The Bible 聖經穩居美國暢銷書榜首

莫

比爾美術館(Mobile Museum of Art)的樓上陳列著一本聖經﹐那是一幅手繪版鴻篇巨制﹐已經耗時十年但仍未完成。作為一件現代藝術作品﹐其頁面超大﹐上面滿是絢麗的書法、豐富的插圖﹐還有金葉和銀葉點綴其間。

而在樓下的美術館大廳裡﹐則放著另一本翻開的聖經﹐這一本十分樸素﹐就跟人們家裡用的差不多。一對執著的年輕夫婦開休閒車載著這本聖經穿越整個美國﹐汽車擋板上還放了一個會搖頭的耶穌玩偶﹔他們請幾萬名普通美國人每人手寫聖經中的一節﹐書上到處都是用涂改液修改過的痕跡。

這兩個版本的聖經在這個下著毛毛雨的早晨陳列在美術館中﹐其風格迥然不同﹐但它們都反映了一個基本事實﹕上帝的話是筆好買賣。

歷史上﹐聖經一直是反思的依據﹐更是商業運作的對象。在現代社會尤其如此。

Hill Museum & Manuscript Library at
Saint John's University

聖約翰大學的一部聖經是手抄在小牛皮上的

令人吃驚的是﹐聖經每年都是美國最暢銷的書﹐儘管90%的家庭已經至少有一本了。書的內容沒有差別﹐只是所採用的譯本會有不同。聖經每年的銷量有2,500萬冊﹐這在很大程度上是受設計、顏色、風格和銷售創新推動的。

有作為配飾的聖經﹐用粉紅色仿皮包裝或是帶有閃光的螺旋形條紋﹐或者開玩笑似地在封面上放一只瓢虫﹐只是因為可愛﹐沒有其他特殊的原因。

為 男孩儿設計的怪誕版聖經﹐大肆渲染暴力場面﹔面向女孩兒的光鮮版聖經表面看去就像少女雜誌。最近出版的“圖解聖經”(Bible Illuminated)則好像把美術館放進了《新約聖經》(New Testament)﹐給福音書搭配了安吉麗娜•茱莉(Angelina Jolie)、阿爾•戈爾(Al Gore)和卡特里娜(Katrina)颶風中未知名受害者的照片。

富勒神學院(Fuller Theological Seminary)教牧學博士生導師科特•弗雷德里克森(Kurt Fredrickson)有一天去買聖經作為送給妻子的聖誕禮物﹐結果挑花了眼。

他先是被一個用南瓜等秋天顏色包裝的版本吸引住了。他說﹐那個看起來真好看。不過他突然想起來﹐妻子想要一本新的聖經來學習﹐而不是那種從手提包裡露出一角來顯示高雅的書。他最後還是買了暗紅色皮革裝訂的經典版本。

弗雷德里克森說﹐聖經應當能夠在沒有任何裝飾的情況下立足於世﹐它本身就令人惊嘆。

但一代又一代的出版商早就發現聖經也是一棵搖錢樹。

中 世紀那些將畢生精力用於抄錄宗教典籍的修道士將這種工作視為衡量其虔誠的標準﹐同時也是為了給他們的修道院創收。到13世紀﹐對聖經的興趣促成了商業出版 這一新興行業的出現﹔這個行業雇佣大量抄寫員抄錄便於攜帶的手寫版聖經﹐供大學生使用。這些出版商首先傳播了聖經是一本章節順序規定的書這一概念。

明尼蘇達州科利吉維聖約翰大學(Saint John's University)修道院的手抄本圖書館館長哥倫比亞•斯圖亞特神父(Father Columba Stewart)稱﹐聖經是不可或缺的一本書﹐當時的學生買聖經就像今天的人們購買電腦或汽車一樣。

聖經也是15世紀中期約翰•古登堡(Johann Gutenberg)的印刷機印出的第一本書。到17世紀末期﹐這些古老的文字被翻譯成幾種語言出版﹐傳播至歐洲和美洲的各個殖民地。

英國的聖經手稿研究學者克里斯多夫•哈梅爾(Christopher de Hamel)表示﹐不論聖經是否包含一些先驗性的真理﹐它一直都是最流行的書、傳播最廣的文字。它從未失去過暢銷書排行榜第一名的位置。

現代營銷策略始於20世紀80年代﹐當時聖經的出版商想到針對女性或年輕人等特定讀者群添加註釋。他們把那些最可能吸引目標讀者的章節突出出來﹐並寫了很多輔助閱讀材料﹐如學習筆記、祈禱詞、甚至專欄風格的問答材料。

這 種方式十分受歡迎﹔那些年﹐你可以買到為酗酒者、考古學家、日本漫畫迷等各種群體量身設計的聖經。面向十几歲女孩兒的《沖浪靈魂》(Soul Surfer)版聖經還在傳統的聖經內容中添加了沖浪技巧、沖浪俚語（如tubular意思大概是太棒了）和關於希望、信念、努力工作的人生哲理。高爾夫 球版聖經則引用了有關堅定和思考的段落對不善揮杆的人提供建議。而日本漫畫版聖經則通過漫畫書的形式重新講述聖經故事﹐還添加了諸如“砰”、“啪”這樣的 聲音效果。

近些年﹐出版商每個季度都會推出採用不同封面的聖經版本﹐封面的顏色經過精心挑選﹐以配合最新流行趨勢。

Stephanie Simon

Encyclopedia of 20th-century Architecture.

介紹Smithson夫婦的網頁
http://www.ad.ntust.edu.tw/grad/think/PEOPLE/SMITHSON.HTM

可以說明 下兩書的過於簡略 不過它們的Robin Hood Gardens Housing Estate 翻譯或理解有些問題

東海大學建築研究中心編(1992)現代建築事典，台北：東華書局，pp.279

General Editor :V. M. Lampugnani (1986) Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Architecture , London: Thames and Hudson . pp.308-309

http://www.greatbuildings.com/

http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Peter_and_Alison_Smithson.html

Encyclopedia of 20th-century Architecture.
London, Thames & Hudson, 1986. Pb.21x15cm.ISBN 0-500-20234-6.

日本学者中国诗学论集

這本書的缺點是個人的譯文選
偶然的因素多
不成體統

日本学者中国诗学论集

点击查看大图

作　　者： 蒋寅　编译

出 版 社：

出版时间： 2008-8-

目录

前言——我所采获的他山之石
中国文学里的融合性
中国诗的性格——诗与语言
中国诗歌中的自传
中国的山水诗和外界认识
无常观——日中文学比较之一端
《皇皇者华》篇与《采薇》篇——试论中国古代的剧诗
刘长卿集传本考
日本现存刘长卿集解题——日本唐诗享受史的一个侧面
唐代的褅袷论争及其意义
游戏的文学——以韩愈的“戏”为中心
作为回忆录的《白氏文集》
现代诗学的黎明——关于闻一多的《律诗底研究》
枯木上开放的诗——诗歌意象谱系一考
中唐诗在唐诗之流中的位置——由樱桃的描写方式作出的分析
荷衰芙蓉死——审美意识的变迁
作为诗语的“怨”与“恨”——以闺怨诗为中心
蜂与蝶——李商隐诗的性表象

书摘插图

中国文学里的融合性
　　斯波六郎
这次，我接受藤原先生的邀请时，信口定了个“中国文学里的融合性”的题目，后来一想，才发觉这是个非常棘手的问题，竟感到很窘迫，但事到如今也没办法了，姑且就概略地谈一点我的看法吧。
一谈到什么是文学，那就是个非同小可的问题了，自古以来无论在哪个国家，这都是个难题。用简单的语言来说明它是不行的，但我觉得，文学这个东西，要之是深 刻地体验人生的，对世上的一切不只是走马观花，而是琢磨透，细致地品出它的味道并表现于文字，这就是文学作品。因此，读者读作品就是在深刻地体验人生。
可是，在表现人生体验的时候，有两种方式，一种是原原本本地表现体验，另一种呢，是将体验的结果所得到的看来是真理的东西作为学说来主张，并以这种学说的 主张为重点。我把前者称为低徊文学，后者称为主张文学。放到中国文学里来看，即使只限于韵文形式，在我们通常说的诗之外也还有赋、词等，这些大体是低徊文 学。而普通散文的大部分，则是主张文学，这种主张文学，具有极易与道德或政治相结合的特性。
文学与政治或道德的关系，从古到今在东方西方都始终是个问题。历来有各种各样的观点，或称文学必须是独立的东西，或称文学应该与政治相结合，或称文学应该 与道德相结合。而在中国，汉代即公元前后一世纪、二世纪时的文学，大体上是隶属于道德的文学。到三世纪，魏国著名的曹操虽主要以武将著称，但他实际上还是 个优秀的文学家，他和他的儿子曹丕、曹植三人成为中心，尽力鼓吹文学，就从那个时候开始，纯文学的价值被认识了。
　……

The Authentic Confucius- A Life of Thought and Politics

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The Authentic Confucius A Life of Thought and Politics By Annping Chin This Edition: Hardcover Publication Date: November 6, 2007

Description

For more than two thousand years, Confucius has been an inseparable part of China's history. Yet despite this fame,Confucius the man has been elusive. Now, in The Authentic Confucius, Annping Chin has worked through the most reliable Chinese texts in her quest to sort out what is really known about Confucius from the reconstructions and the guesswork that muddled his memory.

Chin skillfully illuminates the political and social climate in which Confucius lived. She explains how Confucius made the transition from court advisor to wanderer, and how he reluctantly became a professional teacher as he refined his judgment of human character and composed his vision of a moral political order. The result is an absorbing and original book that shows how Confucius lived and thought: his habits and inclinations, his relation to the people of the time, his work as a teacher and as a counselor, his worries about the world and the generations to come.

In this book, Chin brings the historical Confucius within our reach, so that he can lead us into his idea of the moral and to his teachings on family and politics, culture and learning. The Authentic Confucius is a masterful account of the life and intellectual development of a thinker whose presence remains a powerful force today.

