FiveBooks Newsletter 68


Hic sunt camelopardus: this historical edition of The Browser is presented for archaeological purposes; links and formatting may be broken.

[1]The Browser
    Links:
      1. http://thebrowser.com

FiveBooks at TheBrowser

Today on FiveBooks, we grill [5]Steven Pinker about his theory that violence
  and war is in historical decline, despite popular belief to the contrary fed
  by our gory media diet. And acclaimed writer [6]Armistead Maupin shares his
  favourite tales from San Francisco.
    Links:
      5. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/steven-pinker-on-decline-violence
      6. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/armistead-maupin-on-san-francisco-novels

Also on the site last week, expert book recommendations on [7]perfume,
  [8]science fiction and [9]biographies. For more gems, explore our full list
  of over 600 interviews over in our [10]archive.
    Links:
      7. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/denise-hamilton-on-perfume
      8. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/orson-scott-card-on-science-fiction
      9. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/lyndall-gordon-on-biographies
      10. http://thebrowser.com/fivebooks/archive

Next week, literature professor John Sutherland discusses Victorian fiction,
  acclaimed writer Eva Hoffman picks her favourite memoirs, and more. Thanks
  for reading!

FiveBooks News

[11]Gayle Lemmon on Women and War
    Links:
      11. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/gayle-lemmon-on-women-and-war

Sunday October 2

When war comes, women pick up the pieces, providing for families and taking
  up jobs previously done by men. Increasingly, women are to be found on the
  frontlines of combat too, as the author and journalist explains [12]Continue
  reading…
    Links:
      12. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/gayle-lemmon-on-women-and-war

[13]Orson Scott Card on Science Fiction
    Links:
      13. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/orson-scott-card-on-science-fiction

Monday October 3

The sci-fi author tells us how the genre evolved from “gosh-wow” novels of
  the 1920s into some of the most inventive fiction being written today. He
  recommends five books sure to get new readers hooked [14]Continue reading…
    Links:
      14. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/orson-scott-card-on-science-fiction

[15]Denise Hamilton on Perfume
    Links:
      15. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/denise-hamilton-on-perfume

Tuesday October 4

The author guides us through the intoxicating world of the perfumer, from
  ancient Egypt to wartime Paris – and explains what Guerlain meant when he
  said his fragrances contained a whiff of his mistress's bottom [16]Continue
  reading…
    Links:
      16. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/denise-hamilton-on-perfume

[17]Lyndall Gordon on Biographies
    Links:
      17. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/lyndall-gordon-on-biographies

Wednesday October 5

The inner life is a mystery but the best biographies expose the hidden
  kernel of a person, says the biographer. She picks five books that push the
  boundaries of the genre, and compares documentary and imaginative truth
  [18]Continue reading…
    Links:
      18. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/lyndall-gordon-on-biographies

[19]Armistead Maupin on San Francisco Novels
    Links:
      19. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/armistead-maupin-on-san-francisco-novels

Thursday October 6

The author of the wonderful _Tales of the City_ series tells us about San
  Francisco’s spirit of place, and the books which best capture the city’s
  sense of possibility and noirish feel [20]Continue reading…
    Links:
      20. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/armistead-maupin-on-san-francisco-novels

[21]Steven Pinker on the Decline of Violence
    Links:
      21. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/steven-pinker-on-decline-violence

Friday October 7

Our TV screens may be full of news about war and crime, but this masks a
  fall in historical terms in the number of violent deaths that’s nothing
  short of astonishing, says the psychologist. He tells us how and why this
  happened [22]Continue reading…
    Links:
      22. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/steven-pinker-on-decline-violence

[23]The End Of The Future
    Links:
      23. http://b.rw/qAUBJB

Peter Thiel | National Review | 3 October 2011

Superb essay arguing that progress in science and technology is stalling.
  "The technology slowdown threatens not just our financial markets, but the
  entire modern political order, which is predicated on easy and relentless
  growth" [24]More like this
    Links:
      24. http://thebrowser.com/best

Featured Topic

[25]Steve Jobs's Legacy
    Links:
      25. http://thebrowser.com/reports/steve-jobss-legacy

The great man has gone. Here's what we should remember him for and what his
  absence will mean for Apple [26]Read on
    Links:
      26. http://thebrowser.com/reports/steve-jobss-legacy

Book of the Week

Book of the Day

[27]The Girls Come Marching Home by Kirsten Holmstedt
    Links:
      27. http://thebrowser.com/recommended/girls-come-marching-home-by-kirsten-holmstedt

[28]Gayle Lemmon says: "This book shakes people up so they recognise what
  female war vets go through" [29]FiveBooks Archive
    Links:
      28. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/gayle-lemmon-on-women-and-war
      29. http://thebrowser.com/fivebooks

Video of the Week

[30]Dan Ariely On Empathy And Emotion
    Links:
      30. http://thebrowser.com/videos/dan-ariely-empathy-and-emotion

Are  we  less  inclined to act in the face of large-scale tragedy than
  small-scale suffering?
  [31]More videos
    Links:
      31. http://thebrowser.com/videos

Quote of the Week

[32]Warren Buffett, on investing
    Links:
      32. http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2011/10/warren-buffett-on-temperament

"Once you have ordinary intelligence, what you need is the temperament to
    control the urges that get other people into trouble"

[33]More quotes
    Links:
      33. http://thebrowser.com/quotations

Reader Recommendations

_@prospect_uk_ Steven Pinker is wrong, writes John Gray: "Human fondness for
  toxic ideas is remarkably constant" http://t.co/TJ69IuOU [35]#browsings
  [36]More like this
    Links:
      35. https://twitter.com/search?q=#browsings
      36. http://thebrowser.com/browsings

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