false 2125956 2 James Burke, author and public television star, returns with another quirky look at the way history works. In <I>Twin Tracks</I>, Burke connects "trigger events" with unexpected outcomes. For instance, the invention of the lens-grinding lathe leads to hairdressing, and the debut of Mozart's <I>The Marriage of Figaro</I> connects to development of the stealth fighter jet. These events are tied together via two tracks, one written along the book's left-hand pages, and one along the right. The narratives meet up in the end, giving readers a clear idea that the lines of history can be quite subjective. Some of the examples even run backward, as when Burke explains the connections between smallpox and the Big Bang. While Burke is justifiably famous for linking historical events, the paths he takes, especially those involving lots of unfamiliar names, can be tricky to follow:<p> <blockquote>In 1710 the art collection was sold to Philip, regent of France, in a deal brokered by Benedetto Luti, the best painter in Rome at the time.... That year Luti took on an assistant.... By 1714 William Kent was painting originals.... His patron in all this was the trillionaire Earl of Burlington.</blockquote><p> The best way to read <I>Twin Tracks</I>, as with any of Burke's lovely books, is one chapter at a time, taking thinking breaks in between so as not to become overwhelmed by detail. The networks he describes form a more accurate, if more challenging, picture of history's motion than any linear sequence. <I>--Therese Littleton</I> 2131396 1 9 2003 Twin Tracks : The Unexpected Origins of the Modern World total:17|5:3|4:5|3:7|2:1|1:1| 17 59 31 3 55023 074325810X 9780743258104 6 2 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55023.Twin_Tracks 4 0 false Wed Aug 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 28 01:28:24 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 01:16:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> 55023 074325810X 9780743258104 6 2 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55023.Twin_Tracks 1 0 false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 29 19:36:16 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 29 19:40:32 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 4 0 false Thu Feb 26 22:22:00 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 26 22:23:15 -0800 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 3 0 false Wed Nov 25 20:28:29 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 20:28:29 -0800 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 3 0 false Mon Nov 23 08:02:13 -0800 2009 Sat Dec 05 11:04:22 -0800 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 0 0 false Sat Oct 17 14:47:21 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 17 14:47:21 -0700 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 0 0 false Fri Sep 25 06:38:10 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 25 06:38:10 -0700 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 0 0 false Sun Jul 26 16:53:40 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 16:53:51 -0700 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 0 0 false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Thu Jun 25 08:42:42 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 08:42:48 -0700 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 0 0 false Sun Apr 19 05:58:23 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 05:58:25 -0700 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 4 0 false Tue Apr 14 17:00:03 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 17:00:03 -0700 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 5 0 false Sun Apr 05 11:14:23 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 05 11:14:23 -0700 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 3 0 false Mon Mar 16 19:43:59 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 19:43:59 -0700 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 0 0 false Fri Feb 02 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Mar 14 22:55:24 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 14 22:55:24 -0700 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 3 0 false Mon Feb 16 13:34:02 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 13:34:02 -0800 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 5 0 false Tue Jan 27 20:25:38 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 20:25:38 -0800 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 0 0 false Mon Jan 05 17:06:31 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 17:06:34 -0800 2009 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 5 0 false Thu Dec 18 11:34:42 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 11:34:42 -0800 2008 55023 074325810X 9780743258104 6 2 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55023.Twin_Tracks 3 0 false Thu Dec 04 09:35:06 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 09:35:06 -0800 2008 2125956 0743226194 9780743226196 11 1 3.47 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2125956.Twin_Tracks_The_Unexpected_Origins_of_the_Modern_World 2 0 false Sat Aug 16 13:15:19 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 16 13:15:19 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2125956