Product Details

Scribner, November 2007
Hardcover, 288 pages
ISBN-10: 0-7432-4618-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-4618-7

孔子──喧囂時代的孤獨哲人
The Authentic Confucius:A Life of Thought and Politics

類別： 人文‧思潮‧趨勢>文化叢書
叢書系列：文化叢書
作者：金安平
Annping Chin
譯者：黃煜文
出版社：時報文化
出版日期：2008年

導論

最近我到中國進行訪問，有機會與來自鄒城（山東省的一座城鎮，位於孔子出生地曲阜南方二十公里處）的高中生們晤談。鄒城是孔子追隨者孟子的故鄉。學生們想 知道，我對中國政府最近推動「和諧社會」以及與外在世界的「和諧紐帶」有何看法：這項政策是否與孔子的學說有任何關係？在創造和諧社會的過程中，反覆稱引 孔子之名是否就能與歷史上的孔子產生聯繫？這些學生幾乎每天一睜眼就必須為了競爭激烈的大學入學考試而準備，而他們對於自己現在所做的事也感到疑惑：每天 準備考試是否真能有助於在共產國家中追求和諧，並且讓他們在其中找到孔子的思想精髓。

雖然這些學生比我更清楚答案是什麼，但他們還是希望聽聽我的意見。他們敏銳地察覺到自己所過的生活與他們的領導人宣稱的願景之間有著極大的差距。他們知 道，如果自己未能順利通過入學考試，就算國家的集體目標再怎麼吸引人，都無法為他們與他們的父母帶來安慰。這就是新中國，這些學生已經走出馬克思主義。如 果孔子在世，他應可了解這些學生的焦慮與他們對失敗的恐懼。

這群來自山東鄒城的學生要比中國其他地區的學生更關注孔子。他們對孔子具有較強的意識，因為孔子是山東人，是他們的一份子。事實上，兩千多年來山東引以為 傲的就是孔子的名聲以及孔子的道德情操與政治智慧。然而在上個世紀，這層關係變得模稜兩可。一九一○年代與二○年代，將中國改造成現代民族國家的呼聲日益 高張，有鑑於此，中國知識份子與改革者開始對孔子問題進行公開辯論：孔子學說是否仍可適用於在外國剝削下陷於困頓、脆弱的中國；更重要的是，儒家倫理是否 容易被國家、統治者與具有政治或社會優越地位者誤用；把持權力者是否會以孝道與長幼有序為名，行不平等之實。當時，右派與左派各自提出堅強的論據護衛己 見，但意見上的不合並未演變成大規模的暴力。學生可能因為對學校舉行的祭孔大典不敬而遭到開除，但整體來說公開的批孔行為只是個案。論戰主要局限在紙上， 雙方並未因此失去應有的禮節。人們從各種形式對孔子的價值進行重估，例如戲劇、小說、歷史研究以及批判性的學術工作。就某方面來說，這可說是中國內部進行 的一場自我檢驗。

對孔子的攻擊持續到一九四九年後的共產黨時代。但到了這個時期，批孔已不再是修正而是摧毀，到了一九六六年秋，情勢已完全失去控制。文化大革命就此揭開序 幕。這場運動標榜破除一切「舊思想，舊文化，舊風俗與舊習慣」。毫無思想或想像力的激進份子與狂熱份子把上級的命令當成毫無限制的通行證，毫無忌憚地虐待 與殘暴對付知識份子；他們焚書、毀壞文化遺物並且夷平神聖遺址。他們看似自己命運的主宰，其實卻是喪失人性的奴隸，因此，當他們動手破壞時，這些年輕人臉 上看不出一點遲疑。他們搶掠新疆的清真寺，大肆破壞山西與陜西的寺廟，放火燒燬合肥與洛陽的佛像，而且也沒放過孔廟、孔府與孔林這三處孔子家鄉曲阜廣受尊 崇的遺址。當外人抵達時，曲阜官員與老一輩的居民使出一切可能的防禦手段。但當地學校的學生卻立場不堅：他們不知道在這場衝突中自己該站在哪一邊。到最 後，許多學生屈服於壓倒性的革命勢力。學生們並未放火焚燒孔廟，但他們掘開孔子的墳墓，「宣布他已安全死去」。

八年後，孔子再次在「批林批孔」運動中被拉了出來與林彪配成一對。文化大革命初期，林彪是毛主席的親密戰友與接班人。一九七一年，他在空難中喪生。根據官 方的說法，林彪背叛了毛，而當他暗殺毛的計畫敗露之後，他與家人企圖搭乘軍機逃往蘇聯，但飛機最後墜落在蒙古境內。林死後被冠上叛國的罪名。三年後，在另 一場目標對準孔子的群眾運動中，林彪被宣布是「現代中國的孔子」，因為根據一些調查人員的說法，林彪曾經寫過一幅字，上面題著《論語》的「克己復禮」。此 外，還有其他指控試圖找出理由將林彪與孔子畫入同一旗幟與同一批判陣營。

一九八○年代，文化大革命正式結束之後，學術與古典學問逐漸重返國立大學與國家研究機構。孔子《論語》與其他儒家經典又再度進入課堂。從一九九○年代中期 到現在，西元前三世紀的竹簡的發現使得儒學研究逐漸加溫，但絕大多數作品與討論仍局限在學院之內。過去二十年來，越來越多的觀光客前往曲阜等地遊覽，然而 對中國人來說，儒家遺址觀光業的蓬勃發展，畢竟與在報紙上讀到黨領導人吹捧儒家社會美德，以及政府在非洲、歐洲、東南亞與南北美洲著手設立教授漢語的孔子 學院，感覺大不相同。

曲阜近年來的發展令當地人百感交集，許多人仍記得一九六六年秋天發生的事。有些人當年曾褻瀆孔子墓地，有些人至今仍被他們當初掘出並予以羞辱的陰魂糾纏。 如今，標榜德行的政治作風再次當道，這些陰魂搖身一變成了和善而平靜的靈魂，曲阜人別無選擇，必須歡迎它們回來。值得慶幸的是，至少新一輪的政治運動不再 是另一場意識形態攻擊。孔子學院在世界各地教授漢語，它被視為中國和平崛起的媒介，是好事即將降臨的前兆。……

今日中國政府……鼓勵學者從事儒學研究並且歡迎學生投入此一領域。中國政府提供經費獎助以儒學為主題的學術研討會，但官員們也想讓人感受到他們的存在。例 如在最近舉辦的學術研討會當中就可看到幾位官員的身影，另外還有來自香港、南韓的守舊學者以及開會地點當地的軍人。官員出席會議是為了增加自己在公眾面前 曝光的機會，同時營造出自己深富人文氣息的假象。守舊學者來此是因為別處沒有人願意聆聽他們了無新意的知識。至於當地軍人則是受了免費餐點與白酒的引誘。 雖然如此，會議的主角仍是學者與學生。有幾位學者提到「仁」的觀念：為什麼孔子將「仁」與「禮」連繫在一起，一個是道德概念，另一個則是世俗實踐？孔子死 後三百年，「仁」經歷了何種演變過程？學者也討論孔子思想是否具有形上意義，近來出土的竹簡何以支持此一論點？是否《論語》曾一度多達「數百篇」，而由編 輯者選出二十篇？若《論語》最早有「數百篇」，那麼這些篇章散佚何方，現存版本是否精確反映了孔子的學說？

如果孔子出席這場會議，他將發現其中濃濃的政治味。他會聆聽官員乏善可陳的談話，但不會正眼看著他們。他會跟穿著制服的士兵一起喝酒，卻故意避開那些守舊學者。他會與學者並肩而坐，與學生談天說地，他不安的心情將因此得到緩和。

序言

孔 子不僅對人生全力以赴，也戮力參透其中義理。他希望「加我數年，五十以學易，可以無大過矣」。(1)學而不倦，對陶鑄完美人格的渴望，以及積極在此世實踐 自我，正是這三項特質造就了孔子的卓然不群。或許當時還有其他人也追尋著與孔子相同的目標，但沒有人的渴望像孔子一樣強烈，也沒有人像他那樣決意搜羅從古 到今的一切知識──歷史、詩歌、禮儀與音樂，以理解人性與人類命運的本質與不變的成分，並使自己「無大過矣」。

像孔子這樣的人名聲能夠流傳後世，並非出於必然，因為他所關切的事物並不能引起一般人的興趣。畢竟，誰會全心致力於瞭解自己與精進自己？這麼做既不能讓他 從生命的不安定中解脫，也無法從不可避免的死亡中得到慰藉。就連孔子的弟子也向他坦承，「非不悅子之道，力不足也」（《論語‧雍也》第十二章）。然而，只 要有聽者願意思索話裡的意義，願意將箇中道理傳揚於世，哪怕人數極少，都能給予說者（即便在他離開人世之後）一個證明其影響力的機會。孔子就是如此。若孔 子有知，眼見自己的思想流傳數千年而不墜，自己的精神遺產發展臻至頂峰，一定會感到驚訝。然而孔子也將因自己的話語遭到誤用，以及各種談論他的稗官野史 （有些甚至刻意誇大他的身形）而困擾不已。

直到二十世紀中葉為止，中國與孔子的觀念如此密不可分，以致中國的政府與社會組織、自我與人倫概念，以及文化與歷史建構似乎全發軔於孔子個人的心靈。對西 方世界的局外人來說，孔子勾起的不僅是對中國的印象，還有家庭、教育、老師、學者、學術、教養、謙遜、禮節、秩序、服從、君父、受壓迫的女性、節制、合 群、膽怯、軟弱等概念。我們將中國一切的好事壞事全歸因於孔子，這是因為我們對他存在著一知半解。正因如此，我寫了這本書。我想瞭解孔子，希望這本書能成 為一段探索的歷程。打從開始教書，我就對孔子的思想、孔子對學問的熱忱，以及他將道德視為人類的實踐目標深感興趣。當時的我希望理解孔子，希望跟隨孔子的 腳步，一窺其思想堂奧。因此二十年來我遍覽中國古代經傳注疏，尋求各種線索，期能增益自己對孔子的認識。而這股追尋孔子真實面貌的驅力，也隨著我動筆寫作 本書而與日俱增。

