The World of Edena / When David Invented Bowie

Books That Belong On Paper Issue No. 28

Books That Belong On Paper first appeared on the web as Wink Books and was edited by Carla Sinclair. Sign up here to get the issues a week early in your inbox.

MŒBIUS LIBRARY: THE WORLD OF EDENA

Mœbius Library: The World of Edena
by Mœbius
Dark Horse Books
2016, 176 pages, 8.7 x 1.1 x 11.1 inches, Hardcover

Buy on Amazon

I have been wanting to read Mœbius’ comics for years, but until recently they’ve been fairly expensive to acquire. Thankfully, Dark Horse is reprinting his work as part of the Mœbius Library. While I’d never read any of his comics, I was very aware of the impact he’s had on Sci-fi and pop culture. Jean Giraud or his pseudonym Mœbius is a French artist who has helped design movies like Dune, Alien, Tron, The Fifth Element, and The Abyss, just to name a few. The World of Edena was a great introduction to his work, and definitely left me wanting more.

The story mixes sci-fi adventure, with deeper philosophical exploration. After crash landing and finding their way to an alien ship, highly evolved A-sexual beings Stel and Atan find themselves in a Garden of Eden like world. They quickly start to experience new feelings like hunger, pain, and sexual urges. What’s incredible is that this story started as an ad for the Citroën car company, you’d be hard pressed to find a car company still making anything remotely close to this.

The artwork’s fantastic, you can definitely see how modern filmmakers were influenced by this style. This collection also includes the final chapter in the story, printed in English for the first time. If you’re already a fan of Mœbius and haven’t read this yet, or are as curious about his work as I was, this is definitely a great book to pick up.

– JP LeRoux

HADDON HALL: WHEN DAVID INVENTED BOWIE — A GRAPHIC NOVEL ABOUT THE CREATIVITY STRUGGLE IN THE LATE 60S

Haddon Hall: When David Invented Bowie
by Néjib
SelfMadeHero
2017, 144 pages, 7.5 x 0.8 x 10 inches, Hardcover

Buy on Amazon

It’s hard not to use a word like “groovy” when it comes to describing Haddon Hall: When David Invented Bowie. There’s the setting: a crumbling estate in swinging London, where David Bowie, his wife Angie, and assorted others are living and creating in the late ‘60s. There’s the loose, freewheeling quality to both the lettering and drawings, which use simple outlines and pops of color. And there’s the sly humor, which comes through in both the dialogue and breaks from the main story (which show us how to be a music snob, how to be a fashionista, etc.)

One of the joys of this book is seeing the time period come to life. People like producer Tony Visconti, T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan, original Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett, and dissatisfied Beatle John Lennon pass through these pages. They worry about their music, experiment with sexual identities, and try to fend off feelings of creative envy. And, if they’re Bowie, they develop their most iconic persona (Ziggy Stardust) while dealing with poignant family issues (the hospitalization of his schizophrenic brother Terry).

This book is a delight. I learned plenty about Bowie despite having already read a biography, but Haddon Hall doesn’t feel educational. It shows in its not-too-serious way that creativity can be a grind, and that none of us — not even David Bowie — was born a fully formed artist.

– Christine Ro

Bird Behavior

Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 100

Once a week we’ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because the possibilities they inspire are new. Sign up here to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.

Best tree guide

The Sibley Guide to Trees

Naturalist David Sibley, like Tory Peterson before him, made his reputation painting and annotating birds before expanding to other biological realms. Sibley’s guides to birds and bird behavior (recommended this page) are the best all-around guides to the birds of North America. Sibley’s beats out Peterson’s, and the dozens of others published today. Sibley’s newest book, also written and illustrated by him, is the best all-around guide to the trees of North America, again displacing the many other field guides to trees in print.

Sibley’s illustrations are clear, crisp, and accurate. He manages to maintain distinctions in tree types where species get fuzzy, like in the oaks, or firs. His maps are specific. He includes more parts of the tree than most guides — buds, bark, branches, seeds, silhouettes, flowers, cones, etc. — which really help in identification. And he includes not only native trees but many feral varieties, and even widely planted ornamentals. One detail I appreciate: he lists alternative common names to trees, since trees seem to have local names.

