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Books in brief: A critical roundup of recent releases

Brian Maye, Owen Dawson, Paul Clements and Brigid O’Dea review works on a wide array of topics

Katherine Rundell, author of Super-Infinite, a brilliant biography of the poet John Donne. Photograph: Alan Betson

Sat Jan 13 2024 - 00:00

The Postcard History of Dublin by Trevor White (Little Museum of Dublin, €9.99)

Dublin was Irish village, Viking town, English city and is now capital of a mature democracy. In May 2015, Trevor White bought at auction two large albums of postcards relating to Dublin and these form the basis of this potted, colourfully illustrated history. The expected roll-call is there (Vikings, Normans, Tudors, Cromwellians etc.) and major figures in Dublin’s development, such as James Butler, Earl of Ormond, the Wide Street Commissioners, James Gandon, Francis Johnston and Alfie Byrne. As expected in a book based on postcards, buildings feature prominently (Dublin Castle, Trinity College, the Royal Hospital, the Custom House) as well as St Stephen’s Green, Phoenix Park, Glasnevin Cemetery and Dublin Zoo. Writers inevitably appear, and a nice piece on the history of the postcard itself, in this worthwhile keepsake. Brian Maye

Anaximander and the Nature of Science by Carlo Rovelli (Allen Lane, £16.99)

Anaximander, a sixth-century BCE Greek philosopher, was the first thinker to argue that Earth was suspended in space, which was an utterly revolutionary idea to advance, but he also considered a possible origin of the universe, that complex life developed from a simple organism, that animals moved from the sea to land and evolved, and that earthquakes and storms were natural, not supernatural, phenomena. Miletus, Anaximander’s home, with its cross-currents of trade, information and culture (Egyptian, Babylonian and Greek) facilitated the questioning and doubt that allowed these new ideas to be born. In the second part of the book, theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli discusses what science is, cultural relativism and the religious faith/science debate, on which he is refreshingly open-minded. His breadth of knowledge and articulacy is, frankly, outstanding. Brian Maye

[ The order of time: Where physics and philosophy meet ]

Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne by Katherine Rundell (Faber, £10.99)

At one time a religious outsider and social disaster, then a celebrity preacher and establishment darling, John Donne constantly reimagined and reinvented himself: “poet, lover, essayist, lawyer, pirate, recusant, preacher, satirist, politician, courtier, chaplain to the king, dean of the finest cathedral in London”. But there was a constant that ran through his life and work: his belief that humans “are at once a catastrophe and a miracle”. He’s most famous for his love poetry and erotic verse but was an extraordinarily versatile writer. Katherine Rundell captures this multifacetedness superbly in this eloquently written, insightful and imaginatively analytical biography. She considers Donne “the greatest writer of desire in the English language” and believes that in his writing he created something new: a “completed meshing of body and imagination”. Brian Maye

[ Katherine Rundell: ‘Extraordinary wealth should be looked at the same way as punching a baby in the face’ ]

Showbusiness with Blood: A Golden Age of Irish Boxing by Eamon Carr (Lilliput Press, €18)

Some people believe boxing is not worthy to be called a sport. Carr makes a strong case to convince the doubters there is more than physical brutality to boxing. According to Mike Tyson “this is not a tough man’s sport, this is a thinking man’s sport.” Many would disagree, and the mention of blood in the title of the book might contradict Tyson. It would seem the author really admires boxers, especially their bravery, less so boxing. Nor has he much time for promoters and managers. This is a well researched, well written account of the golden age of Irish boxing, a time when boxers came back regularly as world champions or beaten finalists. Sadly, some of them did not always get to benefit in later life. Owen Dawson

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Sea and Stone, The County Waterford Coastline by Paddy Dwan and Mark Roper (Whimbrel Press, €30)

The photographer Paddy Dwan and writer Mark Roper have combined their artistic talents to celebrate the cliffs, hidden caves and coves, as well as the wildlife of the Waterford coast and people living along it. Packed with insights and idiosyncrasies, their journey from Dunmore East to Ferrypoint, embraces birds, flora, geology, industrial history and fishing. Personal stories, including one from the Ardmore potter Mary Lincoln, are interspersed with newspaper accounts of shipwrecks and tales of ghost ships. Quirky information jumps from the pages, such as the fact that ‘Father Lasher’ is a small fish which lashes out with its tail to protect the spawn from predators; and how many of us know that the oystercatchers at Ballyvooney Cove fall into three varieties: “Stabbers”, “Chisellers” and “Hammerers”? Paul Clements

[ Ella McSweeney: The Barrow begins life with enormous potential but by the time it flows into the sea it is in a bad way ]

A Book of Noises, Notes on the Auraculous by Caspar Henderson (Granta, £16.99)

“We look at the world once, in childhood. The rest is memory.” If this sentiment, by Louise Gluck, is true, it would appear that author Caspar Henderson defies the rule. The author’s notes on the “auraculous”, a self-coined term that blends “aural” and “miraculous” is filled with unjaded wonder. With four sections, the book explores the aural landscape of space, earth, life and humanity. Henderson takes the reader on a mind-bending journey that traverses what the human voice might sound like on Venus, birdsong, and sound as a tool of both medical intervention and colonialism. With extensive research (the list of references is 45 pages long), the elision does not serve to confuse the reader, but blends into a marvellous harmony to create a reading experience that truly sings. Brigid O’Dea

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