1001 Ideas That Changed the Way We Think

December 1, 2013

Arp (Tattoos--Philosophy for Everyone: I Ink, Therefore I Am) has used his experience with bringing philosophical thinking to popular culture topics to prepare a highly attractive volume with clear explanations of complex subjects. Entries are divided into chapters covering six time periods ("Ancient World," "Middle Ages," "Early Modern," "Late Modern," "Early 20th Century," and "Contemporary") and are arranged chronologically within those eras. Topics can be located by theme (art and architecture, philosophy, politics and society, psychology, religion, and science and technology) through the "Index of Ideas by Category" at the front of the book or via the general index at the back. Entries, which are half a page to a page in length each, list the approximate date of the origin of the idea, its name, a brief description, and an explanation of its importance. The work is very generously illustrated with color photos of items or artwork related to the ideas, and an extensive list of picture credits is included. It is not stated how these ideas were chosen, but the compilation makes for educational and fascinating reading. VERDICT Recommended for circulating as well as reference collections. For undergraduates and general adult readers.--Rosanne Cordell, Northern Illinois Univ., DeKalb

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2014
As the title reveals, this work covers ideas that have inspired humankind and changed our lives. Entries are listed chronologically, and the first is Human Control of Fire, estimated to have occurred around 1,600,000 BCE, while the last entry is Not-Junk DNA, regarding the human genome work done in 2012. Some entries are well-known events, such as Sir Isaac Newton's discovery of gravity and President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. However, a wide variety of topics are discussed, including Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Fountain of youth, Allegory of the cave, Robin Hood, Public library, Freudian slip, Santa Claus, Gray's Anatomy (the book, not the television show), and Robotics, to name but a few. The brief entries are arranged in sections covering Ancient World (Pre 500 CE), Middle Ages (5001449), Early Modern (14501779), Late Modern (17801899), Early 20th Century (19001949), and Contemporary (1950present). A keyword index at the beginning of the book divides entries into Art and Architecture, Philosophy, Politics and Society, Psychology, Religion, and Science and Technology, and there is a general index at the end. Colorful illustrations and photographs are found throughout the bookat least one and often more on every other page. This entertaining and informative book is recommended for both public and academic libraries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)