Monday, January 21, 2013

The Library at Night

Alberto Manguel
online access from ProQuest Ebook Central
check holdings in CityU LibraryFind

Inspired by the process of creating a library for his fifteenth-century home near the Loire, in France, Alberto Manguel, the acclaimed writer on books and reading, has taken up the subject of libraries. “Libraries,” he says, “have always seemed to me pleasantly mad places, and for as long as I can remember I’ve been seduced by their labyrinthine logic.” In this personal, deliberately unsystematic, and wide-ranging book, he offers a captivating meditation on the meaning of libraries.

Manguel, a guide of irrepressible enthusiasm, conducts a unique library tour that extends from his childhood bookshelves to the “complete” libraries of the Internet, from Ancient Egypt and Greece to the Arab world, from China and Rome to Google. He ponders the doomed library of Alexandria as well as the personal libraries of Charles Dickens, Jorge Luis Borges, and others. He recounts stories of people who have struggled against tyranny to preserve freedom of thought—the Polish librarian who smuggled books to safety as the Nazis began their destruction of Jewish libraries; the Afghani bookseller who kept his store open through decades of unrest. Oral “memory libraries” kept alive by prisoners, libraries of banned books, the imaginary library of Count Dracula, the library of books never written—Manguel illuminates the mysteries of libraries as no other writer could. With scores of wonderful images throughout, The Library at Night is a fascinating voyage through Manguel’s mind, memory, and vast knowledge of books and civilizations.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

Library
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讀者

梁文道
online access from Apabi
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如果我們想知道梁文道的見識,那應該看《讀者》。看這本書我就覺得沒有什麼成見,主見非常多,我喜歡這樣的書。——止庵

本書談論書緣,讀書的方法,對閱讀的看法;談因書而結交的朋友的聚散離合;談政治書籍中的政治花邊;談論作者心中的經典書籍,還有談論散發著文藝味道的書籍或相關作者的故事;再次談論“常識”,這些常識是作者從閱讀中感受到的。

書中文章屬書評與散文相結合的“書話”,字句間無不顯露了梁文道先生的真性情。同時也是梁文道先生繼《常識》之後,推出的與他工作生活最為密切的書籍。

本書讀者對象比較廣泛,以青年學生、有一定文化知識的工薪階層、對文化與閱讀感興趣的人為主。

梁文道,香港鳳凰衛視鏘鏘三人行與開卷八分鐘的主持人。梁先生2009年出版了被廣泛閱讀的《常識》、《我執》和《噪音太多》。作為一位時評作家,主持人,等不同身份的文化人,梁文道先生自己更願意將自己成為一個讀書的人,他也每天在鳳凰衛視的“開卷八分鐘”節目中為讀者介紹各類有趣的書籍、分享閱讀的樂趣與思考。

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)


Reading
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Monday, January 14, 2013

Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books

Maureen Corrigan
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"It’s not that I don’t like people,” writes Maureen Corrigan in her introduction to Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading. “It’s just that there always comes a moment when I’m in the company of others—even my nearest and dearest—when I’d rather be reading a book.” In this delightful memoir, Corrigan reveals which books and authors have shaped her own life—from classic works of English literature to hard-boiled detective novels, and everything in between. And in her explorations of the heroes and heroines throughout literary history, Corrigan’s love for a good story shines.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)
Reading
  [Accessible on Campus Only]


書與街道

陶傑, 黃國彬, 也斯 著
online access from SuperStar Digital Library
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《書與街道》,說的是一條街與一本書的存在狀況,書上的句子輕如塵埃,然而,“走到傳真上,風一吹,才又覺得那句話(書上的話)也許並不貼切,甚至也沒有那麼幽默了。”因為走上了街就是走進了現實,書是輕的,現實地卻是沉重的,書是虛幻,街道是現實;虛幻輕而現實重。但無論是輕還是重,都有其美好誘人之處,所以這散文讀起來很愜意。黃國彬和陶傑的散文,分別代表了香港散文沉重與輕鬆的兩個極端,而也斯散文則是介於兩者之間的一種平衡,或者沉澱。

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)



Monday, January 7, 2013

Chinese Writing and Calligraphy

Wendan Li
online access from ProQuest Ebook Central
check holdings in CityU LibraryFind

Suitable for college and high school students and those learning on their own, this fully illustrated coursebook provides comprehensive instruction in the history and practical techniques of Chinese calligraphy. No previous knowledge of the language is required to follow the text or complete the lessons.

The work covers three major areas: 1) descriptions of Chinese characters and their components, including stroke types, layout patterns, and indications of sound and meaning; 2) basic brush techniques; and 3) the social, cultural, historical, and philosophical underpinnings of Chinese calligraphy—all of which are crucial to understanding and appreciating this art form.

Students practice brush writing as they progress from tracing to copying to free-hand writing. Model characters are marked to indicate meaning and stroke order, and well-known model phrases are shown in various script types, allowing students to practice different calligraphic styles. Beginners will find the author’s advice on how to avoid common pitfalls in writing brush strokes invaluable.

Chinese Writing and Calligraphy will be welcomed by both students and instructors in need of an accessible text on learning the fundamentals of the art of writing Chinese characters.

(From the Publisher’s description)

Chinese Calligraphy
  [Accessible on Campus Only]


怎樣學書法

費新我 編著
online access from SuperStar Digital Library
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費新我是我國現代著名的書畫家,最傑出的左筆書法家,所作隸書古拙樸茂,楷書醇厚蘊集,尤以行草著稱,結字嚴謹,奇中求正,險中求平,線條乾淨利索,章法錯落有致,參以畫意,跌宕多姿,使轉自如,富有強烈的韻律感,著有《楷書初階》、《怎樣學書法》、《書法雜談》、《費新我書法集》等。《怎樣學書法》是費新我先生專門為初學者撰寫的一本學寫書法的講義……

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)


Chinese Calligraphy
  [Accessible on Campus Only]