Frontinus: Stratagems, Aqueducts of Rome by Frontinus (translated by Charles E. Bennett) (1 January 1925) Amazon link What's it about?: Two books: a treatise on warfare, and an official report on the state of the aqueducts of Rome, by Sextus Julius Frontinus, civil engineer, author, soldier, and senator of the Roman Empire in the first … Continue reading Stratagems, Aqueducts of Rome
Author: Lawrence Deveney
Winchell
Winchell: Gossip, Power, and the Culture of Celebrity by Neal Gabler Vintage (26 September 1995) Amazon link What's it about?: Neal Gabler's biography of tabloid columnist and broadcaster Walter Winchell. Written in the context of celebrity culture, and how this developed over time with Winchell as the celebrity columnist. My opinion: Probably the most readable … Continue reading Winchell
The Scapegoat
The Scapegoat by Rene Girard (translated by Yvonne Freccero) John Hopkins University Press (15 August 1989) Amazon link The Scapegoat is Rene Girard's study of collective violence, comparing persecution texts -- written from the perspective of the persecutors -- with ancient mythology. The ideas presented don't fit easily into any academic niche, which might be … Continue reading The Scapegoat
Faust
Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (translated by Walter Kaufmann) KNOPF US (31 March 1999) Amazon page What's it about?: Goethe's tragic play, Faust, in a volume providing the original German text, with philosopher Walter Kaufmann's English translation on the facing pages. Based on a traditional theme of making a deal with the devil, Mephistopheles, … Continue reading Faust
The 33 Strategies of War
The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene Penguin (1 January 2008) Amazon link What's it about?: The third book in Robert Greene's series on power, seduction, and war, The 33 Strategies of War draws upon thousands of years of conflict to deliver a modern treatise on war and strategic thinking. Political, philosophical and religious … Continue reading The 33 Strategies of War
We Are Not Alone
"It's okay to be discouraged. It's not okay to quit. To know you want to quit but to plant your feet and keep inching closer until you take the impenetrable fortress you’ve decided to lay siege to in your own life—that's persistence." -Ryan Holiday Breaking Benjamin released their second album, We Are Not Alone, on … Continue reading We Are Not Alone
No
Writing this piece was not what I imagined myself doing today, but here we are: No, I am not related to Catherine Deveny. You can stop asking about that. Thank you.
The 48 Laws of Power
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene Penguin (1 September 2000) Amazon link What's it about?: Reportedly one of the most requested and banned books in American prison libraries, and cited by many in the entertainment industry. The 48 Laws of Power is presented as a how-to guide on the acquisition of power, drawing … Continue reading The 48 Laws of Power
Breaking the Habit
"Before the invention of steam power, boat captains had an ingenious way of defeating the wickedly strong current of the Mississippi River. A boat going upriver would pull alongside a boat about to head downriver, and after wrapping a rope around a tree or a rock, the boats would tie themselves to each other. The … Continue reading Breaking the Habit
The Hidden-Hand Presidency
The Hidden-Hand Presidency: Eisenhower as Leader by Fred I. Greenstein John Hopkins University Press (1 May 1994) Amazon link What's it about?: The life and times of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, with a focus on analysing his style of leadership, and the significance of his legacy in modern America. Author Fred Greenstein draws on … Continue reading The Hidden-Hand Presidency
Lawrence Deveney 