孔子生於西元前五五一年，即「春秋時代」末期。孔子姓孔，名丘，字仲尼。十七世紀之後，孔夫子的名號也以拉丁文的形式Confucius在西方傳布。孔子 的故鄉魯國是位於華北東部地區的一個小國，當時有許多國家與周王朝有著歷史、文化、家族紐帶與道德義務上的連結，魯國是其中之一。魯國與周朝的史料相當豐 富──這個漫長王朝的後半期，也就是東周，史料尤其豐富，孔子的故事即屬這個時期。但有關孔子生平的可靠資料卻很少，這是因為孔子與當時的掌權者關係疏 遠，在他們的政治事業上扮演無足輕重的角色，因此在這些人物的歷史記載中很少提及孔子。然而我從動筆之初就已決定，我要說的故事必須以史料為根據，如果故 事因此出現巨大的空白，我也會坦然接受。

最明顯的空白是孔子的婚姻。早期有關孔子生平的論述曾經提到他的婚姻以離異收場，我們無法確定其真實性，因為這些史料寫成的時間至少離孔子的時代三百年。 我們只能把孔子休妻當成一樁可能發生過的事。此外，婚姻關係與休妻對我們來說或許是重要主題，但對孔子與當時的人卻未必如此；即便對他們來說是重要的，我 們也不知道何以重要與重要到什麼程度。然而這裡的空白還不算巨大的損失。人們甚至可以說，這只是假想的稗官野史。孔子自己這麼認為：「吾猶及史之闕文也， 有馬者，借人乘之，今亡矣夫。」（《論語‧衛靈公》第二十六章）在中國，「史」官擔負的任務如同今日的史家。從孔子對當時「史」官的觀察，我們毋需驚訝於 三個世紀後的史家也做著同樣的事：採遺補闕。

若能坦然接受我們擁有的是不完整的史料，我們就能將心力集中在必須加以說明的部分。這些史料提及孔子個人生活的部分或許不多，但已足以讓我們瞭解孔子。本 書最主要的史料來源是《論語》與《左傳》。《論語》是與孔子最密切相關的作品，以二十卷鬆散的篇章集結而成，與其說是書籍，不如說是展示孔子言行的語錄。 在《論語》中，我們可以看到各種有關孔子的記錄，類型紛陳：有些像是孔子行止起居的日誌；有些則是孔子與熟識者及巧遇者的對話；孔子的陳述與評價（有時缺 乏脈絡）；以及其他人對孔子的觀感。光從《論語》就可看出孔子對古代聖賢與同時代人物的評價；他感到憤怒與光火的事物；他感到愉快或吸引他注意的事物；他 對於射禮、音樂與樂師、詩與演說的看法；以及他對人性與人類潛力的理解。整體而論，《論語》並未將孔子塑造成一個教學者：孔子並不道貌岸然，有時甚至會有 驚人之舉。我們於是因《論語》編者的機智而獲益，孔子亦然。

孔子死後百年左右，開始有人收集他的語錄。我們不知道最早是誰開始編纂這些語錄，只知道《論語》當中到處可見孔門弟子的對話。因此，我們懷疑最早倡議編纂孔子言行的就是孔門弟子，他們不希望老師的名聲湮沒於世，因而致力於傳布孔子的嘉言行誼。

第二份史料《左傳》的記載從西元前七二二年到四六八年，內容涵蓋大部分春秋時代。《左傳》是魯國官方編年史《春秋》的「傳」，也就是《春秋》的例證與注 解。《春秋》是官方記錄，只記載具有豐富政治意涵的事件：外交事務；諸侯的婚姻與薨逝；上卿的一舉一動；出使、盟約與遠征的成敗；放逐與處決；叛亂與篡 奪；祖先的祭禮與自然的預兆。然而，《春秋》的體例是綱目體，其內容極為簡要，幾乎所有與人有關的情節全略而不提。《左傳》試圖補充其中的細節，例如戰爭 何以爆發或卿大夫何以遭到放逐。雖然《左傳》逐項而零碎的條目體例是為了補充《春秋》而生，但《左傳》各項條目的敘事性卻未因此受到影響。對話與演說是這 段歷史最顯眼的部分，賦予歷史中的男女生氣與活力，使我們能分辨出強者與弱者，區別出真實與似是而非；而且《左傳》的描述質樸寫實，毫無修辭矯飾。《左 傳》與《論語》有許多共通之處，其力量都來自於人與人之間的對話，以及在不經意間聽來的對話。《左傳》也說明孔子的淵源：不只提到他的祖先，還提及他的文 化血脈與道德力量對他的驅策。舉例來說，為什麼孔子覺得能透徹了解詩，就能增加一個人的道德力量與政治能力？孔子認為自己的說法並非獨創，他說：「（我） 述而不作，信而好古。」（《論語‧述而》第一章）

本書進行之初，我曾考慮將西元一世紀前出現的許多孔子故事寫入書中。我想把這些故事當成接近一手資料的文獻，有助於形塑孔子生平。然而更仔細檢視之後，我 認為這些故事絕大多數純屬虛構，於是便放棄原先的想法，只留下少數幾則依我的直覺以及我對那個時代的認識，可以判斷其想像內容確實捕捉到一定事實的故事。 因此，《論語》成為我的指南，其記錄雖然不完全真實，對孔子言行的描繪卻最為詳盡。如果沒有《論語》做為衡量孔子的標準，歷史上的孔子就算被描述成一名偉 大的人物，終將只是後世的虛構，。

最後我必須提及西元前一世紀漢朝史學家司馬遷的作品。嘗試寫作長篇而規模恢宏的孔子傳記者，司馬遷是第一人，他的〈孔子世家〉一直是中國史學作品的典範。 由於司馬遷的年代離孔子遠較我們為近（五百年與兩千五百年的差異），如果我們要質疑他的可信度，必須握有充分證據。然而，凡是讀過司馬遷作品的人都知道， 司馬遷是最善於以想像力重構過去的史學家。在追尋歷史與歷史人物的過程中，司馬遷不會讓歷史紀錄成為他的負擔，也不會讓編年史的闕漏成為他的困擾。他的 〈孔子世家〉只是他一百多篇人物傳記的其中一篇。對司馬遷的理解，使我們能更仔細地思考他忽略的各項問題，因為對他而言，時間最好能花在創造少數事實或滿 足一些轉折上，而非追求真實。我寫的孔子生平，主要在於回應司馬遷的說法。我不採取司馬遷連續敘事的筆法，而是在敘事中留下空白，以此來反映史料的闕如。

我要說的故事始於西元前五○○年左右，孔子在此時走入了歷史。當時中國正處於愁悶時期，她感到自身的老朽與心灰意懶，於是急於求變的她願意拋棄一切曾經優 良的傳統與制度，允許有志之士從事變革。孔子此時年已五旬。在此之前，他已思索過何謂德行、何謂公平而有效的政府，並且才剛正式踏入政治圈。然而，他在魯 國宮廷一場政治發難中錯估對手實力，最後只能選擇流亡國外。本書前半部談的是孔子的漂泊歲月，以及跟著他走向未知的三、四名追隨者。雖然這些人自稱是他的 弟子，但似乎更像是學徒；他們向孔子學習並且與他一起生活，相信藉此可以習得他的技能與性情。在這段旅程中，若無這些同伴，孔子恐怕早已迷途；若無這些弟 子隨行，也許他的性格將不會變得如此鮮明獨特。

我在本書前段的〈世卿與國政〉一章中，也試圖將孔子擺放在春秋時代魯國的脈絡下。孔子是卿大夫，同時具有史家的歷史意識。唯有從早期卿大夫的歷史中（尤其是魯國）才能讓我們理解孔子何以懷抱著使命感，以及這份使命感與其學說之間的關係。

本書後半部從孔子經過十四年自我放逐後終於返回故鄉開始談起。此後，孔子不再過問政事並在魯國度過晚年，接下來我的描述則放在我對孔子學說的理解。本書的 末尾是孔子之死，最後一章則介紹兩位西元前四世紀與前三世紀的思想家孟子與荀子，他們從孔子的原初觀點出發而另闢蹊徑，但仍不脫對道德生活的關注。這兩位 哲學家在許多方面觀點並不一致，但他們的差異卻在往後兩千三百年的中國思想與政治世界獲得充分發展，因此有值得思考之處。

正當我寫作之時，中國考古學界與文獻學界也有了重大發現。兩批有關道德修養與政治思想的竹簡出土；其中一批由考古學家挖出，另一批被盜掘後賣到香港古董市 場，後來由上海博物館收購。這些竹簡完成的年代介於孟子與荀子之間，約在西元前三百年或更早一點的時間，當時中國尚未統一，正處於所謂的「戰國時代」。從 一九九三年竹簡出土以來，古文字學者不斷進行研究，他們討論這些陌生竹簡文字的意義與句子的順序，特別是當文本不完整或有明顯的闕漏，或者是當竹簡只剩下 斷片之時。在此同時，研究中國上古史及先秦諸子的學者也對這批竹簡抱持高度興趣，他們知道這些出土文物可以告訴我們更多有關先秦時期的中國人心靈。他們也 認為這些文物將會改變我們對傳統文獻的理解，包括《論語》、《左傳》、儒家經典與先秦諸子的作品。最近六年，我多少也參與了這場集體事業。在四十五件（其 中十八件屬於第一批竹簡，二十七件屬於第二批）已出版的竹簡文獻中，有八件提到孔子及其弟子。我的注意力自然集中在這八件文本，然而除此之外，所有竹簡的 內容都對本書有所影響。

我認識的一位中國古文字學者告訴我，要清除竹簡上的古代泥土，其實是件極具風險的事。他說，把竹簡放入清潔溶劑中時，字跡開始浮現，有些字跡從竹簡表面溶 化逸脫，彷彿是在掙脫死亡或尋求自由。這是我頭一次感覺到言語是活的。之後，我許了一個願。即使我知道天底下沒有永恆的事物，我仍希望文字是箇中例外── 若未能涵蓋所有文字，至少希望經典與歷史、古代詩文的字詞、哲學家的言語，以及孔子的言語能永遠留存。我希望它們能牢牢地固定住，如此我們便能反覆吟詠、 再三玩味。

