I keep forgetting to look up the author-- but i am surprised that no one has put in "the professor and the madman"
a book about the making of the OED...
I also loved all of Lewis Thomas books--all of them are collections of his essays for New England Journal of Medicine-- 3 pages on topic, and no matter how little science you have, you can put up with organic chemistry for three pages. (i have no advanced chemistry--except, that which i picked up in Asimov's "World of Carbon" and "World of Nitrogen") and he (back to Lewis Thomas) has many essays on language and words. It was from him that i picked up Sit and Chair have the same root if you go back far enough.. (only M-W here at work)
I made a new years resolution one year to read at one non-fiction book for every 3 peices of fiction. best resolution i ever made. Its easy to fall into the habit of fiction, and there is so much good fiction--and even some of the junk (say sci-fi) is just addictive. I know i an not the only Heinlein fan, since Father Steve was just an instant in finding the quote, and i have seen other references to sci-fi. I draw the line at romance-- too many beautiful people, living happily ever after--ugh!
and no votes for V.S. Naipal? A Bend in the River-- or (why can't i think of any titles! these senior momemts are getting excessive!) and historical novels are some of my favorites. Anya Seton (almost entirely out of print)
But "Devil Water" or "The Winthrope Women" both are novel that straddle the Atlantic. They start in England, and move over to the Americas. Devil Water centers on Jenny Radcliffe, the only child of the last Earl of Derwentwater, (just outside Newcastle)--he was a supporter of "the king over the water" and lost his head about it (last peer beheaded at the tower!) Oh, but work beckens...
