, informative, and even contentious. Gardner's is, naturally, and his own personal touches—a sense of humor equal to his curiosity, for instance- -match his talents for smooth prose and clear encapsulation. In such an intellectual potpourri, Gardner's mind may appear slightly contradictory: He defends relativity in physics but not relativism in anthropology, accepts quantum mechanics's paradoxes but not Newcomb's paradox of free will, and takes proofs for Nothing (or at least the null set) but not for God. Gardner proves skeptical but never close-minded, a realist in his epistemology, a Platonist in his mathematics, and a theist in his religion. Such a character of course wades into debates on relativity, superstrings, cosmology, and artificial intelligence, and iconoclastically investigates the gullibility of William James and Sigmund Freud. He also has some lucid speculations on Time, Nothing, and Everything and sprightly essays on invented languages, James Joyce, and Georges Perec. And he includes whimsy, such as his again-timely spoof of Reaganomics's warped Laffer Curve, a combination burlesque of T.S. Eliot and mathematical conundrums, and a pseudonymous, sardonic review of his own The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener (1983). If Newton was, as he said, like a boy playing on the seashore of an undiscovered ocean of truth, then Gardner too has amassed an impressive shell collection. (line drawings not seen)
Pub Date: July 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-312-14380-X
Page Count: 672
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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