Tag Archives: biography

Broad Band

Posted on August 9, 2018 by smellincoffee

Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet © 2018 Claire Evans288 pages When the ENIAC was first displayed for the public, its proponents bragged that it could do complex mathematical calculations in seconds which would have … Continue reading →

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Forgotten Founders

Posted on June 22, 2018 by smellincoffee

America’s Forgotten Founders© 2011 ed. Gary Gregg II185 pages After reading several thoughtful full-length biographies in this series, I expected the same quality in miniature from this collection. That is not the case at all; after a lengthy opening essay … Continue reading →

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How Microsoft’s Mogul Reinvented an Industry

Posted on June 1, 2018 by smellincoffee

Gates: How Microsoft’s Mogul Reinvented an Industry-and Made Himself the Richest Man in America © 1994 Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews 560 pages   I recently watched Pirates of Silicon Valley, a questionably-acted movie based on the rise of  Bill … Continue reading →

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The Letters of CS Lewis

Posted on April 8, 2018 by smellincoffee

Letters of C.S. Lewis © 2017 Harper Collins Edited by Warren Lewis and Walter Hooper 688 pages After the death of his younger brother, Warren Lewis released a collection of his letters for posterity’s sake. Perhaps it was to repay … Continue reading →

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Wisdom and Innocence

Posted on April 5, 2018 by smellincoffee

Wisdom and Innocence: A Life Of G.K. Chesterton © 1996 Joseph Pearce 540 pages “I cannot help but thinking you were England — the Merry, chivalrous, simple-hearted, fearless England that I loved.” – an old friend’s letter to Chesteron Mention … Continue reading →

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The World as Stage

Posted on March 28, 2018 by smellincoffee

Shakespeare: The World as Stage© 2007 Bill Bryson245 pages Shakespeare: The World as Stage surprised me when it arrived. Such a slender little volume for a man whose legacy is strong even today!  Bryson’s aim is not to deliver a … Continue reading →

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The Chairman

Posted on January 30, 2018 by smellincoffee

Sinatra: The Chairman© 2015 James Kaplan994 pages Sinatra: “May I? — it’s your stage, figured I’d ask..”Dean Martin: “Hey, it’s your world! I’m just livin’ in it.” (The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands) In 2010, James Kaplan wrote an … Continue reading →

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Empires of Light

Posted on December 9, 2017 by smellincoffee

Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World © 2004 Jill Jonnes464 pages Empires of Light is less a history of how the United States became electrified and more a biography of three electrical titans – … Continue reading →

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The Hemingway Patrols

Posted on November 14, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Hemingway Patrols: Ernest Hemingway and his Hunt for U-boats © 2009 Terry Mort 272 pages For some people, getting involved in the war effort meant collecting cans. For Ernest Hemingway, it meant patrolling the waters between the Florida Keys … Continue reading →

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Wild Swans

Posted on September 28, 2017 by smellincoffee

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China© 1991 Chang Jung525 pages (My edition uses Chang’s family name first, following the Chinese custom.) Read the records of the 20th century totalitarian states, and the number of lives destroyed numbs the brain. Eleven … Continue reading →

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