Tag: Teach Me How To Dewey

DDC 250-259: Parish Administration: The Movie

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

This Is How We Dewey:

  • 250 Christian orders & local church
  • 251 Preaching (Homiletics)
  • 252 Texts of sermons
  • 253 Pastoral office (Pastoral theology)
  • 254 Parish government & administration
  • 255 Religious congregations & orders
  • 256 No longer used—formerly Religious societies
  • 257 No longer used—formerly Parochial schools, libraries, etc.
  • 258 No longer used—formerly Parochial medicine
  • 259 Activities of the local church

Are you ready for the explosive, blockbuster, wham-bang awesomeness that is 254 Parish government & administration? Can’t wait for a movie to be made out of books in that section. Meanwhile, I was surprised to find a lot of interesting material here. It ranged (as is evident below) from silly to sincere, with some strange mixed in too. I think it’s very important for any subculture to be able to make fun of itself, and there’s a good amount of evidence for that within Christianity, whether by current or former adherents. Of course, as a old religion it has its more rigid types, but we all need to laugh, especially when things are funny. Sounds obvious, but it’s easy to get trapped in the thinking that all sacred things must also be serious and earnest. Sometimes serious things are funny.

The Dew3:

Nuns Having Fun
By Maureen Kelly
Dewey: 255.9
Random Sentence: “Protect us, O Lord, for we are upright women–at least for now.”

Church Signs Across America
By Steve Paulson
Dewey: 254.4
Random Sentence: “A good angle to approach any problem is the ‘try’-angle.”

Strength to Love
By Martin Luther King
Dewey: 252
Random Sentence: “We can master fear through one of the supreme virtues known to man: courage.”

July 4, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 240-249: Ain’t your mama’s Christian writing

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

This Is How We Dewey:

  • 240 Christian moral & devotional theology
  • 241 Moral theology
  • 242 Devotional literature
  • 243 Evangelistic writings for individuals
  • 244 No longer used—formerly Religious fiction
  • 245 No longer used—formerly Hymnology
  • 246 Use of art in Christianity
  • 247 Church furnishings & articles
  • 248 Christian experience, practice, life
  • 249 Christian observances in family life

The thing I like about sections like this is how it surprises. Even though (or perhaps because) I grew up in the Christian world and am very familiar with its tropes, biases, and tendencies, I love when I find new things—perspectives that challenge conventional wisdom or allow for greater nuance and a rich, learning experience.

Anne Lamott (featured below) is a good example of this: though she is a Christian writer, she could hardly be more unconventional or irreverent in her approach and writing style. People who have either struggled with religiously oriented literature or written it off entirely would be pleasantly surprised by writers like her who, as the saying goes, ain’t your mama’s Christian writer. This is just one example of how Dewey, and really libraries in general, can surprise you if you take the time to browse and let serendipity be your guide.

The Dew3:

Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will
By Kevin DeYoung
Dewey: 248.4
Random Sentence: “Wisdom sounds good but how does it work?”

Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith
By Anne Lamott
Dewey: 248.4
Random Sentence: “I was an out-of-control alcoholic then–but in a good way, I had thought.”

Sin Bravely: A Joyful Alternative to A Purpose-Driven Life
By Mark Ellingsen
Dewey: 248.4
Random Sentence: “Such a diminution of sin is what the American public wants.”

July 2, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 230-239: Fresh loaves and fishes

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

This Is How We Dewey:

  • 230 Christian theology
  • 231 God
  • 232 Jesus Christ & his family
  • 233 Humankind
  • 234 Salvation (Soteriology) & grace
  • 235 Spiritual beings
  • 236 Eschatology
  • 237 No longer used—formerly Future state
  • 238 Creeds & catechisms
  • 239 Apologetics & polemics

Probably because, not in spite of, Christianity’s hitherto cultural/religious hegemony in the United States specifically, it has inspired a lot of writing. Some good, some terrible, and some I’m not quite sure about. Reading Jesus (below), for example, seems to bring a new approach to the Gospels, which are arguably the most published and referenced texts in world history. At weddings, funerals, and many events in between we hear many of the same verses quoted as inspiration and encouragement, or as argument or counterargument. It’s easy to cherry-pick and plug in a verse for an occasion, but how often does it go beyond that? There’s a lot to consider if we want to get past the tired, old interpretations of religious orthodoxy, so as someone reared in the Christian world I appreciate those who try to look at Jesus and his teachings in fresh ways.

The Dew3:

Disappointment With God: Three Questions No One Asks Aloud
By Philip Yancey
Dewey: 231.7
Random Sentence: “Richard does not know Mother Theresa, but he does know me.”

Reading Jesus: A Writer’s Encounter With the Gospels
By Mary Gordon
Dewey: 232
Random Sentence: “The darkness of my grandmother’s bedroom.”

The Great Divorce
By C.S. Lewis
Dewey: 236.2
Random Sentence: “‘Whisht, now!’ said my Teacher suddenly.”