With Sibley’s guide I’ve been able to identify more trees than with other guides. However the book is big, not at all pocketable, or the kind of thing you are likely to take with you into the field on a hike. Perhaps future editions might remedy this. I use this quality softcover edition (a delight to browse) by taking samples and photos outside and returning home to identify. — KK

How to see birds

Sibley’s Birding Basics

Our contemporary Audubon, David Sibley, will mentor you in how to see birds. This is not one of his legendary field guides; instead it’s a masterful course on how birds work, distilled into a small compact book, and illustrated with his impeccable drawings. Even if you’ve been birding all your life, every page will illuminate the art of seeing them. How can you tell just from a flitting glance in the dark that was a white-throated sparrow? Sibley the grand master tells how he does it. It will be a very long time before anyone else understands and communicates this hard-won knowledge better. —KK

Western Sandpiper in fresh (left) and worn (right) alternate plumage, with representative scapular feathers from each, showing the striking changes that take place gradually, over a period of about four months, with no molt. Most field guides can show only one example of each plumage, so they illustrate an “average” bird, somewhere between these extremes.

• The making of hissing, shushing, and squeaking noises (known among birders as “pishing”) is done in imitation of the scolding calls of certain small songbirds. It is often combined with imitations of the calls of a small owl in order to simulate the sound of an owl that has been discovered by songbirds. Birds approach to see what’s going on and to join in scolding the predator. Pishing is most effective when you are somewhat concealed within vegetation. The birds need to be able to get close to you without leaving their cover, and ideally there should be an open spot for them to sit when they do reach you. Curiosity will bring the birds in and then draw them to a perch where they can take a clear look at you.

Identifying bird technology

Western Birds’ Nests + Eastern Birds’ Nests

The baskets and fabrics made by birds are as admirable as their feathers. For years I’ve collected bird nests (a few in the image above) without knowing much about them. It took one obsessive Hal Harrison to find and photograph all of the nests and eggs of the birds in North America before I could begin to identify them.

Unfortunately, there is no real taxonomy for nest types, so identification is still a somewhat trial and error visual match. Environmental context — where a nest is found — is a bigger ID factor. But with some sleuthing in this book (two volumes, east and west) I’ve begun to identify species of nests. That has enlarged my appreciation of birds.

Oh, and these catalogs of many hundreds of nests also serves as splendid inspiration for human weavers. — KK

• The site at which the nest is located is often diagnostic. While some species will choose a variety of sites, many are highly specialized, and this is important in identification. Water Pipits nest on the ground in tundras; Chimney Swifts nest in chimneys, and White-throated Swifts nest in steep cliffs; all wood-peckers nest in tree cavities and so do Prothonotary Warblers; storm-petrels, kingfishers, and Bank Swallows nest in burrows; MacGillivray’s Warblers nest in low bushes while Olive, Hermit, and Townsend’s Warblers nest high in conifers; orioles build beautiful hanging baskets but Poor-wills build no nest at all.
• The nest itself is described in detail. Material used will vary with availability. For some species this has been noted, but readers should bear in mind that Spanish Moss would be no more available to a bird in Montana than spruce needles would be to a bird in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The basic structure of the next of most species is so uniformly true to type that even though the materials used may vary, the format generally does not. An American Robin’s nest in Washington or Oregon with mosses built into it still looks very much like a Robin’s nest in Arkansas with mud and grasses predominating.

Star Wars Hotel failure/Bookstore map/Mejorar Imagen

Recomendo - issue #423

Sign up here to get Recomendo a week early in your inbox.

How (not) to do interactive experiences

I surprised myself by watching the full 4 hours of a “review” of a Disney Star Wars Hotel by an obsessive fan on YouTube. I didn’t think I cared about a theme hotel, but Jenny Nicholson’s four-hour video critique was compelling, astoundingly astute, endless insightful, and highly entertaining, as she does in-depth business analysis in cosplay costumes. After the first hour of her deep review, I understood why the review has 10 million views (!!!!); it’s a great overview of an interactive experience. After staying for the second hour, I subscribed to her channel because it was also a fantastic introduction to any kind of immersive experience. After continuing to watch the third hour, I thought Disney ought to pay her thousands of dollars as a consultant instead of trying to get YouTube to takedown her video; this was the best course in interactive media I’d ever seen. After finishing all four hours, I thought she should be running Disney herself as their new CEO because she understood virtual reality and immersive experiences better than anyone. This is why I love YouTube: with no one’s permission, a passionate person can make a dent in the universe. Be prepared for the ultimate nerdy obsession in The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel. — KK

