Notes on Democracy by H. L. Mencken

Notes on Democracy by H. L. Mencken is a famous classic of American political criticism. Mencken today is usually known as a social critic with an acid tongue. His quips are frequently quoted by PJ O'Rourke and Paul Fussell. This slim book contains Mencken's views on the politics of the 1920s. He is particularly scathing where it comes to the mob, how they are stupid, superstitious and ignorant. Politicians must either whip up the mob as demagogues or be populists who follow the mobs every will. He has no real solution for this except the creation of a disinterested elite but there are no real explanations of how this would be accomplished. Mencken is somewhat a libertarian however he also criticizes the judiciary as being more interested in political expediency than the Constitution.

This new edition contains extensive endnotes that give short biographies and explanations of Latin and Greek terms. An introduction tries to put the work in context as well as giving biographical notes. I would've preferred that the explanatory notes had been footnotes at the bottom of the page instead of endnotes in the back.. Very thought provoking particularly in our post-9/11 world.

Highly recommended!

Note: this book was provided by the publisher for review.

Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik

Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik is the fourth book in the Temeraire series. The Napoleonic war is being fought out with dragons. Ivory continues on directly after the events of Black Powder War, the Prussians have collapsed Lawrence and Temeraire just managed to escape. On their return to England they learn that the dragons have been struck down with an illness. Temeraire seems to have immunity to it which they believe is the result of eating something on an earlier trip to Africa. A small group is sent to Africa to determine what it was and bring it back. While looking they are captured by an African kingdom and must try to escape. The book concludes with Lawrence having to make an ethical choice. It sets up a nice cliffhanger but I don't really buy the response of the people who receive the benefit of his decision. Trying not to give anything away....

Novik is quite inventive or it comes to adding the dragons into the era. Where she's a little less successful is in making the aviators culture real. There is a subplot involving one of the female aviators being knocked up. This leads to the should she get married or not discussion which comes off sounding like a couple of women's studies professors showed up in early 19th century England. She also drinks alcohol while pregnant. Considering that I doubt from the tone of the series the child will be FAS I find this in rather poor taste.

The fifth book has been released I'll be picking it up. For the most part I liked this except for the pregnancy business. If you're interested in alternate history with some fantasy elements you could do much worse than the series.

Recommended!

Paddington bear's 50th

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the first Paddington bear stories release. The first book I can remember was A Bear Called Paddington, I was 4. So I can blame my sagging bookcases on a bear from darkest Peru.

Warren is back

Best thing I've heard all day.

Canadian election predictions

A few quick predictions on tomorrow's Canadian federal election:

• Conservative minority.
• Liberals and Conservatives both have fewer MPs after tomorrow.
• NDP will not be official opposition.
• The Greens will not win a seat.
• Increasingly loud rumblings will be heard from the West that Stephen Harper sold out to Ontario and Québec and still couldn't get the job done.
• Dion out, Trudeau in the on deck circle.

Thoughts on Harry Potter one year and a little bit after

As I mentioned way back here I've been slowly rereading Harry Potter. It's taken me quite a bit more time than I had expected. There always seemed to be something interesting in the mail for me to pick up instead.

So what do I think? Well here's my half sleepy review at the time. I was actually pretty coherent considering I had been up for around 30 straight hours at that point. I still think Kipling's "if" is a pretty good analysis for the series. Harry's function is to be yelled at by doubters most of the time. The more I think about it the more there are some severe pacing problems in Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows. I didn't really notice anything to egregious in Half-Blood Prince. Whether this is simply her transitioning into that exalted state where editors do nothing or if it's something else I'm not sure.

That being said Rowling has the truly rare gift to be able to drag you through the plot despite occasional bad writing and inconsistencies. Whether that is transferable into territory other than a young adult fantasy is an open question.

Somehow I don't think I'll be rereading this again next year. I may wait until my nephew is of age. I can infect him with the contagion all so...

Literary fiction doesn't sell, deal with it

That perennial argument about the End of Publishing has started again. My favorite analysis is from It’s Only The End of Rose-Colored Glasses in part:

There was never a Golden Age of Publishing where people bought only high-brow fiction that elevated the mind. It’s a figment of your imagination.

The whiny elitism is strong in the original piece. It does make me wonder if they've been in a bookstore lately.

Quotation [occasional]

Steve Fuller complains, as do all authors whose books are panned, that I did not read his book properly (or at all). Alas, I did.
- AC Grayling on Steve Fuller

Added books to the TBR pile October 10th

I haven't done one of these for just over one year. I'll try to get back into the swing of things. A rather light week for new stuff.

• The German Infantry Handbook, 1939-1945: Organization, Uniforms, Weapons, Equipment, Operations by Alex Buchner.
• CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World by Tom Watson an ARC.
• Workers, Strikes, and Pogroms: The Donbass - Dnepr Bend in Late Imperial Russia, 1870-1905 by Charters Wynn.
• Notes on Democracy by H. L. Mencken an ARC.
• Kingdoms of the blind: How the great democracies have resumed the follies that so nearly cost them their life by Harold W Rood part of my Hailer Publishing reading project.

Pecans

Thanks to Maggie of Maggie Reads!

Beyond Shock and Awe: Warfare in the 21st Century edited by Eric L. Haney and Brian M. Thomsen

Beyond Shock and Awe: Warfare in the 21st Century edited by Eric L. Haney and Brian M. Thomsen is a very hit and miss selection of essays on current American doctrine debates. The section on the history of technology centric high tempo fighting is interesting. The section on Iraq is a decent enough summary. If you're new to the debate then you'll learn something if you've been paying attention you probably won't. The section on the future of warfare is rather silly. Rather strange for there to be criticisms throughout the history and current affairs section of technology centric doctrine then to have future analysis based around technology. There's also a essay defending the Bush administration's military tribunals and giving suggestions on how they can appear to be more just as opposed to you know actually being just.

Not recommended!

So much for doing anything today

Headaches are not good for my work...

Canadian election is getting interesting

CPAC - Nanos Tracking CP 34, LP 31, NDP 18, BQ 11, GP 6

Canadian Grand Prix is gone

So how are the apologists for the FIA at TSN going to spin this one? Certainly the news is disappointing but it was only a matter of time considering the attempt to kick it off the schedule earlier. Now that the circuit has a Nationwide NASCAR race hopefully it will be able to survive. At the least we will have the memories of all those champions bouncing their cars off the wall on the main straight.

Moving library

Here is an interesting post from the Rejecter describing one of my nightmares. Mainly having to move all my books. It certainly will have to happen one of these days. I don't think I'll be in my current location permanently. I've always thought it would provide an opportunity to actually go through and organize them into some sort of logical system l at the new location. That's probably being wildly optimistic. Unless I have a lot more shelf space there than what I do now.