Reading The Game of War made me want to have another go at reading Debord's The Society of the Spectacle, but when I had a look on by bookshelf I found it was missing. Thinking about this last night prompted me to compile this list of the best of the books I've lent to people that haven't been returned. (These are all books that have genuinely "walked". The list doesn't include recent loans that I'm sure people are still reading, or have finished but haven't quite gotten around to returning yet but will do some time in the not too distant future. Also not included are titles that I've lost but have since replaced.)
- The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord. See above. Yes, I know the entire text is available online, but it's just not the same, is it.
- The Ecology of Freedom: The Emergence and Dissolution of Hierarchy by Murray Bookchin. Considerable sentimental value. I ordered it at great expense from a bookshop in Tokyo while living in Japan in the 1990s. You'll know it if you see it; I underlined bits, and even scribbled notes on some of the pages (something I don't usually do), mostly meanings of words I was't familiar with at the time.
- The Blood of Others by Simone de Beauvoir. One of the few novels that I've read more than once. Adapted in 1984 into a movie directed by Claude Chabrol, "a master in the mystery genre", that wasn't absolutely dire, but did seem to tinker unnecessarily with the plot. (Obligatory mention of dubious New Zealand connection: stars "self-effacing thinking woman's sex symbol" Sam Neill as a Nazi officer.)
- Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media edited by Mark Achbar. The glossy companion book to the movie, including eighteen "Philosopher All-Stars" baseball cards in mint condition. At least they were in mint condition when I last saw the book.
Distance walked today: 0km
Total distance walked since blog began: 78.4km
9 comments:
Not guilty- Don't got any of the above named books. Well I DO have Debord/S.O.S.(obviously) but its my own copy, currently the Bruce Grenville edition plus another in Italian I think.That plus practically all the S.I. & post S.I. books are available thru AK press/ Via Katipo ( & as a coop member you can get them for cost price Plus 20%) Also have Comments on S.O.S. & The Vienet attributed book (hadn't picked up on that, but it makes sense.) & Panegyric by Debord. I don't loan my Situ books but might be persauded to let u borrow them for as long as it takes to scan/photocopy them if u like.
Grant
Social Anarchism or Lifestyle Anarchism An Unbridgeable Chasm by Murray Bookchin (great last name) is lurking about our place.We've probly got others too ;-)
Don't worry, neither of you is a suspect. I actually have a pretty good idea where most of the books I mentioned went. Maybe the real culprits will read this and feel shamed into returning them. But all this has just been an excuse to mention some of my favourite books, and slip a bit more politics into this non-political blog.
so who's posting about "the game of war" anyway?
I've also got a book by James Kellman called "How late, how late is was" I'm guessing it's either yours or franks
It must be mine, I think. Frank doesn't ike Kelman. So Kerry, was it you who lent me The Game of War?
Actually I think I might have via Grant. I did lend him a book like that ages ago - is it an ex-library book? What's it like I haven't actually read it myself.
Yes, it's ex-library. It's excellent, by the way. Would you like to "borrow" it after I've finished ;-)
Yeah that might be nice :)
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