Books
by Simon Schama
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Landscape and Memory |
In this fascinating book Schama writes about the great forests, mountains and rivers of the world and their importance through the aeons of time to myth, history, art and to us. His narrative prose and unashamedly colourful style create the impression of reading a novel while he weaves this huge tapestry of literary art. Beautifully illustrated, and over 600 pages, but definitely not a holiday read - it's so heavy you need iron wrists to lift it!
(Denise Lewis - bwl 68 Spring 2013) |
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The American Future: A History |
A spin-off from Schama's recent TV series, this is a curiosity in more ways than just its seemingly contradictory title. His intention is to build a history of American exceptionalism - 'the American difference' - through extended anecdotes about some interesting characters. Each is engagingly told in familiar Schama manner - he writes as he talks in short, punchy sentences - but in the final analysis, the whole is less than the sum of its parts.
(Jeremy Miller - bwl 52 July 2009) |
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