Take a photo of a barcode or cover
disco_ionesco 's review for:
The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind
by Howard Reid, Justin Pollard
This book: So-and-so wrote such-and-such...
Me: Oh?
This book: But it is now lost/was burned.
Me: Ohhhhh...
We've lost/destroyed a lot of knowledge/art. It is distressing.
But this book was pretty great! It covers the founding of the city by Alexander through it's fall to Muslim forces in 641 (a fine demarcation for when the city ceased to be a part of western civ, I guess?). Pollard does a solid job of providing an overview of the city's history with wonderful diversions into the individual, essential scientific and philosophical discoveries that took place because Alexandria existed (I'm sure it's not comprehensive). Some of these stories are rapturous: for instance, I didn't know prior to this the story of how Eratosthenes estimated the circumference of the globe, but it gave me chills. I was also glad Pollard covered the role Alexandria played in the development of early Christianity (which I've only recently started to appreciate) - for some reason, at the outset, I thought this book's history might end prior to that.
Ultimately, this is a tragedy. Even with the most sober of historical accounts, I'm sure the Alexandria we think we know is more romantic than life there ever was, but the development of the West's hostility towards intellectual pursuits/science that the city's history represents is still heartbreaking.
Me: Oh?
This book: But it is now lost/was burned.
Me: Ohhhhh...
We've lost/destroyed a lot of knowledge/art. It is distressing.
But this book was pretty great! It covers the founding of the city by Alexander through it's fall to Muslim forces in 641 (a fine demarcation for when the city ceased to be a part of western civ, I guess?). Pollard does a solid job of providing an overview of the city's history with wonderful diversions into the individual, essential scientific and philosophical discoveries that took place because Alexandria existed (I'm sure it's not comprehensive). Some of these stories are rapturous: for instance, I didn't know prior to this the story of how Eratosthenes estimated the circumference of the globe, but it gave me chills. I was also glad Pollard covered the role Alexandria played in the development of early Christianity (which I've only recently started to appreciate) - for some reason, at the outset, I thought this book's history might end prior to that.
Ultimately, this is a tragedy. Even with the most sober of historical accounts, I'm sure the Alexandria we think we know is more romantic than life there ever was, but the development of the West's hostility towards intellectual pursuits/science that the city's history represents is still heartbreaking.