註釋：《論語‧述而》第十七章。我對本章的解讀根據的是《論語正義》。

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1.	on Page 24:
	"... music, archery, charioteering, writing, and mathe- matics. These men knew that they were from superior stock, but with the decline of ..."
2.	on Page 27:
	"... dressed them in gorgeous clothes, had them instructed in the dance to the Kanglo music, and sent them with sixty pairs of dappled horses as a gift to the Duke of Lu. ..."
3.	on Page 37:
	"... He continued: Moreover, the xi and the xiang wine containers should not leave the ancestral temples of our countries. The music of bells and stone chimes should not be performed in the wild. ..."
4.	on Page 42:
	"... said in the Analects: When the moral way prevails in the world, it is the emperor who orchestrates rites and music, and punitive expeditions. When the moral way does not prevail in the world, it is the regional rulers who orchestrate ..."
5.	on Page 44:
	"... He tells us: When there is just rule, it is the king who is in charge of rites, music, and war. Things began to fall apart by the early tenth century BC. One king let his ambition overreach the ..."
6.	on Page 46:
	"... as a time when the moral way did not prevail because it was the regional rulers who orchestrated rites and music, and military campaigns. ..."
7.	on Page 47:
	"... not clearly of the enfeoffment system then certainly of the moral assumptions and the cultural sup- port of rites and music, which were the working and living parts of this political vision. ..."
8.	on Page 66:
	"... [In the same way,] if he does not practice music for three years, music will fall apart." In Zaiwo's view, just as nature renews itself every year, so mourners should ..."
9.	on Page 67:
	"... case, do it by all means. But a gentleman in mourning finds no relish in tasty food, no pleasure in music, no ease even in his own home. So he does not eat rice and wear brocade. ..."
10.	on Page 79:
	"... the context of how he could best teach them: "I would guide the men of the field with rites and music first, ..." 11. on Page 81: "... [to govern] and altars to the gods of grain and soil [to serve], so why must we study rituals and music, poetry and history before we are said to learn? ..." 12. on Page 104: "... [yi]! It would be my fault if I don't learn history and poetry and if I don't apply myself to music and the rites. ..." 13. on Page 107: "... he continues, and so even though his own singing has "a pathos" to it, it is no different from the music of Heaven, a singing that is neither happy nor unhappy. ..." 14. on Page 139: "... square, I would be able, within three years, to meet the people's needs. As for the practice of rites and music, I will have to leave them to the gentlemen. ..." 15. on Page 140: "... the end had come around to their point of view-that even he had given up the state, the ancestral temple, music, and ceremony, to join them in the immaculate water. ..." 16. on Page 141: "... relied on the efficacy of rites and music had fallen apart. Confucius did not join the exodus. ..." 17. on Page 142: "... " After Mian had gone, Zizhang asked, "Is this the way to speak to a [music] teacher, a shi? ..." 18. on Page 143: "... entreating him to pass on to them his skills. A teacher was a master: he had to be proficient in something-music, drumming, archery, charioteering. ..." 19. on Page 148: "... fake. Confu- cius himself "loathed purple for usurping the place of vermillion," "the songs of Zheng for corrupting elegant, classical music," and "the smooth-tongued for creating chaos in a state. ..." 20. on Page 149: "... ride in the carriage of the Shang, wear the ceremonial cap of the Zhou, and as for music, embrace the music of shao and wu. Ban the music of Zheng and keep a distance from glib men. Glib ..." Return to book 21. on Page 150: "... Confucius also mentioned music as a source of influence that could keep a dynasty "to the straight path." Again, he appraised music in the ..." 22. on Page 151: "... Thus it is odd for Confucius to compare the music of Zheng to a glib tongue. Both make sounds that give immediate pleasure. But a man with a glib tongue ..." 23. on Page 152: "... and together they make music to hearten her and gladden her: Watercress grows here and there, Right and left we pull it. Gentle maiden, pure ..." 24. on Page 153: "... Just now he was playing the music sbao." We, of course, would like to believe the second story. We want Confucius to come under the spell of ..." 25. on Page 154: "... He told the master musician of Lu: We are able to know this much about music. It begins with play- ing in unison. And when it goes into full swing, [the sound] is pure and harmonious, ..." 26. on Page 163: "... When Confucius organized his teaching into the Odes, rites, and music, he must have been reflecting on human nature. He said: "The Odes are to stimulate"-to give our mind, heart, and ..." 27. on Page 164: "... 164 ANNPING CHIN rites are to steady us"-to hold us back lest we become heady or par- tisan; and "music is the final lesson"-the gathering up of distinct voices and opposing forces in a symphony, and a trope for the ..." 28. on Page 166: "... the strength one gains as one becomes a filial son. The fil- ial son still has a lot to learn-poetry, music, history, communal and state rituals-if he decides to venture into the world, ..." 29. on Page 182: "... more likely that he was still tugged toward the direction of the dead, and so, to the human ear, his music was a foreign song. Confucius waited for five more days before he took up the sheng pipe. Only then he ..." 30. on Page 194: "... Thus if Mencius and Zisi did make music together, the performance could not have been contemporaneous. Given his relationship to Confucius' grandson Zisi, was Mencius truly privy to ..." 31. on Page 197: "... humans wanted to be good and could become good if they tried hard enough. Otherwise, his teachings of rites and music would have no point. ..." 32. on Page 204: "... In an essay called "Against Confucians," Mo Di says: Confucians corrupt men with their elaborate and showy rites and music and deceive parents with lengthy mournings and hypocrit- ical grief.... ..." 33. from Back Matter: "... and cor- rected rites and music, my aim was to restore order to the world and bequeath this order to the generations to come. It was ..." 34. from Back Matter: "... " Analects 13:25 (revised from Lau's translation, pp. 122-23. 151 petty men understand profit" Analects 4:16. 151 The music of Zheng was lewd See the commentary in Lunyu zhengyi onAnalects 15:11 (pp. 339-40). ..." 35. from Index: "... government, 42, 46, 89 mourning rites connected with, 179-80, 182-84 Zaiwo in conversation with Confucius on, 66-67 Mu, King, 44-45 music Confucius as a teacher and, 163, 164 Confucius on, 148, ..." 36. from Index: "... 212-13 Shandong (province), 9-10, 219 Shang dynasty, 42, 149, 211 shao (ancient music), 152-53 Shaozheng Mao, 155-56, 159-61, 162 She district in the state of Chu, 86, 110-11, 113 shi (common gentlemen), 13-14, ..." 37. from Index: "... disciple, 170, 183, 193 Zhao, Duke, 5 8-62, 68 Zhao (state), 213-14 Zhaozi, 53-54, 61-62, 89 Zheng (state) Confucius on music of, 148, 151-52 Confucius on Zichan of, 56-57 Confucius' travels in, 102-05 execution of Deng Xi in, 157-58 Zhonggong, as ..." 38. from Front Matter: "... poetry, ritual practice, and music-so that he might understand what was essential and enduring about human ..." 39. from Front Matter: "... people of his time; what angered or irritated him; what delighted or enthralled him; how he felt about archery contests, music and musi- cians, poetry and speech; and what he understood about human nature and human potential. ..." 40. from Front Matter: "... personal gains, Confucius was still searching for certain constants in history and poetry, in habits and sentiments, in rites and music, that could help him compose his thoughts and build something stable and vast. ..."

Dr. Deming's papers and notes during Bill's study with Dr. Deming in NYU

 2008.12.28

 Dr. Deming's papers and notes during Bill's study with Dr. Deming in NYU


HOW BIG IS AN INCH by senator Ralph E. Flanders, reprinted from Atlantic Monthly, January, 1951

Management's Responsibility For The Use Of Statistical Techniques in Industry by W. Edwards Deming, Reprinted from Advanced Management, November, 1953

Statistical Techniques As A National Resource--A Message from W. Edwards Deming to the Ceremony for the 6th Annual Award of the Deming Prize (? reprinted in June,1962)

ON PROFESSIONAL STATISTICAL PRACTICE IN INDUSTRY* By W. Edwards Deming,pp. 16
(*Parts of this paper are copies from my article, "Principles of professional statistical practice," Annuals of Mathematical Statistics, vol. 36, 1965: pp. 1883-1898.)

BOUNDARIES OF STATISTICAL INFERENCE By W. Edwards Deming, pp. 20, reprinted on 2 May 1969

ON SOME STATISTICAL AIDS TOWARD ECONOMIC PRODUCTION By W. Edwards Deming, pp. 23 ( Prepared for the meeting of STAQUEREL in Prague, 4 September 1973. Revised for the Princeton meeting of the American Society for Quality Control, 7 December 1973.)

Welfare Errors Tallied by HEW (AP) Washington Star News, December 20, 1971
HEW是健康教育福利部 因為誤發錢給不適格的家庭或發太多(少)錢而造成每年損失11.7億美金

Excercise on transit of cotton, 7 Nov, 1973 兩頁

Deming's Review of Statistical Quality Control by Eugene L. Grantand Richard S. Leavenworth(4th ed. 1972)四頁

Transformation 統計講義六頁

Deming's Review of Statistical Papers In Honor of Professor George W. Snedecor* (edited by T. A. Bancroft**), 1972

*Iowa State University 的 Statistical Laboratory 創始者 ** 當時主任
結語 引聖詠第八八首第二節How long will ye continue wrong judgement?


