Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Epic Of Gilgamesh, tr. N. K. Sandars. 1972 revised edition. ISBN 0 14 044 100 X. I've owned this book for many years. Probably purchased at Powells. This is the oldest surviving written story. Contains a flood story similar to the one in Genesis. Because of the condition of the clay tablets that this story was written on, there are parts of the text that are missing. The translator in this version has filled in or smoothed over these rough spots, making the story easier to read. This is not a version for experts, but rather a version for the more average reader. I found the introduction very interesting because it explained the context in which this story was written.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers. 1895. (the edition I read was published in 1902.) This is a collection of short stories. The stories are horror and fantastic in nature. Some take place in an imaginary future (is there any other kind of future?) Some of the stories have the characters reading and under the influence of a play called "The King in Yellow." Portions of this fictional play are quoted in the stories. This author was read by H. P. Lovecraft and some of the elements of the play are mentioned in his stories. The book I read was a PDF scan I downloaded from Google. I read it using the Kindle. This edition had several line drawings illustrating the stories.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown. Bantam Books 1972, 553-07077-195. Subtitled: An Indian History of the American West. Presents the events of the American West from the Indian point of view from 1865 to 1890. A very sad story and a great injustice. The clash of the Indian culture and the European resulted in the destruction of the Indians, mostly because of the greed and ignorance of the Europeans.