What We See When We Read
A Phenomenology: With Illustrations
by Peter Mendelsund · first published 2014
50% recommend50% neutral
"A gorgeously unique, fully illustrated exploration into the phenomenology of reading--how we visualize images from reading works of literature, from one of our very best book jacket designers, himself a passionate reader. What do we see when we read? Did Tolstoy really describe Anna Karenina? Did Melville ever really tell us what, exactly, Ishmael looked like? The collection of fragmented images on a page--a graceful ear there, a stray curl, a hat positioned just so--and other clues and signifiers helps us to create an image of a character. But in fact our sense that we know a character intim
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…Knuth, a “fiction” book about Conway’s surreal numbers. Holy cow, this shifts your perspective on what a number can be. - Godel Escher Bach by Hofstadter, recommended by others, as a mind bending book - What We See When We Read, by Peter Mendelsund. Really changed my perspective on the act of reading in general. Very easy and quick read. - Debt, by David Graeber (sure to hear about this in the comments lol) Biographical: -…
on “Ask HN: Life Changing Books?” ↗…Non-Fiction: The Wealth of Networks --- Yochai Benkler Field Notes from A Catastrophe --- Elizabeth Kolbert What Ever Happened to Modernism? --- Gabriel Josipovici Escape Velocity --- Mark Dery What We See When We Read --- Peter Mendelsund (1) Author described as non-fiction, publisher hedged bets and labelled in as such, supposedly. (2) If only this book could be picked by Subterranean or Centipede press so it'd…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