June 27, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 220-229: Blessed is Samuel L. Jackson

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

This Is How We Dewey:

  • 220 Bible
  • 221 Old Testament
  • 222 Historical books of Old Testament
  • 223 Poetic books of Old Testament
  • 224 Prophetic books of Old Testament
  • 225 New Testament
  • 226 Gospels & Acts
  • 227 Epistles
  • 228 Revelation (Apocalypse)
  • 229 Apocrypha & pseudepigrapha

Regardless of how accurate it is in a given situation, deploying “Old Testament” as an intensifying adjective/adverb–i.e. “It’s about to get Old Testament up in here”–is one of my favorite things. To me in implies a righteous fury or a majestic/violent power that descends from above in order to make a plain scenario a whole lot less plain.

I guess what I mean to say is that “Old Testament” seems like Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction: wide-eyed, vindictive, and not at all safe for work.

Whether it’s a fight scene in a movie or an argument with a friend, the metaphorical and rhetorical power of the Old Testament is a lot more interesting than people (religious and secular) give it credit for. Those who saw the Darren Aronofsky film Noah will understand this, as that well-worn Old Testament tale got an authentically Old Testament retelling that both does justice to the text and brings that aforementioned righteous fury to the filmmaking and the story.

What were we talking about again? Oh yeah… It is pretty evident by now that the 200s have a strong predilection toward Christianity. This is probably a remnant of the original Dewey classification of the mid-to-late 19th century, which was born in a much more faith-infused time than ours. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, since Christianity is often woefully misunderstood (or not understood at all) by its critics but also by its proponents. That’s certainly the case, too, for other major religions, so I guess the moral here is: Learn!

The Dew3:

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible
By A.J. Jacobs
Dewey: 220
Random Sentence: “The floor is exactly like a Seattle mosh pit circa 1992.”

The Book of Books: The Radical Impact of the King James Bible, 1611-2011
By Melvyn Bragg
Dewey: 220.52
Random Sentence: “Gravity was God’s other face.”

Water from the Well: Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah
By Anne Richardson Roiphe
Dewey: 221.922082
Random Sentence: “She must have been wrapped in regret.”

June 25, 2014 1 Comment

DDC 210-219: Are you there, God? It’s Melvil

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

This Is How We Dewey:

  • 211 Concepts of God
  • 212 Existence, attributes of God
  • 213 Creation
  • 214 Theodicy
  • 215 Science & religion
  • 216 No longer used—formerly Evil
  • 217 No longer used—formerly Prayer
  • 218 Humankind
  • 219 No longer used—formerly Analogies

Once again we’ve got a number of winning Ghosts of Dewey Past. Perhaps it’s fitting that formerly evil is in the section about God. Whether by divine intervention, miracle, or the fortuitous maneuverings of an OCLC employee, Dewey #216 is no longer the damnable hellscape of sin and evil it once was, and I for one am thankful. I was pleasantly surprised to find a quite varied field of God-related books: some that argue for the existence of God, others that aren’t so sure, and some that make a federal case out of their certitude either way. Personally, I’m more interested in the former than the latter. Doubt, like any tool, serves an important purpose in its right context, so leaving some room for it, I think, is a healthy way to look at the world.

But what do I know anyway?

The Dew3:

Einstein’s God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit
By Krista Tippett
Dewey: 215
Random Sentence: “But ‘wonder’ for St. Augustine was a religious experience that drove back to a creator.”

Divinity of Doubt: The God Question
By Vincent Bugliosi
Dewey: 211.7
Random Sentence: “I’ve said that I don’t believe Jesus was insane.”

Galileo Goes to Jail: And Other Myths About Science and Religion
Edited by Ronald Numbers
Dewey: 215
Random Sentence: “As Stark sees it, chimneys and pianos, and all the more so chemistry and physics, owe their existence to Catholics and Protestants.”

June 23, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 200-209: The R Word

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

This Is How We Dewey:

  • 200 Religion
  • 201 Religious mythology, general classes of religion, interreligious relations and attitudes, social theology
  • 202 Doctrines
  • 203 Public worship and other practices
  • 204 Religious experience, life, practice
  • 205 Religious ethics
  • 206 Leaders and organization
  • 207 Missions and religious education
  • 208 Sources
  • 209 Sects and reform movements

Y’all ready for this? It’s about to get contentious up in here. Religion has been and always will be a hot topic to tackle no matter where you’re from or what you believe. But the first ten-spots of the 200s is a nice way to ease into such a gargantuan topic, as it covers religion in the broadest way possible. Hence, a book about religion in Star Trek sitting comfortably near another about zen and mysticism by a Trappist monk. There’s a lot to enjoy and delve into in this section, and it’s diverse enough to appeal to many interests. That won’t necessarily be the case moving forward, so I hope you’re prepared for some spice…

The Dew3:

Religions of Star Trek
By Ross Shepard Kraemer
Dewey: 200
Random Sentence: “Is the Q Continuum Star Trek’s answer to the Force?”

Mystics and Zen Masters
By Thomas Merton
Dewey: 204.2
Random Sentence: “This pilgrimage, let us repeat it, does not end at the monastery gate.”

The Language God Talks: On Science and Religion
By Herman Wouk
Dewey: 201.65
Random Sentence: “What Dick Feynman needs is a swift kick in the arse.”

