Non fiction recommendations
Discussion
Not exactly aligned with the original brief but I thoroughly enjoyed these.
The Fast Set by Charles Jennings
Seagrave, Campbell and Cobb. The first golden age of the land speed record, the birth and failure of Brooklands.
Hiding the Elephant - Jim Steinmeyer
In many ways this is the biography of a magic trick. It traces the story of how the various techniques and methods needed to make the trick work were developed by magicans in fierce competition with one another.
Black Hole Blues - Janna Levin
The Fast Set by Charles Jennings
Seagrave, Campbell and Cobb. The first golden age of the land speed record, the birth and failure of Brooklands.
Hiding the Elephant - Jim Steinmeyer
In many ways this is the biography of a magic trick. It traces the story of how the various techniques and methods needed to make the trick work were developed by magicans in fierce competition with one another.
Black Hole Blues - Janna Levin
This guy has had quite an amazing life, well worth a read IMHO.
He has known all forms of fear, he's an expert in it. He has come back from God knows how many brinks, all different. His experience in a Ugandan prison alone would be enough to unhinge another man - like myself, as a matter of fact - for good. He has been forfeit more times than he can remember, he says. But he is not bragging. Talking this way about death and risk, he seems to be implying quite consciously that by testing his luck each time, he is testing his Maker's indulgence. -- John le Carré
If this was just a book of McCullin's war photographs it would be valuable enough. But it is much more. -- Sunday Correspondent
From the opening...there is hardly a dull sentence: his prose is so lively and uninhibited... An excellent book. -- Sunday Telegraph
If anyone is the living embodiment of the power of a photo, it is Don McCullin. -- Christina Lamb -- Sunday Times
This is a great book not just for those with an interest in photography, but also for those with an interest in modern history. -- Oliver Atwell -- Amateur Photographer
Edited by MikeGTi on Tuesday 25th April 15:07
Couple of medical books -
Bad Blood, the story of Elizabeth Holmes and the company she started - Theranos - who made a revolutionary new blood testing machine, only it didn't work and they faked results to get more funding, etc. Makes you think "how on earth did they do that without anyone checking they were telling the truth?"
Empire of Pain, the story of how a family-run pharmaceutical company persuaded the FDA and doctors that their new addictive painkiller wasn't addictive.
Bad Blood, the story of Elizabeth Holmes and the company she started - Theranos - who made a revolutionary new blood testing machine, only it didn't work and they faked results to get more funding, etc. Makes you think "how on earth did they do that without anyone checking they were telling the truth?"
Empire of Pain, the story of how a family-run pharmaceutical company persuaded the FDA and doctors that their new addictive painkiller wasn't addictive.
golden55 said:
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Yuval Noah Harari
It is worth reading
Agree - have read a few of his books and enjoyed them allIt is worth reading
Would also suggest John Nichols’ three books on planes - Spitfire, Lancaster, and Tornado.
Whilst on a flight thing, “Airplane: How Ideas Gave Us Wings” by Jay Spenser is the story of Man and flight
Something different could be “Man Walks Into A Pub” by Pete Brown - the history of beer and pubs. The are a couple of follow-ups - forget the titles though.
More autobiographical is “Dreams of my Father” by Barack Obama, and “A Promised Land” which is the story of him becoming President.
Autobiographical again is “England: The Autobiography” by John Lewis Tempel. Which could be followed by “Watching The English’ by Kate Fox
Maybe something there…
PomBstard said:
Agree - have read a few of his books and enjoyed them all
Would also suggest John Nichols’ three books on planes - Spitfire, Lancaster, and Tornado.
Almost finished Tornado. Would also suggest John Nichols’ three books on planes - Spitfire, Lancaster, and Tornado.
Very good insight into that theatre with the uk air effort involved.
As with all these types of non fiction, engaging and sobering.
Highly recommended if you like that kind of read.
Hiding the Elephant - Jim Steinmeyer
In many ways this is the biography of a magic trick. It traces the story of how the various techniques and methods needed to make the trick work were developed by magicans in fierce competition with one another.
[/quote]
Interesting, I might have to try this one. My grandma irene Morrit was the niece (or maybe great niece) of Charles Morrit who I vented the trick to make the donkey disappear. We understood he sold the trick to houdini, his good friend, who swapped a donkey for an elephant.
We had the plans for all the mirrors used to make the trick work, but they were stolen out of my uncles car and presumably thrown away.
In many ways this is the biography of a magic trick. It traces the story of how the various techniques and methods needed to make the trick work were developed by magicans in fierce competition with one another.
[/quote]
Interesting, I might have to try this one. My grandma irene Morrit was the niece (or maybe great niece) of Charles Morrit who I vented the trick to make the donkey disappear. We understood he sold the trick to houdini, his good friend, who swapped a donkey for an elephant.
We had the plans for all the mirrors used to make the trick work, but they were stolen out of my uncles car and presumably thrown away.
I read a lot, both fiction and non-fiction. Two favourites among the latter are "The Last Grain Race" by Eric Newby - he signed as an apprentice on one of the last sailing ships - a four masted steel barque and sailed in ballast from Belfast to Australia, returning with grain via Cape Horn in June 1939. It's well written and has amazing photos. The other is "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe, about the early days of American high altitude rocket planes and the subsequent beginnings of the space programme.
S100HP said:
I second Levinson Wood, I've just finished The Art of Exploration in a week, having not really read a book for a decade or more. I actually have a bit of a man crush on him tbh!
I've now finished Walking The Himalayas (along with Mark Cavendish - Tour De Force) and can honestly say I'm really enjoying reading these type of books. I've now downloaded the Goodreads app, where I can track my reading and have created a list of stuff to read.Any further recommendations would be appreciated.
Perseverant said:
I read a lot, both fiction and non-fiction. Two favourites among the latter are "The Last Grain Race" by Eric Newby - he signed as an apprentice on one of the last sailing ships - a four masted steel barque and sailed in ballast from Belfast to Australia, returning with grain via Cape Horn in June 1939. It's well written and has amazing photos. The other is "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe, about the early days of American high altitude rocket planes and the subsequent beginnings of the space programme.
'At the Edge of Space ' by Milton O Thompson is a brilliant book on the X-15 rocket powered research aircraft, tragic in parts but also equally funny. A snapshot of a time and place in history that we will never see the likes of again.
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