The History of the Amazon
Tree of Rivers: The Story of the Amazon, by John Hemming.
“More on NYT Sunday Book Review.Hemming’s most recent book, “Tree of Rivers,” covers ground familiar to anyone interested in the history of the Amazon. What makes the book important and, in many ways, even remarkable, are the breadth of the author’s experience and the depth of his understanding. Throughout, Hemming scatters modest references to his own extraordinary journeys. As an aside, while discussing the river’s multitude of swift, rapids-studded tributaries, he recalls that he was once nearly swept to his death in one. When explaining the potentially deadly diseases that Amazon explorers and natives alike have long suffered, he casually mentions that he has twice endured the searing fever and bone-grinding chills of malaria. Having cut trails through dense, remote rain forest, and having felt the sickening and very real danger of becoming hopelessly lost, he understands much better than most the extraordinary skill it takes for indigenous people to navigate their world”.
More on NYT Sunday Book Review.
“Books aren’t dead”
Everything you wanted to know about the “new attempt to improve on one of the more enduring inventions of the history: the book” is in Newsweek’s 26.11.2007 issue. The magazine focuses on the e-book launched in the United States by Amazon.com. In the cover story (The Future of Reading) written by Steven Levy after interviewing the CEO of Internet commerce giant, Jeff Bezos, the impact seems to be significant.
“The Kindle’s real breakthrough springs from a feature that its predecessors never offered: wireless connectivity, via a system called Whispernet. (…) As a result, say Bezos, this isn’t a device, it’s a service”.
“Amazon has designed the Kindle to operate totally independent of a computer: you can use it to go to the store, check out your personalized recommendations, and read readers reviews and post new ones, tapping out the words on a thumb-friendly keyboard”.
“In addition, the Kindle can venture out on the Web itself –to look up things in Wikipedia, search via Google or follow links from blogs and other Web pages. You can jot down a gloss on the page of the book you’re reading, or capture passages with an electronic version of a highlight pen. And if you or a friend sends a word document or PDF file to your private Kindle email address, it appears in your Kindle library, just as a book does”.
”The awesome technology of originals books –and our love for them– will keep them vital for many years. But nothing is forever”.