10 March, 1972
Deming 兩頁case
上周在 S F 博士考出的題目 也許高階主管有興趣

Memorandum to Dean Dill
From W. Edwards Deming
Original Date: 3 January, 1972: Slightly revised 18, December, 1972
七頁二十三點

27 September, 1971
Home examination on the study of costs and revenues for the transit privilege of care of cotton兩頁二十五點

MEMORANDUM ON THE TEACHING OF STATISTICS, OPERATIONS RESEARCH, QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
By W. Edwards Deming
9 Nov. 1970
Printed at private expense. For comment and criticism
5 pages

SOME THEORY IN PROPORTION STRATIFIED SAMPLE
19 pages

Printed in the New York Statistician 1967
An invited paper
說明出席率何以低
兩頁

12 Nov. 1966
PROBABILITY SAMPLING
3 pages


重複(ON PROFESSIONAL STATISTICAL PRACTICE IN INDUSTRY* By W. Edwards Deming,pp. 16
(*Parts of this paper are copies from my article, "Principles of professional statistical practice," Annuals of Mathematical Statistics, vol. 36, 1965: pp. 1883-1898.))



DEMING PRIZE IN 1958
advertise in JAPANESE with an English translation
半頁A4

5 June 1964
Letter to the New York Herald Tribune
關於該報五月二十五日社論說法無根據 它 說明Connecticut州高速公路死亡率降低(1955年 44人而 1956年為 63人)是因為州長強調速限所致


16 Feb. 55
Not to be circulated
survey case exercise


PROPOSED TESTIMONY OF DR W. EDWARDS DEMING pp.8-12
with appendix A, 3 pages
27 December 1967
Memorandum to Mr. Carpenter
STUDY OF COSTS OF TRANSIT OF COTTON
Appendix B
26 December 1967
Burlington Cotton Company
11 pages
Appendix C
COMPUTATION OF STANDARD ERROR OF RESULT
4 pages 1 tag

(National resource)

11 December 1966
Message to Engineers (for JUSE)
2 pages

30 March 1973
Letter from Harold F. Dodge
Dr. A. J. Duncan, Chairman
ASTM Committee E-11
cc: R B Murphy
W. E. Deming

5 June 1957
To Dr Frank E. Grubbs
(about outliers)

17 April 1967
To Dr. Frank E. Grubbs
(recommended practice on outliers)


29 September 1961
SEMINAR IN STATISTICAL METHOD
Question to Assist Study in Statistics in Business Administrattion
17 pages; 156 questions


SAMPLING PLAN FOR INSPECTION BY ATTRIBUTES
Effective May5, 1964
United States Department of agriculture USDA

USDA MULTIPLE MOLD COUNT PROCEDURE

Sampling Plans Developed by USDA for Inspection of Proposed Fruit and Vegetables by Richard P. Bartlett and John B. Wagener, FOOD TECHNOLOGY, 1957, pp. 526-32


from Agricultural Marketing by Richard P. Bartlett
A Statistician Look at Standardization
A Statistician Look at Sampling Plans


重複
ON SOME STATISTICAL AIDS TOWARD ECONOMIC PRODUCTION By W. Edwards Deming, pp. 23 ( Prepared for the meeting of STAQUEREL in Prague, 4 September 1973. Revised for the Princeton meeting of the American Society for Quality Control, 7 December 1973.)

Reprinted from Business Week, December 18, 1973
A-P-A makes the short haul profitable

Dr. Deming
QUALIFICATIONS
7 pages

Attempt to draft a letter to full time drivers who made no errors
later 18 July 1972

Exercise on Transit of Cotton

Seminar in Statistical methods

Things I Knew Not

Attempt to draft a letter to full time drivers who made no errors
18 July 1972
Attempt to draft a letter to full time drivers that made only one error
Attempt to draft a letter to full time drivers who made 9 or more errors of any kind
Attempt to draft a letter to full time drivers who made 2 to 8 errors of any kind



17 Nov. 1973
SEMINAR IN STATISTICAL METHOD
to be conducted by
W. Edwards Deming
Aimed especially to help students prepare for doctoral examinations in statistics. anyone interested in the statistical method is welcome.
Place: Room 207, Graduate School of Business Administration
Dates : 1973 : Friday, 16th December, 7:15 p.m. to 8:25.
1974 Fridays: 4th January
15th February
8th March
12th April
Topics

1. Operational definitions of an estimates. Efficiency of estimators. Sampling errors. Standard deviation of a sampling procedure. Control to detect non-sampling errors. Total margin of uncertainty. Problem in the interpretation of standard error.
22. Hazards of common sense in statistical work.
3. New results on statistical tests. Efficient statistical tests and uses theory. Some misuse of analysis of variance.
4. Review of statistical sampling for enumerative purpose. Estimation of totals and of ratios. Ratio estimators; regression estimators.
5. Special cause of variation contrasted with faults of the system. New principles in administration and management dictated by simple statistical theory.
6.Statistical and legal problems in connection with safety in drugs and in mechanical and electrical equipments, problem of pollution.
7. Sampling for a rare characteristic.
8. Specification for a unit contrasted with rules for acceptance of lots. Statistical problems in quality assurance. Problems of specification. AOQ. AOQL.
9. Professional statistical practice (special attention to legal evidence).

The order of topics will not necessarily be that shown. There will be overlap between topics and between seminars. All theory will be illustrated with examples.

B. A. Elman

B. A. Elman著作頗豐
2003台大歷史學報 登他一篇 英文 從格致到科學B. A. Elman, On Their Own Terms: Science in China,. 1550–1900 (Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, MA,. 2005).
沒想到他接再出一書

Books Birdviews 書海: J. R. Levenson《梁啟超與中國近代思想》等

B. A. Elman《經學、政治和家族──中華帝國晚期常州今文學派研究》趙剛譯，1998， 江蘇人民出版社. Levensan為文討論過廖平，他說：「個人的微不足道有時候可以具有 ...
hcbooks.blogspot.com/2008/07/j-r-levenson.html - 61k - 頁庫存檔 - 類似網頁

Benjamin A. Elman, On Their Own Terms: Science in China, 1550–1900. Cambridge, MA and London: Harvard University Press, 2005. Pp. xxxviii+567. ISBN 0-674-01685-8. £35.95 (hardback).

Benjamin A. Elman, A Cultural History of Modern Science in China. Cambridge, MA and London: Harvard University Press, 2006. Pp. xv+308. ISBN 0-674-02306-4. $35.00, £22.95, €29.80 (hardback).

歷史是什麼 (Carr)

這是兩岸最新翻譯版本 內容比較充實
不過看幾處 翻譯問題還相當多
網路上的某篇書評是言不及義的


“I wish I were too. I read it a little as a duty, but it tells me nothing that does not either vex or weary me. The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars or pestilences, in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all — it is very tiresome: and yet I often think it odd that it should be so dull, for a great deal of it must be invention. The speeches that are put into the heroes’ mouths, their thoughts and designs — the chief of all this must be invention, and invention is what delights me in other books.” (Catherine) , Northanger Abbey, Chapter 14
本書書前引語如此翻譯 由於不了解原小說之文脈 不知道她們其實在談當時的歷史著作
"我總認為 要說歷史是枯燥無味的 那就怪了 因為大多數歷史是編造出來的 "

看金紹禹的翻譯
"但我常覺得很奇怪 怎麼會這麼乏味 因為歷史書上好多東西一定是虛構的"


歷史是什麼？ = What is history?；叢書系列：漢譯世界學術名著叢書
編/譯/作者：(英)E. H. 卡爾(Edward Hallett Carr)著 = (英);(英)　陳恆譯 /譯　；出版者：北京商務印書館
規格： = 21cm / 280頁；出版日：2007；

【題要】	本書內容包括︰歷史學家合歷史學家的事實、社會與個人、歷史中的因果關系、擴展中的視野等。导言一理查德·J．埃文斯 导言注释 第二版序言 来自卡尔的档案：《历史是什么?》第二版注释——R．w．戴维斯 第一章 历史学家和历史学家的事实 第二章 社会与个人 第三章 历史、科学与道德 第四章 历史中的因果关系 第五章 作为进步的历史 第六章 扩展中的视野 索引 附录：卡尔年谱

South Wind Through the Kitchen: The Best of Elizabeth David

South Wind Through the Kitchen: The Best of Elizabeth David (Paperback)

by Elizabeth David (Author), Jill Norman (Author) "From the luxurious pate of truffled goose or duck liver of Alsace to the homely household terrine de campagne, from the assiette de fruits de..." (more)

失靈的年代: 克魯曼看蕭條經濟= The return of depression economics / 保羅. 克魯曼著; 盛逢時譯. Imprint, 台北市: 先覺, 1999.

Paul Krugman on the Economic Crisis

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Krugman also wrote "The Conscience of a Liberal" as a counterpoint to a conservative book with a similar title

Nobel Prize winner and Princeton professor Paul Krugman sat down with Deutsche Welle to give his views on our economic past and what the future might hold.

Economics Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman published the second edition of his book “The return of Depression economics – and the crisis of 2008” at the beginning of December this year. In it he sets out to explain why the crisis has occurred and what should be done about it in the context of the US.

The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008

• 作者：Krugman, Paul
• 出版社：W W Norton & Co Inc
• 出版日期：2008年11月01日

08年諾貝爾經濟學獎得主，新一代經濟學大師克魯曼，曾因正確預言亞洲經濟危機來襲而享有盛名。經典作品《失靈的年代》鄭重地提出警告：全球經濟已 經變得比我們想像的還要危險。克魯曼在書中細數兩年來，七個國家所面臨的不景氣，尖銳地提出問題，坦誠地釋出解答。他在99年經濟榮景就在本書中做過以下 預言： 經過長期的不景氣，日本為何最近急轉直下，陷入通貨緊縮？日本問題到底有沒有解？泰國幾筆不動產呆帳和技巧拙劣的貨幣貶值行動，怎麼會掀起骨牌效應，從印 尼 一路波及到南韓？中國又為何沒有捲入災難？人民幣有可能貶值嗎？為什麼俄羅斯沒有履行償債義務會給巴西帶來經濟災難，而且在短時間內導致美國債券市場「凍 結」？

　　他也早已在本書中談過惡名昭彰的避險基金，在整個經濟變局中，又扮演著什麼角色？最後，他縝密地從事件中歸納出結論，認為經濟成長失靈，是因為需求面的失敗，限制了世界許多地方的繁榮。

　　此最新增訂版，在2008年金融海嘯「蕭條經濟」已經捲土重來，亟待我們建構新的回應方法之時，增定大量章節回應眼前的危機與趨勢鳥瞰。

Search inside this book

P

The Return of Depression Economics (Paperback)

by Paul R. Krugman (Author) "HONG Kong's elite may have been sleeping off the festivities of the previous night; but there was no break for the construction crews working frantically..." (more)
Key Phrases: tequila crisis, liquidity trap, zero interest rate, United States, Hong Kong, Latin America (more...)

