This hulk of a book (843 pages) kept me busy for the last three months. I racked up $1.70 in late fees from the library, but it was worth it.
Peter Watson describes the intellectual achievements of the last century. If I had to choose, I would say physics seemed to be the highpoint of the last century. I didn’t realize that worm holes and time travel existed outside of science fiction. Nor did I realize what a long sad history racism has had or how persistent its theme has been in intellectual circles. Somehow I always thought racism was the domain of the working class.
For the last three months I read a little of this each morning, with coffee. Now that I’m finished, I feel a little lost.
Present Tense 