The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind

The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind by Simon Winchester

Simon Winchester does a great job of tying personal experiences into a narrative history. In this book, he attempted to document the wind. This is perhaps a little too broad. The story seemed to jump around various areas impacted by the wind. From sailing to dust storms, the wind has played a role in history. The many bits are interesting, but do not form a coherent whole.

Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic

Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic by Simon Winchester

I have enjoyed almost all of Simon Winchester's books. However, I could just not get into this one. He explores the history of "what we know". There are people that improved on processes and helped provide the knowledge that we have. It seemed like it could be interesting, but just didn't register in my brain.

The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time

The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time by Simon Winchester

Things can change a lot in two decades in China. Today, you could take a nonstop train from Shanghai to Tibet. The two day journey will take you overland and let you enjoy the scenery.  No need to struggle on back roads. If you want to stick closer to the Yangtze, you could take the high speed rail to get to Chengdu in less than 12 hours. There are also numerous flights available that can take you quickly in comfort.

However, speed is not the point of this voyage. The author wanted to stick close to the river and explore the various cities and features along the way. Some of these isolated farming areas are still there, mostly unchanged. Some areas are now among the many villages inundated by the Three Gorges Dam. Some places remain in a sense, but are now far ahead technologically, with high rise buildings and cell phones available. Some of the traditional practices have faded away, while others remain. Even Tibet has become more technologically advanced (and a bit more Chinese.)

The book is a travel book, interspersed with historical background. He sets up to travel the length of the river. Along the way, he gives history of interesting parts. He meets up with people and has struggles on the travel. It is by no means a complete account of the areas, but provides instead highlights of what is interesting to him. British imperial activity and Maoist actions are primarily covered. Other parts of historical significance are mentioned only in passing. The actions and reactions of the people are also of interest. It seems the world has tried to "abandon" China at times, only to have China say "fine, we'll do it our way."

Korea: A Walk Through the Land of Miracles

Korea: A Walk Through the Land of Miracles by Simon Winchester

Simon Winchester attempted to duplicate a walk through Korea. He wasn't able to complete the portion in North Korea, however, he did ask and was granted permission to visit the north at a later date. Along his walk, he meets with many Koreans (as well as some ex-patriots.) Korea was still a very traditional society with a strong emphasis on saving face. There are bits covering people engaged in activities ranging from diving for seafood to processing ginseng. South Korea at the time was just at the start of its big economic growth spurt. There were some hints of that at the time. However, the society was still very closed. It has changed a lot from the time it was written.

Skulls: An Exploration of Alan Dudley's Curious Collection

Skulls: An Exploration of Alan Dudley's Curious Collection by Simon Winchester and Nick Mann

Skulls is book full of photographs of various skulls interspersed with a few short essays by Simon Winchester. It explores various members of the animal kingdom, with demonstrations of classes of skulls that animals have. There is significant variation. The pictures include a photograph of the animal for reference. Some skulls are easily recognizable, while others are not.

In Other Words: An Illustrated Miscellany of the World's Most Intriguing Words and Phrases

In Other Words: An Illustrated Miscellany of the World's Most Intriguing Words and Phrases by Christopher J. Moore

No two languages are exactly alike. Each language has some words that cannot be directly translated to words in other languages. This short illustrated book explores explores "untranslatable" sayings from other languages. Some are individual words, while others are longer sayings. The words also provide some insight into the nature of the language and people. Some words (like "nirvana") have migrated into usage within English, while others remain obscure in English. 

Professor and the Madman, Man Who Loved China

(Post started February 18, 2013 - looks like there was a rating... and then it got left off.)

Man Who Loved China - Simon Winchester 4*
Professor and the Madman

When the Sky Breaks: Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and the Worst Weather in the World (Smithsonian)

Hurricanes can bring large scale devastation. The Pacific ones tend to be worse than the Atlantic ones. However, the biggest press coverage occurs when one hits a major city (such as New York City.) Tornadoes can also be very devastating. This book has a quick analysis of the powerful storms.

The Fracture Zone: A Return to the Balkans

Simon Winchester usually does a great job of meandering around a topic, giving a great deal of personal background to the subject he is covering. In The Fracture Zone, that meandering is pretty much all there is. He goes to the balkans and explores the area and the people. There are still plenty of different groups with different goals and desires. There are different groups of people that don't get along. There are also people with shared ancestors  that don't get along. It makes for all sorts of conflict.

Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World

Land is an interesting concept. Most land already exists. Yet, people have laid claim to it and have exchange money to "purchase" the land from others. Often the initial claim involved taking land from those that previously were using the land. In some instances, land was gradually separated into different holdings. In other cases, people came in to "take it".

Ownership of land arouses strong feelings. Many wars have been fought over "control" of sections of land. People have strong animosity to others that control the desired land. But what does control of the land mean? Historically, it was primarily as a means of agriculture. People were investing significant effort in cultivating crops. They wanted to maintain control over this. Today, "exclusion" continues to play a role in land ownership. Ultra-wealthy may gather vast swaths of remote land to establish their compound. This may be used for only a short amount of time in a year. However, it ends up being cut off from others that desire to use it.

Land also evolves through many uses. Many peoples have been moved off their lands because others sought a better use for it. Sometimes this use involves more intensive cultivation or city development. Other times, it may be setting it apart as a national park. This can lead to some curious history. Yosemite was once inhabited by Native Americans. It is now set apart as an "undeveloped" national park. However, in doing so, there has been a much more intensive development of roads, trails and lodgings and a huge increase in the number of people passing through. 

The use and ownership of land has changed a great deal through history. It will continue to change. There will continue to be conflicts over ownership as well as attempts to resolve these conflicts. Even with the near "virtual" society, land remains important. 

The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World

Precision engineering is critically important for our modern world, yet usually taken for granted. However, it has become an integral part of our society. In this book, Simon Winchester traces how things have become more and more precise. Then he takes a step back and looks at the benefits of the non-precise. (Japan provides a good case of a culture that celebrates both the ultra-precise and the non-precise.) When there is a big disaster, such as a tsunami, the "precisely engineered" often fail, while the giant trees and other things that have redundancy survive.

Precision has enabled us to make things much smaller and more efficient. Microchips are so small that a spec of dust can ruin one. Airplane engines are both simple and complex. Minute details allow for the engine to be cooled down to prevent it from overheating. (One chapter discusses the story of an engine explosion that was caused by a minor impression in an engine.)

Attempts at providing precise measurements can be challenging. The metric system has gone through various systems of getting a more precise measurement of a meter. Precisely engineered parts allow for mass production in manufacturing. As technology advances, precision can be increased. This can be beneficial for society, but also create greater challenges when precision fails. 

Pacific

Simon Winchester uses the Pacific Ocean as a central theme to discuss a number of events that happened since 1950 (the "present" of Before Present time). Many of the events involve the military - the nuclear tests on Bikini Island, the division of Korea, and the growth of Chinese power on the Pacific. The environment is discussed, both in the context of newly discovered species in deep sulfuric trenches as well as climate change's impacts on coral and the "garbage" vortex.

There are also stories of the business and culture, including the rise of Sony and the building of the Sydney Opera house.

Intertwined with these stories is the plight of the people that call the pacific home - especially the Polynesian and Micronesian inhabitants of the pacific islands. They are often given faint mention in the rhetoric of the western world. The Bikini islanders lost their homeland due to the nuclear tests and the contamination of the land. Many Polynesians still live on their islands, but have lost their traditional lifestyle and navigation skills due to the advances of western civilization. Many islands are in further danger of being submerged due to sea level rises.

Winchester has a unique writing style. He loves to add details from personal experience and loves to dive into details of seemingly random topics. He will also use a narrow thread to string together a set of seemingly unrelated stories. It is not your typical linear writing style, but is a nice refreshing, entertaining style.

The Alice Behind Wonderland

In this short book, Simon Winchester interweaves the history of photography with the early biography of Lewis Carroll. Early photography was a messy affair. The bulky equipment needed to be brought in place and the subject had to be still for an extended period of time for the proper light exposure. Then, a mix of chemicals needed to be applied to "freeze" the image in place. It was a far cry from the instant feedback of modern digital photography. The initial photographic processes involved patent protected technology and were outside the price range of all but the most wealthy. Gradually new innovations arose that allowed more people access to photography. Some non-patent innovations caught on due to the cost. The "negative" and development process also allowed for greater flexibility in the process. However, photography was still far from the "everyday" occurrence that it is today.

