Cleopatra's Nose: Essays on the Unexpected [Paperback]

Daniel J. Boorstin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 1995

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Discoverers demonstrates the truth behind the aphorism that if Cleopatra's nose had been shorter, the face of the world would have been changed. Boorstin goes on to uncover the elements of accident, improvisation and contradiction at the core of American institutions and beliefs.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Librarian of Congress emeritus Boorstin (formerly history, Univ. of Chicago) presents a distillation of his ideas on the role of discovery and surprise in history. Some lesser pieces written for particular occasions and an affectionate but perceptive portrait of his father (and mother) round out this collection. The essays emphasize the unexpected as a major consequence of the path-breaking scientific discoveries and the major social, cultural, and political changes that have reshaped the Western world in the last few centuries. Boorstin delights in paradox: scientific discoveries sometimes only increase our ignorance; the new "kingdom of machines" seemingly contradicts the politics of common sense. The writing is fluid and mellow. Recommended for general and academic libraries.
Harry Frumerman, formerly with Hunter Coll., New York
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The amusingly cryptic title of Boorstin's rigorous essay collection comes from a line of Pascal's: "Cleopatra's nose, had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed." This observation appeals to Boorstin's penetrating sense of history and of "the crucial role of the accidental and the trivial." The Librarian of Congress Emeritus and one of the world's most widely read historians, Boorstin is a skilled essayist. Here he revisits his favorite subjects--American history, exploration, science, and technology--but uses them as conduits for fresh perceptions into our fractured era. He begins by putting a spin on his signature theme of discovery by discussing the value of "negative" discoveries: proving that certain things don't exist or aren't possible. This leads to an illuminating piece on the merging of the discoverer and the inventor, a union that gave life to a new personality: the scientist. In the midst of his thoughts on the role of machines in our lives, Boorstin turns his attention to human nature and presents us with two ardent and shrewd essays about conscience. One examines conscience and the art of writing; the other traces the roots of political correctness to a "startling renaissance of the New England conscience." Boorstin forces us to think clearly about the consequences of "Balkanizing" America and the habit of defining ourselves as victims. One of the many pleasures of reading is watching great minds at work; Boorstin's is one of the finest. Donna Seaman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (October 31, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679755187
• ISBN-13: 978-0679755180
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #641,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essays On Science And History, January 14, 2003

By 

Bruce Crocker "agnostictrickster" (Whittier, California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cleopatra's Nose: Essays on the Unexpected (Hardcover)

Cleopatra's Nose by Daniel Boorstin is a very good collection of forwards, introductions, lectures, and articles that Boorstin wrote in the '90s. The collection seems to be loosely held together by two themes: science in today's world thrives on the unexpected and discovering the limits of our knowledge [the more we know, the more we know that we don't know] and that the United States is a different kind of country and that's what makes it such a great country. If you are looking to read a book by Boorstin with one theme, then this is not the book for you. For those readers, I'd recommend The Discoverers, The Creators, and The Seekers. If you are a reader of essays or you are looking for smaller samples of Boorstin's writing, then this could be the book for you. I read it straight through, and despite the repetition of material between some of the essays, I found it to be a quick and thought provoking read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why it might not be what you expect., November 22, 2003

By 

Toby R. Fuller "Toby Robb" (Burlington, VT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cleopatra's Nose: Essays on the Unexpected (Paperback)

After reading Boorstin's Discoverers, Seekers and Creators this book came as something of a shock. As Oliver Sacks and Stephen Gould have written reflective commentaries on issues in their fields of psychology and natural history repectively; Cleopatra's Nose seemed to be marketed as a similar undertaking by Boorstein to develop reflections on the relationship of historical events to our contemporary lives. As other reviews expressed the book seems disjointed, repetitive, and not the Boorstin style and depth for which he is lauded.

The explanation for this, and what the book jacket does not tell you, is that this book was not written to be a book at all. Cleopatra's Nose is a collection of Boorstin's speeches, articles and forewards ranging from a 1944 magazine article to a 1993 speech. Read the Acknowledgements section, which tells you the time and audience each piece was originally written for, and the essays will be much more significant.

That being understood, this book has a few flahes of Boorstin brilliance, but may be more valuable for understanding the views and life of Daniel Boorstin himself.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good but not Great, August 15, 2003

By 

Avid Reader (Franklin, Tn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cleopatra's Nose: Essays on the Unexpected (Paperback)

Boorstin is an American treasure with such jewels as The Seekers, the Discoverers, the Creators and the award-winning series on America. He has ventured further and further afield from "pure" American history as he has matured. Or perhaps he understands that "history" is more than dates, battles, places, royalty, marriages and wars. More than anything else, history is about people and in this area, Boorstin shines.

This series of essays concerns the improbable or I should say the unexpected in various realms, mainly science and history. As a Euro-centric writer with a reform Judaic perspective he has a natural expectation that humankind will continue to achieve, learn and triumph. The only thing negative about these essays are their dissimilarity and irregularity. There is also an uneveness in quality that many may find jarring.