The Notebook

The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen

Not to be confused with the Nicolas Spark book, as the subtitle says this is about paper and it application to notebooks. The basic premise is that when paper started to be mass produced in Italy in the 1400 this allowed the renaisanse to take off. Before this writing was done on velum, time consuming and expensive to produce and basically used the the Church to illuminated manuscripts. With paper readily available artists could carry a sketch book with them wherever they went and practice their craft. The best known of the notebooks are Leonardo Da Vinci's, of which a portion survive. Cheap notebooks allowed for diaries, journals, sketchbooks, thought diaries, lists, idea books to be carried by many people. There is also the premise that writing changed the way people think and work and the act of writing in a notebook allowed people to become better writers and thinkers.

Manhunt

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson

This is a chronicle mainly of John Wilkes Booth before and the aftermath of the assasination of Lincoln. The author concentrates on the facts of the conspiracy to kill not just Lincoln but several high ranking members of the Feberal government. There is actually a lot of detail that is available about Booth after he shot Lincoln and fled the capital. Some of the details become tedious.

The Future Was Now

The Future Was Now: Madmen, Mavericks, and the Epic Sci-Fi Summer of 1982 by Chris Nashawaty

This book chronicles the watershed year of 1982, which during the summmer saw the release of 6 movies: E.T., Tron, Star Trek: Wrath of Khan, Conan the Barbarian, Blade Runner, Poltergeist, The Thing, and Mad Max: The Road Warrior. The 1970s blockbusters Jaws and Star Wars saw everyone scrambling to create their own money maker, resulting in this glut of summer movies.

The Bookshop

The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss

This is the history of the boostore 'bookshop' mostly in north America. Starting the colonial times, with of course Ben Franklin and coming up through the present mega bookstores such as Barnes and Noble. Along the way small and specialty bookshops are explored. Many niche bookstores were important centers of communities in the civil rights era with black bookstores and LGBT bookstores providing vital info for their communties. Many stories of the personalities of people who were instrumental in creating the modern bookstore. Many of the pioneers were women at a time when there were not many options available, and there are nice little known stories such as the groundbreaking bookstore on the thrid floor of Mashal Fields in Chicago.

PARIS 1944

PARIS 1944: Occupation, Resistance, Liberation, by Patrick Bishop

From the title it would seem this book is about the liberation of Paris in WW2. Which it is but it is also much more going back to the 1930s and following major events of the war up until the liberation of Paris. The author concentrates on events but also major personalities during the War: Hemingway, De Gaulle, Robert Capa, Martha Gellhorn and many more not as well known but who played vital roles in the resistance and as soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

Many interesting facts come out, much is spent outlining the resistance and their role. Also traces the origins of many of the people in the Spanish civil war as a lead up to WW2.

A Machine to Move Ocean and Earth

A Machine to Move Ocean and Earth: The Making of the Port of Los Angeles and America by James Tejani.

Alexander at the End of the World

Alexander at the End of the World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great by Rachel Kousser

The last years of Alexander the Great, when he was trying to integrate his many conquests from Macedonia to India into an integrated society. Interesting theories by the author of a subject that has been convered for millenia. Someplaces academic in nature, not surprising, but I am always surprised how much material is available to research aspects that are of really ancient nature.