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8th out of 211 books
—
11 voters
The Infinity of Lists
In the history of Western culture we find lists of saints, ranks of soldiers, catalogues of grotesque creatures or medicinal plants, and hordes of treasure. This infinity of lists is no coincidence: a culture prefers enclosed, stable forms when it is sure of its own identity, while when faced with a jumbled series of ill-defined phenomena, it starts making lists. The poeti...more
Hardcover, 408 pages
Published
January 1st 2010
by Maclehose Press Quercus
(first published 2009)
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Umberto Eco will remain a fixture in my fantasy dinner party, next to Frederic Chopin and Dorothy Parker. There is something heroic and yet humble in his intellect. Those that have followed his collaboration with the Louvre have enjoyed his taking unusual themes, sometimes brilliant for their obviousness like "beauty" other times brilliant for their subtle importance like "enumeration", and watch him walk through the western canon the way michael jordan drives the key.
Those treating these works...more
Those treating these works...more
Umberto Eco is a world renowned medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, literary critic, and currently the president of the Scuola Superiore di Studi Umanistici, University of Bologna. A frequent contributor to the popular press, Eco has written two children’s books, and is a successful novelist and essayist. His best-known novels are The Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum. Eco, however, confessed in an interview in 1996 that The Name of the Rose may be a book more unread that read. “It hap...more
Lavishly illustrated and a formidable project undertaken by one of the most capable writers of the day.
The treatment here slants decidedly classical/Medieval (which should little surprise Eco enthusiasts).
This is not an exhaustive examination of every possible list in existence, and the author warns us accordingly in the opening pages as to the limits of his approach.
Art images and excerpts from world literature support and complement the author's intent to explore the phenomena of creating list...more
The treatment here slants decidedly classical/Medieval (which should little surprise Eco enthusiasts).
This is not an exhaustive examination of every possible list in existence, and the author warns us accordingly in the opening pages as to the limits of his approach.
Art images and excerpts from world literature support and complement the author's intent to explore the phenomena of creating list...more
Eco's eccentric book is a ramble through the lists, catalogues, collections and antiquaries that have fashioned our culture. You will learn odd facts, strange details, and obscurities gallore. Eco brings his polymathic knowledge and voluminous reading to bear on the subject of lists.
Beautifuly produced. fully illustrated, with commentary and collections of quotations, literary extracts and poetry.
There are lists of all sorts and kinds. There are pictures that form kinds of lists, collection are...more
Beautifuly produced. fully illustrated, with commentary and collections of quotations, literary extracts and poetry.
There are lists of all sorts and kinds. There are pictures that form kinds of lists, collection are...more
Oh, Mr. Eco! If I could understand what you have written I would worship your god-like abilities to write!
Knowing that Umberto Eco is not easy reading and, thinking that this "brief" "picture book" would be a light (ha!) introduction to his style before attempting The Name of the Rose, I picked it up with the intention to finish it in a couple of days.
Don't let the concise chapters and the numerous photo-filled pages fool you; this isn't an easy book to get through.
The motivation behind this boo...more
Knowing that Umberto Eco is not easy reading and, thinking that this "brief" "picture book" would be a light (ha!) introduction to his style before attempting The Name of the Rose, I picked it up with the intention to finish it in a couple of days.
Don't let the concise chapters and the numerous photo-filled pages fool you; this isn't an easy book to get through.
The motivation behind this boo...more
A series of meditations on the character of different sorts of lists, especially those that appear in literature and art, Eco's rich illustrative excerpts are more substantial than his own prose. Some of these lists are wonderful, but lists aren't necessarily the most engaging genre to read. Eco's thoughts, especially in the first half of the book are quite compelling, but I wish he would have included more about the connections between the excellent art collection here and his various categorie...more
Lovely on the eyes, Eco's consideration of lists and catalogues, which he wrote in response to a request from the Louvre, dwells mostly on the visual side. As a maximalist, I enjoyed this erudite discussion of visual and literary lists, but lamented the lack of cookbook consideration. He points out some interesting binaries/distinctions, such as pragmatic and poetic lists, as well as coherent and chaotic lists.
Wie erfindet der Mensch Kultur? Na, er schreibt Listen, Kataloge und Übersichten. Am Ende sammelt Eco all diese Beispiele und macht nicht nur ein schlaues Buch daraus, sondern auch noch eine Reihe von Vorträgen in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Louvre. Genauso so schön - schlau - umfassend - wie die Geschichten der Schönheit und Häßlichkeit.
Better than counting sheep for insomniacs: contemplating the scenes engraved upon the shield of Achilles. Or reading again Homer's catalog of ships. Based on a series of lectures by Eco and illustrated with masterworks from the Louvre, this not a read cover-to-cover book. This is a dip into a chapter and slowly savor, drifting off to dream of lists of angels.
Feb 05, 2010
Kate
marked it as to-read
I was going to buy this from the London Review Bookstore (one of my top 10 favorite bookstores) but didn't. It was just too heavy. I was already laden with computer and photography equipment. In heels. Raining. Another time.
The hefty portfolio concludes with a poem by Apollinaire and I found myself sighing and drifting again through the arresting collection of images. I read the sections by Burton, Pynchon and Calvino a number of times. This is a great book to keep at home, not designed for portability.
Es ist nicht ganz ehrlich von mir zu schreiben, dass ich das Buch gelesen habe. Ich habe es nur durchgeblättert, aber dies mehrmals und mit großem Vergnügen.
I wish I could give it more stars but while Eco's potboilers are attractive they're riddled with mistakes. And the choice of lists was less than stellar.
May 18, 2013
Ed Finn
added it
A weird, remarkable and beautiful book. A compendium of literary lists and an incredible trove of related art.
I can't decide if I want Santa to get this for me or for my boyfriend.
Having a hard time with this book, to be honest I am skipping a lot. I wish the illustration and art work had the same explanations as the literary works. I was surprised by the number of errors and typos. I would not recommend this book as a book to read for enjoyment.
Feb 14, 2010
Eznelak (Jamie)
is currently reading it
A beautiful book from my Valentine! :)
Perhaps my perfect book
Something of a companion to Eco's quick art history survey History of Beauty and follow-up On Ugliness, but with the addition of literature to the survey. Eco sorts out the different kinds of lists (I couldn't even name three before I read this) and gives wonderful examples. Accompanying examples of art demonstrate visual conceptions of what might be categorized as lists. As always, Eco makes me think about thinking in new ways.
A gorgeous book filled with amazing images, wonderful commentary (of course) by Eco, and very cool excerpts from a variety of literature. Some of this stuff is obscure to say the least. This is a book to be savored, and I anticipate I'll be enjoying it for a lifetime.
1 like · like · see review
I may have read this too quickly to fully appreciate.
Read / skimmed through the essays. A must read.
May 21, 2013
Inna Shpitzberg
is currently reading it
May 20, 2013
Lacey Librarian
marked it as to-read
May 19, 2013
Mahdi Roohnikan
marked it as to-read
May 18, 2013
Lydia
marked it as to-read
May 17, 2013
Jen Lindblad
marked it as to-read
May 14, 2013
P
marked it as to-read
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Umberto Eco is an Italian writer of fiction, essays, academic texts, and children's books, and certainly one of the finest authors of the twentieth century. A professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna, Eco’s brilliant fiction is known for its playful use of language and symbols, its astonishing array of allusions and references, and clever use of puzzles and narrative inventions. His per...more
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Jan 29, 2011 06:12pm