行動者的歸來 Le retour de l’ acteur

• 作者：亞蘭‧杜漢/著
• 原文作者：Alain Tourain
• 譯者：舒詩偉、許甘霖、蔡宜剛
• 出版社：麥田
• 出版日期：2002年

杜漢深受1968年發生在巴黎的五月事件的影響，他認為1968年的學生政治行動已不再保守反動：它不再能被置於既有的政治形式及權力關係中。它已經變成 一種具有轉變能力的行為模式：社會結構的基本面向，正處於被杜漢所謂的「社會運動」改變的過程中。杜漢試圖以行動者及運動的概念，重新引介主體，作為行動 的決定因素，來替換掉階級與既定情境的觀念。將信念的動員與道德及私人議題連結，取代在政治領域中，工作場合以及政黨領導權的優勢。整體而言，杜漢企圖重 新創造希望，並非民粹主義式的重新創造起源，而是由行動出發，由此製造出新的社會型態，以及社會整合所需的再生產。

行動者的歸來
作　　者：	[法]圖海納
出版單位：	商務印書館
出版日期：	2008.08 《行動者的歸來》的思想是針對忽略個人主體性“古典社會學”范式的困境提出的。圖海納在本書中試圖以行動者及社會運動的概念，重新引入主體。作者認為，在 我們當前所處的后工業社會中，個人作用于社會和歷史的模式主要是透過社會運動來實現的；而又個人運動出發構成的社會運動，可以創造出新的社會形態。 目錄: 導言 第一篇 社會生活的新體現 　第一章 從社會到社會行動 　第二章 社會學的蛻變 　第三章 現代性的危機 　第四章 社會生活有主軸嗎？ 第二篇 行動社會學 　第五章 八種消除行動社會學的模式 　第六章 社會運動︰社會學分析的特定對象還是主要問題？ 　第七章 認同的兩種面孔 　第八章 變遷與發展 　第九章 行動社會學的方法︰社會學式介入 第三篇 質疑目前 　第十章 程控社會的誕生 　第十一章 新社會衝突 　第十二章 社會運動的衰微 　第十三章 社會運動、革命與民主 　后記 　附錄一　英譯本前言 　附錄二　與圖海納的會談

Prophet Sharing: The Good Book Is the Best Seller

• DECEMBER 23, 2008

WSJ

The Bible, Long a Commercial Hit, Gets Repackaged for Market Niches from the Homespun to the Fashion Forward

By STEPHANIE SIMON

Mobile, Ala.

Upstairs in the Mobile Museum of Art, there's a Bible on display -- a majestic hand-drawn edition a decade in the making, and not yet finished. Presented as a work of modern art, its oversized pages are filled with ornate calligraphy and rich illustration, shot through with gold and silver leaf.

Taylor Umlaf for The Wall Street Journal

The Manga Bible retells biblical stories in the form of a graphic novel, with comic-book sound effects like "Biff!" and "Pow!"

Downstairs, in the museum foyer, another Bible lies open -- this one so homespun as to be homely. An earnest young couple is carting it cross-country in an RV with a bobble-head Jesus on the dash, asking tens of thousands of ordinary Americans to each hand-write one verse. Blotches of white-out mark corrections.

The two editions on display this drizzly morning are as different as can be, yet they represent an essential truth: God's word is good business.

Throughout history, the Bible has been an object of commerce as well as of reflection. That's especially true in the modern era.

It's an astonishing fact that year after year, the Bible is the best-selling book in America -- even though 90% of households already have at least one copy. The text doesn't vary, except in translation. The tremendous sales volume, an estimated 25 million copies sold each year, is largely driven by innovations in design, color, style and the ultimate niche marketing.

There's Scripture as accessory, wrapped in hot pink fake leather or glittery psychedelic swirls -- or sporting a ladybug on the cover for no particular reason other than it's cute. There's Scripture as political statement: A new Green Bible, printed in soy ink on recycled paper, highlights passages with an environmental theme.

There are gross-out Bibles for boys, which dwell on scenes of mayhem, and glossy teen-magazine-style Bibles for girls, complete with beauty tips. One of the latest entries, Bible Illuminated, offers an art-house take on the New Testament, juxtaposing the gospel with glossy photos of Angelina Jolie, Al Gore and anonymous victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Kurt Fredrickson, who directs the doctor of ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary, found the selection boggling when he went to buy a Bible for his wife's Christmas present the other day.

He found himself drawn to a edition bound in fall colors of pumpkin and green. "I thought, oooh, that's kind of nice!" he said. Then he caught himself; his wife wanted a new Bible for study, not so it would look chic sticking out of her purse. He went with classic burgundy leather binding.

The Bible "should be able to stand on its own" without adornment, said Mr. Frederickson. "It's a pretty amazing book."

But publishers across ages have recognized that the Bible can also be a profit center.

The monastic scribes who spent their lives copying religious texts in the Middle Ages threw themselves into their work as a measure of devotion -- but also to generate income for their monasteries.

By the 13th century, interest in the Bible had inspired a new industry of commercial publishing houses, which hired armies of scribes to crank out portable handwritten copies for university students. These publishers were the first to promote a sense of the Bible as a single book, with the chapters presented in fixed order.

"It was an essential text. Students would invest in it the way people today buy a computer or a car," said Father Columba Stewart, executive director of the manuscript library at the abbey of Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minn.

The Bible was the first book to roll off Johann Gutenberg's printing press in the mid-15th century. By the late 17th century, the ancient text was being printed in several languages and translations across Europe and the American colonies.

"Whether the Bible has got any transcendental truth in it or not, it is the most popular book, the most circulated text, of all time. It has never not been a No. 1 best-seller," said Christopher de Hamel, a British scholar of biblical manuscripts.

Hill Museum & Manuscript Library at Saint John's University

An excerpt of a Bible commissioned by Saint John's University is handwritten on calfskin.

The modern era of niche marketing began in the 1980s, when Bible publishers hit upon the idea of appending commentary aimed at particular audiences, such as women or teens. They highlighted the verses most likely to appeal to those groups and wrote volumes of supplemental material -- study notes, prayers, even advice-column-style questions and answers.

That format proved wildly popular; these days, you can buy Bibles tailored to alcoholics, archaeology buffs, fans of Japanese comics and any number of other interest groups. The Soul Surfer Bible, aimed at teen girls, sprinkles tips on catching a good wave, lists of surfer slang such as "tubular" (meaning, more or less, awesome) and life lessons about hope, faith and hard work into the traditional Biblical text. The Golfer's Bible draws on passages about steadfastness and contemplation to advise duffers on their swings. The Japanese Manga version retells biblical stories in comic-book form, complete with sound effects like "Biff!" and "Pow!"

In recent years, publishers have also taken to rolling out new covers for their basic Bibles each season, with colors carefully chosen to match the latest fashions.

Amid this flood of trendy Bibles, the two handwritten versions on display at the Mobile Museum of Art stand out.

The illuminated version was commissioned by Saint John's University in Minnesota. Calligrapher Donald Jackson -- who calls the project "a fearful challenge" -- etches each verse on calfskin with a hand-crafted quill and saturates his illustrations with pigments hand-ground from minerals and precious stones. The project will be completed in 2011 and reproduced for sale in seven volumes, priced at about $65 each.

The handwritten Bible Across America edition will also be sold commercially, for a price yet to be determined.

The Christian publishing house Zondervan -- which is owned by News Corp., publisher of The Wall Street Journal -- came up with the project to generate interest in the 30th anniversary of its popular NIV Bible translation. Zondervan put up $250,000 to fund a cross-country RV tour that invites anyone and everyone to copy a verse from the NIV.

Men, women and children have waited as long as two hours in some cities to copy ancient phrases they hold sacred. Some weep as they write. Others freeze, feeling pressure to make it perfect. Little ones labor over wobbly R's and backwards S's. Adults slowly copy out nettlesome Old Testament names like Jehoshaphat, letter by letter.

Harriet Horn, a security guard, grinned broadly after she wrote her lines one recent day at the Mobile museum. "My spirit has been touched this morning!" she exclaimed.

Jim Bodman, a retired FBI agent, was more subdued. "It was humbling," he said.

The Bible will eventually be bound; for now, it's being written on thin sheets of loose 11-by-17 paper. The result looks a bit like a patchwork quilt: A verse written in a slanted hand flows into several lines of flowery letters. A college student misspells Israel and writes over her mistake in darker ink. It's a democratic, populist take on a book often regarded with awe.

"There's no paraphrasing going on, but it's going to be a unique read," said Steve Sammons, an executive vice president at Zondervan.

Mr. Fredrickson, the seminary theologian, said it's easy to get cynical about the way Scripture is pushed and packaged these days.

But the more he thinks about it, the more he's come to believe that presentation does matter; a new look can draw in new readers, or inspire fresh thinking about a familiar passage. This season, for instance, he's spending time with the Bible Illuminated, which uses photojournalism to illustrate the New Testament in ways he finds extremely provocative. That's valuable, he says, because "it gets people talking."

Others aren't so sure. Dominick Matranga, a retired judge, stopped by the Bible Across America table in Mobile and wrote a verse to help out the cause. But he said he saw little point in putting the age-old words in a new format.

"I don't think it would be on the top of my list of things to do," Mr. Matranga said. "What's the reason for it?"

