everything this man writes is excellent
|
|
everything this man writes is excellent. This book is no exception. You will have hours of genuine entertainment ahead of you. I only wish I had not read it so that I could start it again.
|
|
|
An Amusing Riddle of a Man
|
|
Over the past decade, the English biographer, Simon Winchester, has become famous for probing the lives of the certifiably delusional, the mildly eccentric, the politically obsessed and the naturally traumatized. His latest offering, "The Man Who Loved China", is no different. If you read it, you will be treated to a story that encompasses two continents, the brilliant notions of an intellectual dedicated to bringing the past into line with the present, and a 20th century world rivened by ideological conflict. The life of Cambridge University's Dr. Joseph Needham - socialist, free-thinker, and polymath extraordinaire - becomes that focus in which you will move through modern times on a path rarely traveled. For starters, Winchester introduces us to the obscure beginnings of Needham: no great distinction here except an early propensity for languages resulting from his photographic memory and an identification with the underdog. As he became ensconced in academic life as a university don at Caius College, he developed an interest in the study of Chinese antiquity, namely the Middle Kingdom. Along came WW II when Needham finally got his chance to make a big impact on civilization. He was commissioned by the Churchill government to go to China as a leading expert on Chinese history (not a sinologist)to collect and catalogue important manuscripts before they fell into the hands of the invading Japanese armies. This mission was to take months of grueling and fascinating criss-crossing of China; the description of which will boggle the human imagination in terms of what Needham was searching for: why didn't the much vaunted Chinese technology ever make it to the West? You have to read to find the answer to that mystery. The book concludes with some interesting asides to Needham's political, academic and personal lives. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to be challenged as to the meaning of history in modern times.
|
|
|
19 And Counting
|
There are 2 facets of Simon Winchesters work that make him one of my favorite authors. Firstly, he brings amazing players in History forward that I very often have never heard of. Secondly, he makes reading History tremendously fascinating. The latter should be a given, how can our past be anything but fascinating? The reality is that History books can be painful to read.
Noel Joseph Terrence Montgomery Needham is the subject of Mr. Winchesters 19th work, sound familiar? Not to me. However by the end of the book I look forward to seeking out more about this man as Mr. Winchester has a knack for catalyzing a readers interest well beyond the book he offers. Professor Needham was a astonishing man who filled his 94 years with remarkable travels, eccentric behavior and a decision so poor the reader will ask was he a fool or a knave? (Question posed by the author)
What is not in dispute is the marvelous history of China Professor Needham documented through first hand investigation over thousands of miles traveled in China (many in war time) and the decades of research that followed. The only other historian that comes to mind as being so single minded in his pursuit of a subject is Sir Martin Gilbert and his decades long work on Sir Winston Spencer Churchill.
The work is also timely as it coincides with Chinas re-entry as a focal point for the world. Chinas existence is best measured in millennia and her scientific contributions when listed are nearly as long and often pre-date conventional wisdom on who was first with a given invention. Think you know where printing was first documented, suspension bridges first built, how about the compass, blood circulation or perhaps a flame-thrower?
Chinas recent history is no indicator of its fantastic past and may more likely be an indicator of what is yet to come. This is another great read by a wonderful author who never disappoints.
|
|
|