And where does Alice in Wonderland fit in here? Charles Dodgson was a student at Oxford and an avid photographer. He would spend time telling stories to the dean's children as well as photographing them. He later published under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. Many of his photographs were collected by an American collector and donated to Princeton University. One of the more famous photos is of "Alice Liddell", the "Alice" for whom the wonderland stories were created. The book spends a little time exploring Carroll's life and other works. However, the focus remains on his photography.

The Men Who United the States

Simon Winchester applies his a rambling, personal style to the history of the United States. Here, he focuses on some key people and events that shaped the culture that people live in today. The builders of roads, telephones, telegraphs and radios all get attention here. The politicians? Yeah, they are mentioned. However, the inventors and entrepreneurs are the ones that have helped to give America its current flavor. The work has some good historical stories tied together with modern experiences. (We get the story of the first person who flew across the United States tied in with the September 11, 2001 attacks.) The narrative itself is loosely tied together, though it is more of a collection of short essays.

Krakatoa

[July 2009] Simon Winchester has a talent for making a single event at the same time intimate and all encompassing, while imparting a good deal of scientific knowledge at the same time. In Krakatoa, he includes detailed history of the science behind the volcano (including the history of the scientists and the origin of plate tectonic theory.) He also provided the cultural and colonial history of Indonesia, thus providing a feel for the general environment in which the explosion occurred. And he filled in his personal tales, including scientific expeditions, embarrassing college blunders and a trip to Krakatoa. He even goes on to show how some loose threads connect the Volcano to aspects of militant Islam and decolonization.
The end result is an entertaining story that meanders around many aspects of the volcano that would not be in the 'encyclopedia entry', yet still have some degree of relevance to the story.
On the audiobook, the author narrates his own book in a pleasant manner that sound almost as if a friend is sharing a story of his learnings and adventures.

Outposts

[From June 2009] I started by listening to the audiobook. In the intro to the audiobook, the author describes how he abridged the book by simply skipping whole chapters. He omitted Hong Kong, Bermuda, British West Indies and the Falklands. This of course, led me to the paperback to complete the missing chapters. I'm glad I read the extra chapters, but don't think I would have missed much if I hadn't. The Hong Kong chapter is the weakest, and the most irrelevant now that it has spent a decade in the PRC. The Bermuda chapter is a little better. The West Indies chapter has nuggets of interest, though would probably need some updating (such as a volcano on Montserrat). However, it quickly jumps from Island to Island so can be a little difficult to follow. The fact that he was in the Falklands as the war was breaking out makes that the most interesting of the omitted chapters in the audiobook.

As for the remainder of the audiobook, it is always nice when an author reads his own books, especially when he does it well like Simon Winchester. He has 'updated' it, primarily by reminding us that these exploits did take place a few decades ago. (I also found it useful to read the updated introduction after completing the book, helping to remind myself that these are 25 year old exploits.) The book reads as part travelogue, part history. The journey gets equal weight with the destination. I found myself with a strong interest in learning more about these places that had been nothing more than dots on the map.

Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms,and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories

In most of this other books, Simon Winchester has done a great job with a narrow topic. He goes off on tangents, provides interesting anecdotes and brings out interesting bits of trivia to bring alive a small event or person.

In Atlantic, he tries to tackle a larger topic, and the results are mixed. He does provide plenty of anecdotes and tangential stories. However, the central focus is missing. Just about any part of modern western civilization could be tied to the Atlantic. The book ends up doing little more than spurting out groups of semi-related facts. It is still a fairly readable nonfiction book, but falls way short when compared to his other books.

I was most impressed with the discussion of global warming. He provided one of the most intellectual honest accounts of the facts of global warming. He acknowledges there has been some mischief going on in scientific circles. However, in spite of this, there is very clear indication that the earth temperature has been increasing. There is a suspicion that this has been caused by man's activities. However, there could also be cyclical factors in play. While the Katrina hurricane season was especially severe, there have been other very calm seasons that followed. And in spite of what seems to be an increase in catastrophic events, these have been mere blips on the geological scale. (With the damage to humankind caused in part by people's propensity to locate themselves in danger zones.)

While there are some good bits in here, this is one Simon Winchester book that can easily be skipped.

The Map That Changed the World

This is one of my least favorite Simon Winchester books. Usually I love the deep tangents that he takes as he gradually brings about the importance of a person or place. However, in this book, I was never really convinced of William Smith's importance. Sure he did some great work for geology and mapmaking, but the book didn't make a good case for why we should care.