Write to Stephanie Simon at stephanie.simon@wsj.com

Prophet Sharing: The Good Book Is the Best Seller

• DECEMBER 23, 2008

WSJ

The Bible, Long a Commercial Hit, Gets Repackaged for Market Niches from the Homespun to the Fashion Forward

By STEPHANIE SIMON

Mobile, Ala.

Upstairs in the Mobile Museum of Art, there's a Bible on display -- a majestic hand-drawn edition a decade in the making, and not yet finished. Presented as a work of modern art, its oversized pages are filled with ornate calligraphy and rich illustration, shot through with gold and silver leaf.

Taylor Umlaf for The Wall Street Journal

The Manga Bible retells biblical stories in the form of a graphic novel, with comic-book sound effects like "Biff!" and "Pow!"

Downstairs, in the museum foyer, another Bible lies open -- this one so homespun as to be homely. An earnest young couple is carting it cross-country in an RV with a bobble-head Jesus on the dash, asking tens of thousands of ordinary Americans to each hand-write one verse. Blotches of white-out mark corrections.

The two editions on display this drizzly morning are as different as can be, yet they represent an essential truth: God's word is good business.

Throughout history, the Bible has been an object of commerce as well as of reflection. That's especially true in the modern era.

It's an astonishing fact that year after year, the Bible is the best-selling book in America -- even though 90% of households already have at least one copy. The text doesn't vary, except in translation. The tremendous sales volume, an estimated 25 million copies sold each year, is largely driven by innovations in design, color, style and the ultimate niche marketing.

There's Scripture as accessory, wrapped in hot pink fake leather or glittery psychedelic swirls -- or sporting a ladybug on the cover for no particular reason other than it's cute. There's Scripture as political statement: A new Green Bible, printed in soy ink on recycled paper, highlights passages with an environmental theme.

There are gross-out Bibles for boys, which dwell on scenes of mayhem, and glossy teen-magazine-style Bibles for girls, complete with beauty tips. One of the latest entries, Bible Illuminated, offers an art-house take on the New Testament, juxtaposing the gospel with glossy photos of Angelina Jolie, Al Gore and anonymous victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Kurt Fredrickson, who directs the doctor of ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary, found the selection boggling when he went to buy a Bible for his wife's Christmas present the other day.

He found himself drawn to a edition bound in fall colors of pumpkin and green. "I thought, oooh, that's kind of nice!" he said. Then he caught himself; his wife wanted a new Bible for study, not so it would look chic sticking out of her purse. He went with classic burgundy leather binding.

The Bible "should be able to stand on its own" without adornment, said Mr. Frederickson. "It's a pretty amazing book."

But publishers across ages have recognized that the Bible can also be a profit center.

The monastic scribes who spent their lives copying religious texts in the Middle Ages threw themselves into their work as a measure of devotion -- but also to generate income for their monasteries.

By the 13th century, interest in the Bible had inspired a new industry of commercial publishing houses, which hired armies of scribes to crank out portable handwritten copies for university students. These publishers were the first to promote a sense of the Bible as a single book, with the chapters presented in fixed order.

"It was an essential text. Students would invest in it the way people today buy a computer or a car," said Father Columba Stewart, executive director of the manuscript library at the abbey of Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minn.

The Bible was the first book to roll off Johann Gutenberg's printing press in the mid-15th century. By the late 17th century, the ancient text was being printed in several languages and translations across Europe and the American colonies.

"Whether the Bible has got any transcendental truth in it or not, it is the most popular book, the most circulated text, of all time. It has never not been a No. 1 best-seller," said Christopher de Hamel, a British scholar of biblical manuscripts.

Hill Museum & Manuscript Library at Saint John's University

An excerpt of a Bible commissioned by Saint John's University is handwritten on calfskin.

The modern era of niche marketing began in the 1980s, when Bible publishers hit upon the idea of appending commentary aimed at particular audiences, such as women or teens. They highlighted the verses most likely to appeal to those groups and wrote volumes of supplemental material -- study notes, prayers, even advice-column-style questions and answers.

That format proved wildly popular; these days, you can buy Bibles tailored to alcoholics, archaeology buffs, fans of Japanese comics and any number of other interest groups. The Soul Surfer Bible, aimed at teen girls, sprinkles tips on catching a good wave, lists of surfer slang such as "tubular" (meaning, more or less, awesome) and life lessons about hope, faith and hard work into the traditional Biblical text. The Golfer's Bible draws on passages about steadfastness and contemplation to advise duffers on their swings. The Japanese Manga version retells biblical stories in comic-book form, complete with sound effects like "Biff!" and "Pow!"

In recent years, publishers have also taken to rolling out new covers for their basic Bibles each season, with colors carefully chosen to match the latest fashions.

Amid this flood of trendy Bibles, the two handwritten versions on display at the Mobile Museum of Art stand out.

The illuminated version was commissioned by Saint John's University in Minnesota. Calligrapher Donald Jackson -- who calls the project "a fearful challenge" -- etches each verse on calfskin with a hand-crafted quill and saturates his illustrations with pigments hand-ground from minerals and precious stones. The project will be completed in 2011 and reproduced for sale in seven volumes, priced at about $65 each.

The handwritten Bible Across America edition will also be sold commercially, for a price yet to be determined.

The Christian publishing house Zondervan -- which is owned by News Corp., publisher of The Wall Street Journal -- came up with the project to generate interest in the 30th anniversary of its popular NIV Bible translation. Zondervan put up $250,000 to fund a cross-country RV tour that invites anyone and everyone to copy a verse from the NIV.

Men, women and children have waited as long as two hours in some cities to copy ancient phrases they hold sacred. Some weep as they write. Others freeze, feeling pressure to make it perfect. Little ones labor over wobbly R's and backwards S's. Adults slowly copy out nettlesome Old Testament names like Jehoshaphat, letter by letter.

Harriet Horn, a security guard, grinned broadly after she wrote her lines one recent day at the Mobile museum. "My spirit has been touched this morning!" she exclaimed.

Jim Bodman, a retired FBI agent, was more subdued. "It was humbling," he said.

The Bible will eventually be bound; for now, it's being written on thin sheets of loose 11-by-17 paper. The result looks a bit like a patchwork quilt: A verse written in a slanted hand flows into several lines of flowery letters. A college student misspells Israel and writes over her mistake in darker ink. It's a democratic, populist take on a book often regarded with awe.

"There's no paraphrasing going on, but it's going to be a unique read," said Steve Sammons, an executive vice president at Zondervan.

Mr. Fredrickson, the seminary theologian, said it's easy to get cynical about the way Scripture is pushed and packaged these days.

But the more he thinks about it, the more he's come to believe that presentation does matter; a new look can draw in new readers, or inspire fresh thinking about a familiar passage. This season, for instance, he's spending time with the Bible Illuminated, which uses photojournalism to illustrate the New Testament in ways he finds extremely provocative. That's valuable, he says, because "it gets people talking."

Others aren't so sure. Dominick Matranga, a retired judge, stopped by the Bible Across America table in Mobile and wrote a verse to help out the cause. But he said he saw little point in putting the age-old words in a new format.

"I don't think it would be on the top of my list of things to do," Mr. Matranga said. "What's the reason for it?"

Write to Stephanie Simon at stephanie.simon@wsj.com

在這本別開生面的書中，瑪麗亞-露西婭‧帕拉蕾絲一伯克考察了所謂“新史學”的特性。帕拉蕾絲一伯克在與九位引領了這場運動的學者的對話中，探討了歷史寫 作的新路徑。在一系列的訪談中，阿薩‧布里格斯、彼得-伯克、羅伯特‧達恩頓、卡羅‧金茲堡、杰克‧古迪、丹尼爾‧羅什、昆廷‧斯金納、凱斯‧托馬斯和納 塔莉‧澤蒙‧戴維斯，就他們的主要著作以及他們與別的重要史學家和理論家之間的關系，回答了相關的問題。

帕拉蕾絲一伯克促使每一位歷史學家來說明他們的方法的合理性，反思自己的思想軌跡，她將歷史學家們原本可能會深藏不露的經歷和思想清晰地展現出來。這些訪 談探究了歷史學家們的個人經歷和思想背景，為當代史學實踐的可能性、問題和關注點提供了新的洞見。其結果就是這樣一部生動而予人啟迪的著作，它對于學生和 研究者而言都會具有吸引力。

在來自意大利、法國、英國和美國的名聲顯赫的學者和一位敏銳的巴西提問者之間的這一系列對話。對于文化史這一激動人心的領域而言，是再好不過的入門書了。 這位提問者具有一種杰出的能力，從她的對話人那兒套取極有意義的東西，讓我們了解他們是怎麼想的以及他們是些什麼樣的人。 在跨文化交流不斷加強的當下，如影相隨的是，我們面對著全球化時代的一種緊迫要求，即必須更好地區性理解文化差異及特殊性。由中外學者攜手組織的這套叢書，將致力于把西方有關歷史、歷史編纂、元史學和歷史哲學的話語帶入中國歷史文化的園地。

歷史論題是人類生活中極其重要的元素。在歷史中，人們形成並且反映了他們與其他人的認同感、歸屬感，以及與他者的差異。在歸屬感和差異的寬泛視界中來看待 “世界諸文明”，人們才能夠談及“文化認同”。歷史學家們的專業學術工作往往涉及到並依賴于認同形成的文化過程。由于這種牽涉，無論歷史學家是否意識到， 政治都在他們的工作中起著重要作用。不管學術性的歷史研究僅僅只是作為資政的工具，還是因其方法的合理性而有著特別功能，這都已經是公開的問題。

關于歷史思維的學術地位的許多討論，還有它對“客觀性”或普遍有效性的執著，都與世界範圍內現代化過程中的歷史思維之發展聯系在一起。在這一過程中，歷史 思維獲得了學術學科或者說“科學”（Wissenschaft，采該詞更寬泛的意義）的形式。歷史學研究的傳統，其自尊就在于，它聲稱與非專業歷史學相比 有著更高層次的有效性。一般用的詞就是“客觀性”。與這種對客觀性的執著相反，許多重要論述進入了歷史學家的自我意識，這牽涉到他們與各自國家歷史文化的 相互關系。例如，後現代主義極力否認客觀性這種主張，並且指出，盡管歷史研究有其方法的合理性，而在歷史研究之外的政治利益、語言假定和文化意義標準等 等，歷史的解釋卻對它們有一種根本的依賴。

