Collected Miscellany

Being St. Patrick’s Day and all, I thought it might be worth pointing readers toward a recently released book on the famous saint. Those of you wanting more than green beer and a parade might want to check out Phillip Freeman’s St. Patrick of Ireland : A Biography. Here are a few reviews to peak your interest:

The Dallas Morning News [registration required]:

Mr. Freeman provides a strong narrative of the life of St. Patrick that moves beyond the myths and presents a man of complexity and conviction. The author provides the context – Ireland during the period of the Druids, Celtic mythology and ancient customs that would threaten any Christian movement.

The Seattle Times:

Freeman, a classical historian who has written extensively about Ireland and Celtic culture, gives these letters a new translation. Drawing on recent archaeological and historic research, ancient literature and Irish law, he frames a portrait of Patrick within the context of his times that is both discerning and fresh.

Washington University in St. Louis (where Mr. Freeman is an assistant professor of classics in Arts & Sciences):

In Philip M. Freeman’s “St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography,” Patrick’s life is more akin to something out of a Hollywood action movie script — the reality of it is far more fascinating than the myth. From being kidnapped by pirates from his home in Britain, to living as a slave for six years in Ireland, to escaping, but then returning to the country he was held hostage in to minister to the people there, the book tells the tale of a remarkable man.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Being St. Patrick’s Day and all, I thought it might be worth pointing readers toward a recently released book on the famous saint. Those of you wanting more than green beer and a parade might want to check out Phillip Freeman’s St. Patrick of Ireland : A Biography. Here are a few reviews to peak your interest:

The Dallas Morning News [registration required]:

Mr. Freeman provides a strong narrative of the life of St. Patrick that moves beyond the myths and presents a man of complexity and conviction. The author provides the context – Ireland during the period of the Druids, Celtic mythology and ancient customs that would threaten any Christian movement.

The Seattle Times:

Freeman, a classical historian who has written extensively about Ireland and Celtic culture, gives these letters a new translation. Drawing on recent archaeological and historic research, ancient literature and Irish law, he frames a portrait of Patrick within the context of his times that is both discerning and fresh.

Washington University in St. Louis (where Mr. Freeman is an assistant professor of classics in Arts & Sciences):

In Philip M. Freeman’s “St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography,” Patrick’s life is more akin to something out of a Hollywood action movie script — the reality of it is far more fascinating than the myth. From being kidnapped by pirates from his home in Britain, to living as a slave for six years in Ireland, to escaping, but then returning to the country he was held hostage in to minister to the people there, the book tells the tale of a remarkable man.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

If there are any loyal readers of this humble site (not that I don’t appreciate those of you who surf over from Google, etc.) I thought I would let you know that I am considering a consolidation of my two blogs.

A Nickles Worth of Free Advice is my original blog. The posts there tend to be about politics, sports, and various cultural issues. I decided to split off and try this book orientated blog thinking that it would be useful to separate out some of the political stuff, the silly/personal stuff, and the inter-blog debates and post only book reviews, interviews, etc. I had intended this to be a more serious focused blog. Alas, I fear it has not come to pass. The posting here has been erratic and small for the most part, and not all that serious.

I really don’t think I have enough content for two separate blogs. Plus it is a pain to have to keep it all straight. So I am thinking of combining the two. I would keep this template – mostly – as it is elegant and well designed. But I would only post to one blog. Not sure weather I will post it all here or there but I will pick one and stick with it.

If anyone has any strong feelings one way or the other feel free to leave a comment of send me an email.

UPDATE: Also, what do you think of the amazon links/pictures? Are they a pain in the butt or useful tools or neither?

Having just received my beautiful copy in the mail today, I thought I might share with you some definitions from Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary:

Eloquence, n. The art of orally persuading fools that white is the color it appears to be. It includes the gift of making any color appear white.

Erudition, n. Dust shaken out of a book into an empty skull.

Having just received my beautiful copy in the mail today, I thought I might share with you some definitions from Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary:

Eloquence, n. The art of orally persuading fools that white is the color it appears to be. It includes the gift of making any color appear white.

Erudition, n. Dust shaken out of a book into an empty skull.

Interesting dig at modern historians in the latest issue of National Review [subscription required]. In a review of William F. Buckley’s upcoming The Fall of the Berlin Wall , Peter Robinson (author of How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life) has this to say:

Yet the book’s principal achievement lies not in its comprehensiveness, but in the wonderfully deft way it presents its material: This is a small masterpiece of the narrative tradition. This tradition — the writing of history as if it were a story — began with Thucydides and survived every subsequent century until the last one, when academics spurned it, choosing to publish not narratives but raw material such as econometric studies and demographic data sets. History professors across America now pride themselves on producing books too boring to read. But The Fall of the Berlin Wall embraces all the virtues that keep readers turning the page.

I am afraid that Mr. Robinson’s dig has a great deal of truth to it. Far too many historical works are simply not accessible to anyone outside of their pocket of expertise. I am aware that scholarship must sometimes be difficult and knowledge intensive, and that only after such scholarship can the generalist come along and synthesize. And yet far too many books are long and boring not because they have to be but because the author is not forced to edit and polish. It is possible to communicate important ideas without resorting to dry and verbose prose. The degree to which historians have gotten away from interesting stories goes a long way to explaining the disconnect between the discipline and the public at large.