How often do places change their names? If I asked most people who walk up and down my road I bet they’d say "Not very often". But Brian the stamp collector would know better. I remember the pages in my … Continue reading →
I’ve decided there are two Colin McGinns. The first – call him M1 – writes clear, lucid, witty reviews of philosophical books and papers for non-specialist readers. A good example is “Minds and Bodies”, Oxford 1997, ISBN 0-19-511355-1, reading which … Continue reading →
This book is aimed at anyone who spends time in the Scottish mountains, especially climbers and hillwalkers. The authors of the nine different chapters are themselves hillwalkers, and each is an expert in their own field. Their aim is to … Continue reading →
This is a facsimile edition of Whymper’s "Guide" of 1897, 32 years after his famous but tragic first ascent of the Matterhorn. Guidebooks were a good money-spinner for Whymper, who was well-known for his "Scrambles Amongst the Alps" and "Travels … Continue reading →
One dinner-time in a mountain hut The common room was full and every available seat occupied. Twelve or thirteen tables which can each comfortably seat six people had nine or ten squeezed in. Despite the crush I was feeling isolated: … Continue reading →
Harry, my dear old chap I had to write and tell you what I thought about that book of yours which dropped through my letterbox the other day. To be honest, I didn’t think it would be up to much: … Continue reading →
Alcohol and Alpine mountaineering The refuge is run by guardian Gérard. “He’s evil,” averred my guide Rob on our way up to the refuge. We’d been talking about this and that, and our conversation had touched on the topic of … Continue reading →
A French couple on a mountain path There is a certain type of French couple for whom there ought to be a generic name. This French couple — let’s call them Bernard and Eveline — are not necessarily an old … Continue reading →
Greene surveys our understanding of the nature of everything from the sub-atomic to the whole universe. He covers Einstein’s special and general relativity theories, quantum mechanics, entropy and the directionality of time. So far so good, and although some results … Continue reading →
In the early 1830’s Charles Darwin was a young man, scientifically inclined, with a general interest in the natural world and particular interests in botany, zoology and geology. He had gained a BA from Cambridge, and would have progressed naturally … Continue reading →