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BOOKS FOR THE WINTER SOLSTICE
To The Best of Our Knowledge
from Wisconsin Public Radio
To mark the Winter Solstice, we'll honor the sacred
origins our secular Christmas decorations and hear a solstice story
from India. And to help you get through the long winter evenings,
we'll get some recommendations for your winter reading list. Solstice
myths and stories and provocative new books in science, non-fiction
and literature. It's the return of light in this hour of To the
Best of Our Knowledge.
SEGMENT 1:
John Matthews is the author of many books
including "The Summer Solstice" and "The Winter
Solstice." He talks with Anne Strainchamps about the sacred
pre-Christian origins of many of our secular Christmas traditions.
He says regardless of one's personal beliefs about God, the Solstice
season is enriched by an awareness of the rituals and traditions
that were meaningful to our ancient ancestors. Also, Carolyn
McVickar Edwards reads "The Golden Earrings." It's
one of the stories in her book "The Return of the Light:
Twelve Tales from around the World for the Winter Solstice."
SEGMENT 2:
Bruce Watson is the author of "The Man
Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of
A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas." He tells Steve
Paulson why Erector Sets were so huge. They reflected the spirit
of America's Industrial Age, and Gilbert marketed them directly
to boys. Also, Peter Sobol, an honorary fellow in the History
of Science Department at the University of Wisconsin, (and the
man who keepps our computers running,) talks with Jim Fleming
about the best new science books of 2002. The complete book list
and entire conversation are available below.
SEGMENT 3:
Steve Paulson talks with Jerry Huffman,
a reporter and anchor for Wisconsin Public Television, about the
best recent books that try to make sense of the Post Cold War
World. Jerry worked for some years in the Central Asian Republics
of the former Soviet Union. And for lovers of literature, Jim
Fleming and Anne Strainchamps talk about books you
might want to read or re-read for the pure pleasure of it. A list
of all the books mentioned in this segment can be found below.
Cassette copies are available
at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 02-12-22-B.
................................................................
Web Extra: Peter Sobol - The
Whole Conversation!
Books:
- Special Book List for The Winter Solstice Show
- John Matthews: The Winter Solstice
- Carolyn McVickar Edwards: The Return of
the Light
- Bruce Watson: The Man Who Changed
How Boys and Toys Were Made
Peter Sobol’s List
Graham Farmelo: It must Be Beautiful: Great Equations
of Modern Science
Stephen C. Wolfram: A New Kind of Science
Philip Plait: Bad Astronomy
Stephen Pinker: The Blank Slate
Stephen Jay Gould: The Structure of Evolutionary Theory
E.O. Wilson: The Future of Life
Jerry Huffman and Steve
Paulson List
Jennifer Gould: Vodka Tears and Lenin’s Angels
Alexander Blakeley: Siberia Bound
Arthur Phillips: Prague
Ahmed Rashid: Jihad
Mark Hertsgaard: The Eagle’s Shadow: Why America
Fascinates and Infuriates the World
Jim Fleming and Anne
Strainchamps List
Eliot Pattison: The Skull Mantra, Water Touching Stone
Dorothy Dunnett: The House off Niccolo series, and The
Lymond Chronicles
Susan Cooper: The Dark is Rising (series)
Phillip Pullman: Dark Materials trilogy
Anthony Trollope: The Barchester Chronicles and the Palliser
novels
John Galsworthy: The Forsyte Saga
Brady Udall: The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint
Music:
- During Matthews: “The Holly & the Ivy”
from Christmas with the
Academy Philips 442 141-2 Academy & Chorus of St. Martin in
the
Fields/Neville Marriner
- After Matthews: “Jingle Bells” from Christmas
Sing-along RCA 09026-61910-2 RCA Victor Singers
- After Edwards:"Jhaptal" from Sangeet
Trio in Concert, "Inde du Nord" Ocora C 560091 (Radio
France) Harmonia Mundi
- After Watson: “Toyland” from Our Christmas
Songs for You Kiri Te Kanawa EMI 56176
- After Sobol: “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”
from Canadian Brass, “The Christmas Album” Philips 426
835-2
- After Huffman: “Carol of the Bells” from
Christmas Treasures RCA 09026 61867-2 Robert Shaw Chorale
- After Anne & Jim: “Have Yourself A Merry
Little Christmas” from What If Mozart Wrote... Hampton String
Quartet RCA 5625 2 RC
Distribution dates:
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Questions and comments can
be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org
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