Independent bookstore map

Stumbling upon iheartbookstores.com reminded me of the value of purchasing books in person rather than simply clicking “buy now” online. The map on the site currently lists more than 6,000 independent bookstores across the U.S. Recently, I was about to buy a used book on eBay when I noticed that the seller was Recycle Bookstore in San Jose, CA, just a couple of miles from me. I decided to drive there and buy it in person instead. Of course, I ended up finding more books to buy and remembered how much I love the serendipity and magic of physical bookstores. — CD

Computer, enhance

A web-based photo enhancer called Mejorar Imagen is the best I’ve come across for quickly improving the quality of blurry, pixelated photos. Just select an enlargement multiple, drag your photo into the window, and wait for a minute or two. The results aren’t always perfect, but they are often excellent. I used it on a purposely downscaled photo from the Library of Congress to show you the results. — MF

Common misconceptions

We all believe things that aren’t true. To help me weed out falsehoods in my own life, I like to go through this amazing List of Common Misconceptions posted on Wikipedia. A lot of these are inconsequential, but still good to not repeat. — KK

Ultimate Stress Relief Cheat Sheets

Meredith Arthur, who has spent the past nine years investigating the source of her anxiety and physical pain, has recently put out a three-part newsletter series called Ultimate Stress Relief Cheat Sheets. She hopes that by sharing what is tried and true for her, she can help readers skip some of the steps she had to labor through. Reading about her personal journey was very helpful to me. It gives me hope that I can make my nervous system my best friend rather than my enemy. I love her practice of in-the-moment mantras and her current examples for escaping the freeze response.

• “I know that future me has [insert issue] covered, so I am going to let this go until it’s time to take action.”
• “I am allowed to have a short vacation from [insert issue].”
• “If I keep thinking this way, I will only get sicker. Instead, I am going to imagine a future in which I’ve solved [insert issue] in detail. I’ll allow that feeling of peace to wash over me.”

— CD

1,001 of the Greatest Science Fiction Quotes

Here are four quotes from science fiction books, stories, and movies:

• “There are few better ways to get to know how a species thinks than to learn their art.” — Becky Chambers, A Closed and Common Orbit, 2016 novel
• “Hope clouds observation.” — Frank Herbert, Dune, 1965 novel
• “We’re only different from the bacteria because we are able to ask what the hell this is all about. Not answer, just ask.”  — Carolyn Ives, “Umbernight,” 2018 short story
• The mind is a strange and wonderful thing. I’m not sure it’ll ever be able to figure itself out. Everything else maybe, from the atom to the universe, everything except itself. — Daniel Mainwaring, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956 film

If you find these worthwhile, you can read 997 more in Guy P. Harrison’s new book, Damn You, Entropy!: 1,001 of the Greatest Science Fiction Quotes. — MF

Electrocardiogram in your pocket

Pocket-sized EKG device for cardiac monitoring at home

I recently had a doctor’s appointment where the doctor did a quick Electrocardiogram (EKG) by pulling this tiny sensor out of his pocket. I put my two index fingers on it and rested the back of it against my ankle. In 30 seconds, he had the equivalent of a 6-lead EKG reading on his smartphone, and he determined I did not need to make an appointment for further testing.

New Tourist Taxes/Regional Drinking Preferences/Top Travel Backpack

Nomadico issue #117

A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.

Rundown of Tourist Taxes

So many destinations are adding some kind of tourist tax, especially for cruise passengers, that it’s getting hard to keep track. This article runs down the new ones, ranging from 4 euros (Lisbon) to $25 (Los Cabos) to more than $200 for the Galapagos Islands. Note that you’re likely already paying a tourist tax on vacation if you stay in a hotel, rent a car, arrive at/depart an airport, or rent through Airbnb. But these are an extra pocket lining crowd suppression tactic on top of all that.

