Today I happened across a book sale at the Santa Clara University Library and came away with a couple of steals. The first was Volume I of Fernand Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (I already own Vol. II). This work is a broad-ranging classic -- sorry for the dirty word -- reference for anyone interested in the Spanish Empire and its context from cultural, geopolitical and economic standpoints. I also found a hardcover edition of The Collected Dialogues of Plato (Bollingen Series). Not the greatest translations in the world, but, once again, a solid reference work, since it contains ALL of Plato's dialogues.
Total amount spent: $3.00.
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3 comments:
I've been wanting to read the Braudel for awhile now for the concept of the "longue durée". In fact, not a bad way to bridge the gap between my practical pessimism, which you commented on, and my intellectual optimism: this little dip in the economy won't even register in the graph line of the longue durée.
These are good finds. I also harbor a desire to read Braudel. I've had that work for a while, but have only read excerpts. What is that concept of his, something like "histoire totale," (?) or the idea of an all-encompassing approach to history. Anyway, I like the anecdotes he includes, such as the folks having to go up into the mountains to bring down ice to the cities for purposes of refrigeration...and to keep the nobles' drinks cool.
Anyone up for a book digital book group reading Braudel?
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