-------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER -------- Number 87 - December 2003 - ISSN 1470-1863 Bumper Xmas issue - Dictionaries + Reference 0----- 'Concise Companion to English Literature ' - new book This is a paperback version of Margaret Drabble's 'Compendium of English Literature'. It's an encyclopedia of author profiles, plot summaries, and explanations of literary themes and topics. It offers details of writers, mini-tutorials on literary topics such as Gothic Fiction, Modernism, Romanticism, Science Fiction, and Biography. Some of the entries are in the form of essays, and there are lists of Nobel and Pulitzer Prizewinners, as well as winners of what most people still call the Booker Prize. It's a useful quick, compact reference for literary buffs. I've already used it a number of times to dig out information - and it's remained on my desk since it first arrived. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-ccel.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #1 Of which African country is Kampala the capital? 0----- The Bloomsbury Group - new resources Yet Again! There's no let up in the interest for matters related to the Bloomsbury Group. Our Virginia Woolf pages get more hits than anything else on the site. So we've started our own Bloomsbury portrait gallery, with thumbnail sketches and chronological notes on the main figures of this influential group. These include Virginia Woolf and her sister the artist Vanessa Bell; writers Lytton Strachey and Gerald Brenan; artist and critic Roger Fry; novelist E.M.Forster, and poet T.S.Eliot. Coming soon - artist Dora Carrington, economist Maynard Keynes, philosopher Bertrand Russell, and Vita Sackville-West. Yes - she's the writer who was Virginia Woolf's lover, and whose husband was Harold Nicolson. Trace the complexities of this group who were said to be "couples who lived in Squares and loved in triangles". If you're into Bloomsbury, keep your eye on this page - http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/bloom-00.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #2 Which French novelist wrote 'Bonjour Tristesse'? 0----- 'Oxford Dictionary of Nicknames' - new book You probably knew that Prince Philip is known as 'Phil the Greek' - but did you know he's also called 'Keith'? Well, by Private Eye, anyway. This is a dictionary of monickers which explains what the nickname means, who the holders are, and what they have done to deserve the name. The listings go from Action Man (Prince Charles) to Zizou (Zinedine Zidane - French footballer). Here's your chance to learn about King Andrew the First (US President) Sir Shortly Floorcross (UK MP) and The Lizard of OZ (Australian PM). Review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-nick.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #3 What sort of creature is a macaque? 0----- 'Dictionary of Literary Quotations' - new book More quotations - all of these taken from famous writers, wits, essayists, and thinkers. The subjects on which they comment range from inspiration, alcohol, and censorship, to characters, travel writing, the novel, science fiction, and even the humble task of choosing names for characters. Entries range from Peter Ackroyd to Emile Zola, and there's a keyword index which goes from 'abandoned' to 'zombies'. But the best part of this book is the cross-referencing between writers - so that you can trace what various writers said on the same subject - or about each other. And what they say is not always very flattering. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-dlqs.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #4 Who recorded the album 'Hot Rats'? 0----- 'Presenting Numbers, Tables + Charts' - new book Oxford University Press have just brought out a series of short beginners' guides on communication skills. The emphasis is on compact, no-nonsense advice directly related to issues of everyday life. This one deals with all the practical issues involved in the graphic presentation of data. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/bigwood.htm If you want to see the last word on this subject, you might want to look at the work of the master - Edward Tufte. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/tufte-01.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #5 What nationality was the composer Sibelius? 0----- Whitaker's Almanack - new edition If you want to treat yourself (or a friend) for Xmas, why not consider a copy of Whitaker's Almanack. 'The whole world this year - in one volume.' But in fact most of the information will stay in date for ages to come - which is what makes it a very popular reference work - particularly with journalists, for whom it was first written. It provides basic information on all the other countries of the world, lists the current members of parliament, gives details of currencies and exchange rates, laws on births, deaths, and marriages - and you can even check the tides for the coming year. The latest edition for 2004 is now available. See our review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/whitak-2.htm 0----- Pub Quiz - Question #6 On which Greek island did the poetess Sappho live? 0----- 'Design for the Real World' - design classic Two books come out top of the list of favourite design manuals. One is Donald Norman's 'The Design of Everyday Things', and the other is Viktor Papanek's 'Design for the Real World'. Papanek takes a very radical, ecological view of design issues, arguing that designers should take social responsibility in making their decisions. He is very critical of wasteful design - such as the packaging which costs more than the contents of fast food outlets. This is an essential text for anybody interested in design matters. Full details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/papanek.htm And if you want to look back at the details of Donald Norman's book, go to - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/norman.htm 0----- Pub Quiz Question #7 In what year did man first land on the moon? 0----- 'Concise Dictionary of Quotations' - new book Do you know who said "When it's three o'clock in New York, it's still 1938 in London", or where the term 'Sabrina Fair' comes from? The answers are respectively Bette Midler and Milton's 'Comus' - which gives you some idea of the range in this dictionary of quotations. It provides the answer to who said what, why, and when. Quotable quotes range from the classics such as Plutarch and to film stars and modern political leaders. There's a huge index of listings - from general topics such as love, honour, and truth, to specifics such as masochism, mastodons, and even Market Harborough. As a bonus there are listings of famous catchphrases, lines from movies, misquotations, and famous last words. