|
|
|
|
|
|
| Back to Books Main |
eBooks: Currently Reading and Recently Read
|
|
|
|
Read in 2023:
|
|
Read in 2022:
|
|
Read in 2021:
|
|
Read in 2020:
|
|
Read in 2019:
|
|
|
|
Simulacra
and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard Downloaded 16/03/19
|
|
|
|
|
The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley At only 45 pages, this was a quick read. I can't recall how I came to have it on my eBook Reader. All I can determine is that Huxley was friends with an Edmon Bordeaux Szekely of California (I glean this from the Preface of Book Two of the Essene Gospel of Peace). Downloaded 02/06/18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Timaeus by
Plato Downloaded 26/03/18 |
Read in 2018:
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Gospel of Thomas
"The Gospel According to Thomas is an early Christian non-canonical sayings gospel ... It was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945 among a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library ... [It] is composed of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus." - Wikipedia For some reason the website for the download includes the title "The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu" also, which is odd since that is something different (see below), although book could be be said to be about reason and virtue. The download above includes explanations for each of the saying although I'm unsure who provided these; "The Logia are from a translation, made from the Coptic text published by Messrs. Brill of Leiden. English by W. R. Schoedel. The numbering of the sayings is that of the Brill edition." Since interpretation (and translation) are made from a matter of perspective it might be just as well to read each saying and ponder upon it for a time before reading its elucidation; you can do so with the aid of this document. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mysticism and Logic and Other
Essays by Bertrand Russell
I discovered Russell (a philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer amongst much else) from an episode and DVD extras of Young Indiana Jones. Also of interest from the same is poet/writer Siegfried Sassoon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell Part III of the essay Mysticism and Logic is about Time. |
|
|
|
|
The
Chronic Argonauts by H. G. Wells Downloaded 29/05/18 Written before The Time Machine. |
|
|
|
|
The Basis
of Morality by Annie Besant
Another interesting lecture/essay by Annie Besant, the previous one being An Introduction to Yoga. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lost Book of
Enki by Zacharia Sitchin
I read Sitchin's End of Days book back in 2010 which I found hard to digest, but I stuck with it and found that what he had to say seemed to fall into place. The Lost Book of Enki is another strange one; I didn't know what to make of it, nor could I remember what lead me to download it a year earlier (it took me that long to get round to reading it). Wikipedia has it listed under Sitchin's novels, rather than it being non-fiction and a genuine historical works that had been translated as others seem to believe. My suspicion is that it is a work of fiction, albeit one that gives an alternative take on various books in the Bible, such as Noah and the flood and the Tower of Babel. My main reason for this is because of the awkward way that Sitchin arranges each sentence; it's seems like he is trying too hard to make it sound like something it isn't, which makes it seem quirky and irritating to read. Had it been a genuine translation then the sentences could have been formed better. Downloaded 16/04/17 |
|
|
Read in 2017:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dialogue
In Hell Between Machiavelli And Montesquieu by Maurice Joly
Translated by Not Bored
The Dialogue in Hell by Maurice Joly is there an imaginary discussion and debate between these two men; Machiavelli has his somewhat megalomaniacal ideas for ultimate political control; ideas that is until the end when he reveals such an institution already exists. It is almost comical throughout with Montesquieu entertaining him and chiding him to "get on with it" as he listens on with disbelief at the seemingly crazy ideas. The term Machiavellianism has been coined as "the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct." Comical that is until we reflect upon the point that the later Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion was apparently based on it* (I've not read it) and there are those (such as David Icke) that based this on fact and a clear portrayal of our world today, let alone when they were written. Indeed, Osama bin Laden is said to have been a reader of the Protocols. (see The Bin Ladens by Steve Coll) *some will say the Joly's piece came after the Protocols [link], therefore making the latter authentic rather than a forgery and an act of plagiarism. This coming from a 95 page book 'The Protocols of Zion in Context' (currently unavailable on Amazon.co.uk) by Kerry Bolton, who Wikipedia describes as a "writer and political activist noted for his extremist neo-Nazi ideology. His writings and views have been called pro-Nazi, anti-Jewish, and nationalist." [link] Notes: p.15 "Machiavelli: ... In a little while, there will be disorder everywhere: inexhaustible rhetoricians will transform the deliberatory assemblies into oratory jousts; audacious journalists and unbridled pamphleteers will attack the person of the sovereign every day, will discredit the government, the ministers, the men in positions of power. . . . Montesquieu: I have long known these reproaches that are addressed to free governments. They have no value in my eyes; abuse does not condemn these institutions. I know of many States that have long lived in peace and under such laws: I pity those who cannot. Machiavelli: Wait: in your
calculations, you have only accounted for social minorities.
There are gigantic populations riveted to work by poverty,
as they were in the past by slavery. What importance do all
your parliamentary fictions have to their happiness? In
short, your great political movement has only ended in the
triumph of a minority privileged by chance, as the ancient
nobility triumphed through birth." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Downloaded but not yet read:
|
|
This Perfect
Day by Ira Levin Downloaded 09/03/19 A dystopic novel featuring in and inspiring the sci-fi series on Netflix: Travelers. |
|
|
|
|
Looking
Backward by David Bellamy Downloaded 29/05/18 A utopian science fiction novel about time travel published in 1888 but set in the year 2000. |
|
|
|
|
A Yankee in
King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain Downloaded 29/05/18 A novel featuring a time travel adventure. |
|
|
|
|
Ecclesiasticus / The Wisdom of
Sirach Downloaded and converted 29/05/18 The phrase "Son, Observe the Time and Fly from Evil" is quoted from the Book of Ecclesiasticus (4:24) on Old Saint Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco, USA. This was observed in the time travel film Time After Time. This is said to be the largest book of wisdom/ethical teachings. |
|
|
|
|
The Secret Instructions of the
Jesuits Downloaded 25/05/18 An overview can be
found here: Youtube.
It reminds me of both The Protocols Of The [Learned] Elders
Of Zion and Dialogue In Hell Between Machiavelli And
Montesquieu by Maurice Joly, see above. |
|
|
June
2017: I finally jumped on the band wagon and
purchased my first ebook reader - a Sony PRS-300 - (albeit
second-hand). I created this page to help keep track
of which ebooks I have downloaded, read, and sometimes where I found
them.
Update
2020: I acquired a Kindle Fire which I have found
useful for .mobi files and also better at handling and
displaying .pdf files, although for some reason it doesn't
remember my progress, therefore I still prefer .epub files
on my Sony eReader. I have also dabbled with 'Alexa',
getting her to read books to me, although this seemed to
only work for those free books I obtained directly from
Amazon (see left).
Update
2021: I replaced my Sony PRS-300 with the PRS-600. It is a
more capable reader and with a touch-screen I can
conveniently highlight text. The downside to the
touchscreen is the clarity of the text; it's just not
quite as sharp and bold. I'm still using my Kindle Fire
for PDFs, creating note files in the Writer+, and I also
have the Memrise app for language learning, although I
can't switch back to the book and conveniently continue
reading as the app crashes and I have to reopen the book
and scroll back through to where I was at.
"Niccolò
di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an Italian
Renaissance historian, politician, diplomat,
philosopher, humanist, and writer. He has often been
called the father of modern political science." - 
"Charles-Louis
de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu
(1689-1755) generally referred to as simply Montesquieu,
was a French lawyer, man of letters, and political
philosopher who lived during the Age of Enlightenment."
