One hundred years after the death of Mark Twain, the publication of his autobiography by UC Press is looking like the publishing phenomenon of this new century.  The excitement caught even UC Press by surprise as their first print run sold out, and they are churning out more as fast as they can.  Here at UPB, we have just put a picture of the book’s cover on our bestseller table because we can’t keep enough copies of the book itself in stock!  We are looking forward to our event with editor Benjamin Griffin on December 16th.  For interesting background on the autobiography and the Bancroft Library’s Mark Twain Project, see http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/mark-twains-last-stunt/Content?oid=2138536.
 
And this is just Volume One!

I’ve just finished reading British linguist David Crystal’s autobiography.  Often hilarious, sometimes poignant, it’s a sheer delight.  The author’s curiosity and zest for everything linguistic (and beyond) is infectious.  John Lawler’s review of this book says of the first chapter, “Being a Linguist,” that “every linguist in the world will go yessing through this chapter.”  I would add that many a faculty member these days will nod vigorously through a later chapter’s description of academic life during the financial cutbacks of the Thatcher years!  This book will interest anyone who enjoys language, whether or not they are professionals in this field.  Sorayya Carr, UPB

Harvard primatologist Richard Wrangham presents the theory that a shift from raw to cooked foods during hominid evolution had profound physical and social effects that led to the development of modern humans.  I approached this book with some skepticism, being disinclined to accept single-cause explanations, and I couldn’t read the chapter title “How Cooking Frees Men” without a jaundiced eye.  But Wrangham amasses quite a bit of information in support of his theory, and he provides a balanced view of the tradeoffs involved, especially for women, in the move toward dependence on cooked foods. Whether or not one accepts cooking as the single most crucial innovation in human evolution, this book is worth including among the readings in a human evolution course. Sorayya Carr, UPB partner, anthropologist.

We surely have all had the experience of driving with a passenger, riding with a driver, or being stuck in traffic behind someone with a very different driving philosophy.  And we all have opinions on the traffic calming measures that are popular in Bay Area cities, as well as various CalTrans decisions about highways.  Tom Vanderbilt drove, rode with local drivers, and interviewed psychologists and traffic engineers all over the world.  The resulting book is full of insights, many of them counterintuitive.  It gives the reader a greater appreciation for the complexities of traffic engineering and for other drivers’ differing viewpoints. It might even make us all safer drivers.  As for me, I’d still rather take public transit, where I can just sit and read.  Sorayya Carr, UPB partner.