Reader’s Diary

Barbara W. Tuchman

There is a certain fascination in reading about something that you know will end tragically. Whether it’s the sinking of the Titanic or the assassination of JFK, the fact that you, the reader, know the outcome but the people you’re reading about don’t lends a tragic air to the account. This is especially true of the events of the summer of 1914. You know that the biggest war in history is about to erupt, that empires will fall, and you watch helplessly, gripped by the human drama.

Barbara Tuchman captured this tragedy perfectly in her 1962 work “The Guns of August”. It’s a measure of her skill that, even though you know how things turn out, you keep hoping that, somehow, disaster will be averted.

One could argue that Tuchman doesn’t pay much attention to the soldiers on the ground, but this book is more about grand strategy and command from at the corps and army level. It’s full of missed opportunities and contingencies and, despite it’s length, is hard to put down.

Dante Alighieri (Translated by John Ciardi)

One hell of a book. This was part of my traveling library during a trip to Italy. I started reading it in Dante’s home town (Florence) and it added to my understanding and appreciation of the city.

Dante wasn’t writing theology, but he was writing during and age of faith, and a reader’s experience of the book may depend on how close his faith is to that of the Middle Ages. Many no longer consider damnation as something to be feared, but for a fairly conservative Christian like myself, the book remains thoght-provoking, even frightening.

I have read that Ciardi’s translation isn’t considered the best available one. I’m not qualified to judge that, but the Signet Classics copy I read has the advantage of being lightweight, and its chapter introductions and endnotes contributed to my enjoyment and understanding of this nearly 700-year-old work.