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-cdqs.htm 0----- Pub Quiz Question #8 Which German physicist invented Quantum Theory? 0----- 'Organising and Participating in Meetings' - new book This is a book which nine people out of every ten running committees (that I have ever met) need to read. It deals with the standard practical arrangements needed to make meetings smooth-running and effective. The advice includes arranging meetings, speaking in them and making presentations, how to deal with all the paperwork if you are the secretary or (many would say) unlucky enough to be the minutes secretary. It also offers the novelty of how to participate in meetings conducted via telephone, email, and video conferencing. The chapters of this book are short, but almost every page is rich in hints and tips. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/leigh.htm 0----- Pub Quiz Question #9 Who is the patron saint of sailors? 0----- Xmas stocking filler - pocketbook of trivia If you want to buy someone a novel Christmas present, why not try Schott's miscellany which became a best-seller last year. It actually topped Harry Potter in the charts! It's printed to look like an old encyclopedia, but in fact it's a brand-new collection of the most amazing - and amusing - trivia. It starts with the length of shoelaces you need according to the number of holes in your shoes, goes through who's eligible and ineligible for jury service, how to tie a bow tie, to who won post war British elections. My favourite for the dinner table quiz was how to pronounce British toff surnames such as Featherstonehaugh, Cholmondley, and Fiennes. There's serious stuff too - such as typographic terms explained, Greek deities, and commonplace terms in Latin and German - but it's the fun items which give the book its zest - such as Cockney rhyming slang terms, untimely celebrity deaths, and a schematic diagram of Dante's Inferno. I guarantee it will make you laugh. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/schott.htm 0----- Pub Quiz Question #10 What is listed in a periodic table? 0----- 'Dictionary of Place Names' - new book If you want to discover the origin of the name of the place in which you were born or live - this is it. It covers the whole of the UK, and includes cities, towns, hamlets, and even very small areas such as Lower Peover and Over Peover in Cheshire - which I had the pleasure of driving through in all their rustic glory only last weekend. Further details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-plac.htm 0----- Pub Quiz Question #11 Who directed the film 'Mulholland Drive'? 0----- Great Writers - Alejo Carpentier If you are tempted to read writers from the Latin-American school of 'magical realism', why not start with the person who coined the term - Alejo Carpentier. He was a Cuban writer who embraced European modernism, living in Paris during the 1920s, rubbing shoulders with Stravinsky, Antonin Artaud, Jacques Prévert, and the surrealists. He wrote a series of novels in the post-war years which set the benchmark for Latin-American writing. His subjects are political and geographic, and he captures Latin America in a style which is vivid, loquacious, and drenched in an amazing vocabulary. Details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/carp-00.htm 0----- Quotable quotes "I bought a David Blaine doll yesterday. But I couldn't get it out of the box." 0----- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS Of which African country is Kampala the capital? ANSWER: Uganda Which French novelist wrote 'Bonjour Tristesse'? ANSWER: Francoise Sagan What sort of creature is a macaque? ANSWER: A monkey Who recorded the album 'Hot Rats'? ANSWER: Frank Zappa What nationality was the composer Sibelius? ANSWER: Finnish On which Greek island did the poetess Sappho live? ANSWER: Lesbos In what year did man first land on the moon? ANSWER: 1969 Which German physicist invented Quantum Theory? ANSWER: Max Planck Who is the patron saint of sailors? ANSWER: Saint Nicholas What is listed in a periodic table? ANSWER: Chemical elements Who directed the film 'Mulholland Drive'? ANSWER: David Lynch 0----- COMING SOON Talking Dictionaries 'Los Logos' 'Design Through Digital Interaction' 'Creative Content for the Web' 'Designing Web Graphics' (c) Copyright 2003, MANTEX All Rights Reserved PO Box 100 Tel +44 0161 432 5811 Manchester Fax +44 0161 443 2766 M20 6GZ UK www.mantex.co.uk If you like this newsletter, PLEASE FORWARD IT to friends and colleagues. New subscribers should register at the following address -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/newslet.htm FREE BACK ISSUES featuring news items, reviews, and product details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/news/archive.htm Please retain the copyright and list-joining information. It may be posted, in its entirety or partially, to newsgroups or mailing lists, so long as the copyright and list-joining information remains. If you have any requests, observations, or items you would like to be included in our next issues, just mail us at -- news@mantex.co.uk You receive the MANTEX newsletter because you subscribed to it. If you wish to leave the list, go to -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/newslet.htm News-87-December-2003 ISSN 1470-1863 The British Library