Book Impressions: God's Philosophers

God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science by James Hannam

God’s Philosophers is a superb book, with erudite discussions on the many misconceptions about the Middle Ages with regard to science and technology. Hannam shows that, rather than a few centuries where nothing much happened and the church suppressed all knowledge as heresy, the Middle Ages were a vibrant time during which much was learned and developed. The chapters range from “The Rise of Reason”, “Heresy and Reason” and “Magic and Medicine” to chapters concerning Roger Bacon, “The Merton Calculators” and “Galileo and the New Astronomy”.

God's Philosophers by J. Hannam

The volume follows a largely chronological order, which makes for an easy understanding of this dense text. Hannam further shows how religious and political views and interpersonal relationships contributed to scholarly pursuits or worked to the detriment thereof. The influence of the Renaissance, Enlightenment, etc. on the general view of the Middle Ages we still (largely) hold today is also tackled. This is what I enjoyed the most about Hannam’s work; he takes the time to show a multitude of different viewpoints, thoughts, and actions, instead of an overused caricature of an uncivilised, backward and ignorant time.

This book will be enjoyed by those interested in history in general, the Middle Ages, and the history of science.

Visit James Hannam's website for more information about this and his other books. 

Hannon, James (2009) God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations ofModern Science. Icon Books.

I bought this book at a local bookstore, but it is also available at online retailers. 

Book Impression: Lost Languages

Lost Languages: The Enigma of the World’s Undeciphered Scripts by Andrew Robinson (McGraw-Hill)

In LostLanguages, Robinson gives the reader a clearly written study of some deciphered and undeciphered scripts. The book is divided into two parts, the first of which tells of “Three Great Decipherments” – the Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Linear B, and Mayan glyphs. After this he turns to various scripts which are partly or completely undeciphered. These scripts are taken from across the world and includes:

•        The Meroitic Script (Sudan)
•       The Etruscan alphabet
•       The Proto-Elamite Script
•       Rongorongo (Easter Island)
•       The Zapotec and Isthmian Scripts (Mexico)
•        The Indus Script
•       The Pahistos Disc

Lost Languages by Andrew Robinson

Ongoing study of these undeciphered scripts is also covered, showing the remarkable work that goes into this field of study. The book is lavishly illustrated with photos and line drawings and, although it is a hefty volume, is not only suitable for academics. Rather, it is a treasure trove for anyone interested in the subject. I really enjoyed it and can highly recommend the volume.

Robinson, A. (2002). Lost Languages: The Enigma of The World’s Undeciphered Scripts.McGraw-Hill.

Some websites of interest:

Andrew Robinson's website

Ancientscripts.com – “A compendium of world-wide writing systems from prehistory to today”

An Interesting TED talk by Rejesh Rao about the Indus Script

Book Impression: When Languages Die

When Languages Die: The Extinction of the World’s Languages and the Erosion of Human Knowledge by K. David Harrison

Harrison starts his book by giving a short overview of the rate at which languages are dying: “We do not even know what exactly we stand to lose – for science, for humanity, for posterity – when languages die” (Harrison, 2007:3). Its chapters cover ways in which different calendars, methods of time reckoning and counting, traditional agricultural practices, and immediate surroundings are reflected in different cultures’ languages. For example, the number of months in a year and their names in different languages and cultures are given with a description as to how these names came about. Explanations of the way in which a dominant language is taking the place of these endangered language speakers’ mother tongue is also given.   

When Languages Die. Oxford University Press.

Various case studies are also included, as well as some of the mythology, legends, and folklore of a people which are almost forgotten or lost. The current knowledge of speakers show just how eroded their folk knowledge have become as only snatches of stories and songs are remembered. For me this held special interest. The way in which the use of dominant languages are causing smaller languages’ extinction are at the forefront of this volume. 

However, even though it is quite a fascinating book and Harrison is clearly extremely passionate about his subject, the tone of the book (along with the repetition that dominant global languages are causing the extinction of vast amounts of knowledge) is in some places off-putting and almost patronising. Moving past this, I can recommend this book to not only those interested in linguistics, but also those interested in mythology, legends, and cultures in general.

I got this book from the library, but it is also available from bookshops and online.

Harrison, K. D. (2007) When Languages Die: The Extinction of the World’s Languages and theErosion of Human Knowledge. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Book Review: No Place for a Lady by Anne Harries

“The Boer War is razing South Africa to the ground. In the midst of these horrors are three women fighting for love, survival and justice: Sarah, an angelically beautiful nurse from England; Louise, her madcap friend; and the dynamic campaigner Emily Hobhouse.”

Perhaps I started reading the book with too many pre-conceived ideas about what the story would be like, but I just couldn’t really get into the book. Some of the melodramatic passages in the book jarred me out of the story even though I understand that the writer wanted the meetings between Sarah and Patch to be different from the rest of the book. For much of the book it also moved too slowly, while the denouement and ending was again too rushed and abrupt. The urgency I expected from a novel set in the midst of war just wasn’t there and some of the characters simply remained little more than shadows.  

That said, the book was interesting simply for being from the viewpoint of British nurses who came to South Africa and showing (some of) the work of Emily Hobhouse and other women. But the book also gives an array of viewpoints with regard to the war and war effort through the eyes of the characters as they move from Britain to South Africa to the Cape hospitals and at last the concentration camps.

All in all, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad book. The writing just isn’t completely my taste and the book didn’t stay with me after reading it as I thought it would. As I say – I might have started reading with too many pre-conceived ideas. But if you really enjoy historical fiction and don’t mind some melodrama, this might be the book for you.

Book Gnomes out of ten:  Five

Check out Goodreads for this and other books. 

Available online from Kalahari, Takealot and Amazon.