Regions’ Alcohol Preferences Mapped

What will you be toasting if you drink local? Beer in the USA, beer or wine in Europe, spirits in Southeast Asia. Beer has at least a 30% share in every region of the world except Southeast Asia (including India), but 9 of the top-10 countries for per capita beer consumption are in Europe. The Czechs are the champs, with an average of 184 liters per person annually. See the details here.

A Reliable Travel Backpack

A year ago I ran down the most popular travel backpacks on Amazon and I’ve recently been traveling with one of the top full-capacity ones: the Farpoint 70 by Osprey. The “70” is the liters capacity and it has two sections, one being a daypack you can detach or attach as needed. It also zips up to cover the straps when you’re checking it at the airport. There’s a women’s version too. Here’s a YouTube video I put together showing what you get and note that it has a lifetime guarantee if anything fails.

Islands on the Olympic Map

If you’re headed to the Caribbean islands of St. Lucia or Dominica in the future, you may want to memorize the names Julien Alfred and Thea LaFond, respectively. Those two women won the very first Olympic medals for their country this year, both gold. Julien Alfred from St. Lucia won the 100-meter sprint, making her the fastest woman in the world, while Thea LaFond won the gold in the triple jump for Dominica. See the full story here.

Book Freak 167: The Utopia of Rules

On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy

Get The Utopia of Rules

In The Utopia of Rules (available as a free ebook from the Anarchist Library), the late anthropologist David Graeber explores the pervasive role of bureaucracy in modern life and its often counterintuitive effects. Published posthumously in 2015, this collection of essays challenges our assumptions about bureaucracy, technology, and the nature of freedom in contemporary society.

Graeber, known for his work on debt and his involvement in the Occupy Wall Street movement, brings his anthropological perspective to bear on the seemingly mundane world of paperwork, regulations, and administrative procedures. He argues that bureaucracy, far from being a necessary evil, has become a central feature of our lives that shapes our experiences and imaginations in profound ways.

Three key insights from the book:

Bureaucracy has become the water in which we swim

While people used to talk about bureaucracy constantly in the mid-20th century, it has now become so ubiquitous that we hardly notice it. Bureaucratic procedures and mindsets have invaded nearly every aspect of our lives, from filling out forms to interacting with automated systems.

“Nowadays, nobody talks much about bureaucracy. But in the middle of the last century, particularly in the late sixties and early seventies, the word was everywhere. There were sociological tomes with grandiose titles like A General Theory of Bureaucracy, The Politics of Bureaucracy, or even The Bureaucratization of the World, and popular paperback screeds with titles like Parkinson’s Law, The Peter Principle, or Bureaucrats: How to Annoy Them.”

The “Iron Law of Liberalism” leads to more, not less, bureaucracy

“The Iron Law of Liberalism states that any market reform, any government initiative intended to reduce red tape and promote market forces will have the ultimate effect of increasing the total number of regulations, the total amount of paperwork, and the total number of bureaucrats the government employs.”

The bureaucratization of academia stifles innovation

The increasing bureaucratization of universities has fundamentally changed the nature of academic work, squeezing out creativity and originality in favor of marketability and conformity.

“There was a time when academia was society’s refuge for the eccentric, brilliant, and impractical. No longer. It is now the domain of professional self-marketers. As for the eccentric, brilliant, and impractical: it would seem society now has no place for them at all… You [will] spend your time writing proposals rather than doing research. Worse, because your proposals are judged by your competitors you cannot follow your curiosity, but must spend your effort and talents on anticipating and deflecting criticism rather than on solving the important scientific problems.”

What to do about bureaucratization

While Graeber was more focused on analysis than prescription, he did offer several actionable ideas to reverse the tide of bureaucracy, including:

• Reclaim imagination and play as important aspects of social and political life
• Explore alternative, more participatory forms of social organization
• Reduce reliance on violence (including structural violence) in social organization
• Cultivate social relations based on trust rather than bureaucratic rules
• Promote transparency in existing bureaucratic systems
• Explore how technology might be used to reduce, rather than increase, bureaucracy

Thanks to Dave Boss for the recommendation! If you want to recommend a book for Book Freak, please let me know in the comments.

What’s in my NOW? — Luisa de Lachica