Speaking of concise but elegant works on interesting subjects. The Penguin Lives Series is another good example. I have mentioned this series before (here is my review of Paul Johnson’s volume on Napoleon).
Recently I picked up new volumes on Winston Churchill (by John Keegan); Mao Zedong (by Jonathan D. Spence); and Pope John XXII (by Thomas Cahill). What a great way to learn about some crucial figures in history without having to read a thousand pages in a multi-volume biography. The subjects range from Dante and Budha to Marcel Proust and Rosa Parks. As they say on TV, they make great gifts too!
Sorry, but when I first read “Penguin Lives”, I heard it with the short “i” sound (as in “gives”). Thus, I was wondering if it had something to do with Batman’s tuxedo-wearing, umbrella-toting enemy…
Roy Jacobsen
16 Jan 03 at 2:24 pm
The Garry Wills book on St. Augustine is very good. I took it with me on a plane trip from DC to Dallas and read it cover to cover before the plane reached cruising altitude. :/ Yes, it’s short, like the rest in the series, but part of that was from sitting on the runway.
I’m looking forward to the Paul Johnson book you reviewed.
William P. Sulik
16 Jan 03 at 6:21 pm