在意識到了記憶的作用，並且意識到了非專業性因素在異彩紛呈的人類生活領域中表現過去的作用之後，發生在歷史學內外的、有關歷史思想以及它作為學術學科的 形式的討論，貴州省因這種新的意識而被擴大了。在人類生活的文化定稿中，記憶是一種巨大的力量，它似乎要取代歷史在那些決定歷史認同的行為中所處的核心位 置。這樣一種更迭是否會造成足夠重要的後果，影響到歷史在民族文化生活中的角色，這一點還懸而未決。只要記憶與“實際發生的”經驗相關，歷史就仍然是對集 體記憶中這種經驗因素的一種言說。

在反思歷史思想與職業歷史學家的工作時，這種視界的擴展因為如下事實而獲得了額外的擴大和深化，即:人們為了理解現在、期盼未來而研究過去的方式存在著根 本的文化差異；沒有這樣的洞見，就不可能正確地理解歷史。既然認同關系到與他者的差異，而歷史是呈現、反思和交流這種差異的領域，歷史學家的工作就必然一 直處在對付這種差異的張力之中。“文明的沖突理是一個口號，它標明，通過回避和歷史形成的認同中存在著緊張因素。

既然認同興只是界定和奮爭的事情，它同時還是理解和認知，為此，這雙重因素在歷史話語中都必須主題化。每一種認同都因識別出他者而存在，而各種認同或認同 的文化概念之間的張力以至于斗爭或沖突，都不得不被理解為一種認知的要求。是什麼使得他者出現差異呢？對此不理解，認知就不可能實現。這樣，就必須了解他 者的差異中那些強有力的文化要素和過程。

進而，若缺乏貫穿這種差異的可理解性原則，認知也不可能。就學術性話語的層面而言，在將歷史認同主題化，使之成為差異的一個事例時，這些普遍的要素和維度與專業性歷史思維的話語特征有著本質上的關聯。

…… 《歷史的觀念譯叢》總序
致謝
導言
1 杰克‧古迪
2 阿薩‧布里格斯
3 納塔莉‧澤蒙‧戴維斯
4 凱斯‧托馬斯
5 丹尼爾‧羅什
6 彼得‧伯克
7 羅伯特‧達恩頓
8 卡羅‧金茲堡
9 昆廷‧斯金納
索引
譯後記

我們可以從search中了解它的重複

譬如說

on Page 20: "... something is very wrong when `the name of Martin Guerre becomes as well or better known than that of Martin Luther'. What are your thoughts about this? I have a certain amount of sympathy for Elliott on that, but fortunately micro-history ..." 2. on Page 68: "... something is terribly wrong when `the name of Martin Guerre becomes as well or better known than that of Martin Luther'? Well, I hadn't heard about this criticism of John Elliott's, and it's certainly a very witty saying of his! ..." 3. on Page 69: "... And going back to Elliott's remark about Martin Guerre and Martin Luther, I would say that it was essentially a warning rather than a statement, because, to be fair, Guerre's name is ..." 4. on Page 83: "... scholarship, the top one at the time. I did that largely, I think, on the basis of the essays on Luther, Calvin and associated subjects, which were a mixture of Tawney's book and Phillips's lessons. ..." 5. on Page 96: "... is surely something amiss when the name of Martin Guerre becomes as well or better known than that of Martin Luther'? I'd like to have said that! I certainly don't lie awake worrying about it, but I think a little micro-history ..."

The New History: Confessions and Conversations

by Maria Pallares-Burke (Author)

The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett

尚未讀過

Arts on the Air | 17.12.2008 | 05:30

Mystery author Simon Beckett

Simon Beckett is a 48-year-old British crime writer who has managed to thrill readers all over the world with his series of books that feature a forensic anthropologist Dr. David Hunter as their main character.

„Whispers of the Dead“, the third David Hunter novel, will appear in January and much to the relief of his fans, there will be a sequel, because at the end of the second book titled “Written in Bone,” it didn’t look good at all for the series hero. Simon Beckett’s first novel “The Chemistry of Death”, from 2006, tends to say a lot about his books - as chemistry place a crucial role in all his murder investigations.



Body of evidence The crimes in Simon Beckett's The Chemistry of Death take a back seat to his convincing and tortured protagonist, says Killian Fox

The Chemistry of Death
by Simon Beckett
Bantam £10, pp363

Maggots, beetles and grave wax are bread and butter to a very distinctive kind of detective in Simon Beckett's fifth novel, a murder mystery set in an isolated community on the Norfolk Broads. As far as the people of Manham are concerned when he settles in their village, David Hunter, the novel's narrator, is a humble GP tired of London life. It's only when two boys stumble across a decomposing corpse in the nearby forest that their new doctor's macabre speciality comes to light.

Assisting the police in their investigations, Hunter struggles to conceal his professional interest in the corpse, but it soon transpires that he is the country's pre-eminent forensic anthropologist. Even the crime scene investigators are baffled by this esoteric occupation, which Simon Beckett, as well as his protagonist, studied for a time at the charmingly named Body Farm, a real-life training centre in Tennessee. Fluent in the language of decomposition, Hunter can read in a rotting body signs that will determine crucial factors such as time since death. But following the car crash that claimed the lives of his wife and daughter, Hunter was unable to maintain the cold, scientific gaze of his profession. Now, he must adopt it once again to help prevent the killer from claiming another victim.

The irony that haunts David Hunter is the best thing about Beckett's novel. So well versed in the minutiae of death, he cannot come to terms with its most fundamental mystery: what becomes of the life that is taken away? As a whodunit, this is certainly a cut above the average, with a convincing central character, a gripping plot and a fine store of morbid information. In contrast to the story's original angle, however, the crimes themselves seem a little bit hackneyed.

The Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form OEDILF

Weird, adj.: a dictionary in limerick form
Toronto Star - Ontario, Canada

Bill Taylor
SPECIAL TO THE STAR

The limerick is poetry, terse,
Oft-rendered not better but worse
By rhymesters ham-fisted,
Their anapests twisted,
Whose doggerel is not worth a curse.

An anapest is the classic, two-short-syllables-followed-by-a-long-one metre that is key to a properly constituted limerick. It's also called an antidactylus.

Both words are in the Oxford English Dictionary, which Chris Strolin – formerly with the U.S. Air Force and now sharpening and selling knives for a living – set himself to rewrite.

His idea: turn each word into a limerick (defined by the Compact OED as "a humorous five-line poem with a rhyme scheme aabba.").

On the phone from his home in Belleville, Ill., Strolin says the Oxford people got a little sniffy and threatened legal action if he continued to use their name.

This is why the project, now into its fifth year with some 50,000 limericks approved for use, has become The Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form.

Strolin, approaching his 57th birthday, is actually somewhat dismissive of the OED, whose 1.7 million words – a very rough estimate – don't include proper names.

"You'll find `Shakespearean' but not `Shakespeare,'" he says. "We have names and slang."

Which could push the total past 2 million words and make the farthest-off projected completion date, which ranges from 25 years to the 29th century, seem less fanciful.

The first question – and it's clear Strolin's been asked it before – has to be: "Are you mad?"

"My stock answer is, `Absolutely,'" he says. "I'm also mad about the English language."

Mad enough to belong, several years ago, to a website devoted to the discussion of English.

"Half the people were American and half English," he says. "I fell into the stereotype of the brash, know-it-all Yank. I said, `The OED is okay as far as it goes, but it needs a lot of work. I'm going to rewrite it.'

"Then I said, 'That's not enough of a challenge. I'm going to rewrite it in limerick form.'

"The response was 'Ha-ha-ha.' But on May 10, 2004, I made a proper announcement. Crazy American. People laughed, but they were also writing limericks, not believing I was serious."

Now, Strolin figures some 850 people from around the world have written at least one limerick for him. Most of the 55,000 that have been approved or are in the pipeline are the work of between 70 and 80 stalwarts. Each effort is critiqued and workshopped to bring it as close as possible to perfection.

One, from a Toronto contributor, defines "ad infinitum:"

"Each limerick here is an item,
And we've all made it clear we can write 'em.
In volumes! A score!
And then more upon more!
The work goes on ad infinitum!"

Not all are of that standard. Unlikely to make the cut is one defining "ant:"

"Ants have six legs
And like to crawl in bags
They can really bite
Especially at night
They are good to eat."

As contributors have emerged from across Europe and Asia, Strolin says he's been struck by the variations of English. "Most people are familiar with the differences between American English and British English. But when you get into Indian English, or even New Zealand English, that's an education."

Some words – "tomayto" and "tomahto," for example – may rhyme in one country but not another.

"But whatever the pronunciation in your part of the world, that's good enough for us," he says. "We're truly international."

With the exception of "limerick" itself, right now the OEDILF is accepting submissions only for words beginning with A through D.

"If I were to open up the entire alphabet, all the good words would be grabbed and people in coming years would be left with the difficult ones," Strolin says.

Some, he acknowledges, are a huge challenge. One that comes to mind is "antidisestablishmentarianism," which means opposition to the withdrawal of state support from a recognized church. Try fitting that into five well-formed lines.

Light-hearted though the project may seem, Strolin insists it will survive well into the future.

"I do firmly believe that people in the coming centuries, when they read limericks, will be reading ours.

"My fear was all I would get was people whose idea of a limerick was bawdy, sexual innuendo. But we're getting some very good stuff from some very talented people.

"I used to approve every limerick myself. That got to be too much so we've expanded to have associate editors. I hope to be around for a while, but I have no expectation of writing on the Z words."

The limerick defining "limerick" at the top of this story is this reporter's submission to the OEDILF. After being (in all modesty) well-received by other contributors, it was approved last week and is now part of the dictionary. (I have 16 others under consideration!)

For a closer look at the dictionary, and your own chance to contribute, visit oedilf.com.