Further
facts
These are some books that inspired me.
Move your mouse over a book to learn more.
Gombrich, Ernst H.Art and IllusionPrinceton University Press, 2000. |
Fukuyama, FrancisThe End of History and the Last Man |
Johnson, PaulThe Renaissance, a Short History |
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Murray, Charles
Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950.
Harper Perennial, 2004.
Extremely important and the only one of its kind. However, potential readers should know that a large part of it is technical descriptions of how he did his studies. Apart from that, the coveage goes from 888 b.c. to 1950, since he correctly assume that recent data may be biased. However, he speculates that human achievement may have declined after his cut-off date. Here I disagree. In visual arts perhaps yes, but in music no, and in technology the last decades have put everything before in the shadow, in my opinion.
Collier, Paul
The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It
Oxford University Press, 2007.
An excellent explanation of why some countries don’t work, and what it would take to get them out of their swamps.
Johnson, Paul M.
Modern Times Revised Edition: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties
Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2001.
A splendid explanation of the drivers behind modern European history.
Gombrich, Ernst H.
Art and Illusion
Princeton University Press, 2000.
The best book I ever read about art, and I suspect the best that was ever written.
Fukuyama, Francis
The End of History and the Last Man
About the global trend towards liberal democracies, which he describes as our final destination. He was mocked because “history” began again with 9/11, but I think he is very right anyway. Things just take time.
Johnson, Paul
The Renaissance, a Short History
What happened around the renaissance is largely what created the might of the West. This is a good, short description.