June 20, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 190-199: Go west, young philosopher

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

This Is How We Dewey:

  • 190 Modern Western philosophy
  • 191 Modern Western philosophy of the United States and Canada
  • 192 Modern Western philosophy of the British Isles
  • 193 Modern Western philosophy of Germany and Austria
  • 194 Modern Western philosophy of France
  • 195 Modern Western philosophy of Italy
  • 196 Modern Western philosophy of Spain and Portugal
  • 197 Modern Western philosophy of the former Soviet Union
  • 198 Modern Western philosophy of Scandinavia
  • 199 Modern Western philosophy in other geographic areas

As we round the final bend of the 100s Tributary (of the Dewey River in the United States of Libraries), let’s take a moment to enjoy the scenery of this particular ecosystem of knowledge we’ve paddled through in the last ten posts. We’ve had our minds blown by huge universal ideas and by the paradox of formerly infinity; we’ve given a new (and probably better) definition of physiognomy and sat on Freud’s couch; and above all we’ve learned that there is so much to learn.

When we’re dealing with trying to capture and organize the sum of human knowledge, I’d say that’s a logical and humbling lesson to let sink in as we venture further into the Deweybyss. Or, to put it as one of the Dew3 picks does, let us move forward with fear and trembling as we get ready to tackle one of the two topics traditionally off-limits at Thanksgiving dinner: religion (the other being politics – we’re coming for you, 320s).

For now, though, let us enjoy the relative tranquility provided by the civil and introspective discussions of the 190s.

The Dew3:

The Book of Dead Philosophers
By Simon Critchley
Dewey: 190
Random Sentence: “He was, in G.K. Chesterton’s words, ‘a huge bull of a man, fat and slow and quiet.’”

Fear and Trembling: And, the Sickness Unto Death
By Soren Kierkegaard
Dewey: 198.9
Random Sentence: “Is this utterance publici juris, or is it a privatissimum?”

Talking With Sartre: Conversations and Debates
By John Gerassi
Dewey: 194
Random Sentence: “Ah, concrete situations!”

June 18, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 180-189: Questions, questions

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

This Is How We Dewey:

  • 180 Ancient, medieval, and Eastern philosophy
  • 181 Eastern philosophy
  • 182 Pre-Socratic Greek philosophies
  • 183 Socratic and related philosophies
  • 184 Platonic philosophy
  • 185 Aristotelian philosophy
  • 186 Skeptic and Neoplatonic philosophies
  • 187 Epicurean philosophy
  • 188 Stoic philosophy
  • 189 Medieval Western philosophy

I admit that I haven’t been exposed much to ancient philosophy, outside of that college philosophy class I’ve mentioned. I remember being especially taken by Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and its take on friendship. I love learning about different taxonomies and ways of looking at things we take for granted or don’t really think about that much. Like, what does love actually mean? What does it mean to genuinely love someone? When you start asking fundamental questions about the big yet basic elements of life, you begin quite the journey that will end either with your total enlightenment or a complete mental breakdown. Here’s hoping it’s the former.

The Dew3:

How Plato and Pythagoras Can Save Your Life: The Ancient Greek Prescription for Health and Happiness
By Nicholas Kardaras
Dewey: 180
Random Sentence: “But these sorts of abilities are possible–for those very special white crows.”

Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy
By Christopher Phillips
Dewey: 183.2
Random Sentence: “‘A hundred just sounds right,’ she says, affecting a seraphic grin.”

Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life: A Guide for Everyday Practice
By Charlotte Bell
Dewey: 181.45
Random Sentence: “I didn’t think about the orange-clad long-distance walker again until six years later.”

June 16, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 170-179: What are you reading under there?

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

This Is How We Dewey:

  • 170 Ethics
  • 171 Ethical systems
  • 172 Political ethics
  • 173 Ethics of family relationships
  • 174 Occupational ethics
  • 175 Ethics of recreation and leisure
  • 176 Ethics of sex and reproduction
  • 177 Ethics of social relations
  • 178 Ethics of consumption
  • 179 Other ethical norms

Time to get ethical, everyone. In our continuing journey through the 100s, I’ve noticed that the focus thus far has been on how and what to think vis a vis psychology, logic, and philosophical schools of thought. Now, with ethics, we’ve dipped our toes into action, or more specifically how what we think should influence what we do. Almost every profession or discipline has a branch of professional ethics that tackle the what-ifs and sticky situations of the vocation.

For libraries, these often involve heady topics like intellectual freedom, the right to privacy, and the dos and don’ts of access and collection development. A popular manifestation of this is ALA’s Banned Books Week, wherein libraries feature frequently challenged books and debate how best to protect the freedom to read when it’s under attack. (Speaking of under, the most frequently challenged book of 2013? Captain Underpants. Yep.)

So while your local librarians fight to keep a children’s book series about a scantily clad superhero on the shelves, consider the occupational and ethical absurdities you have to deal with in your own profession. Any wild examples?

The Dew3:

True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-fact Society
By Farhad Manjoo
Dewey: 177.3
Random Sentence: “Presidents, for one, don’t matter much, they found.”

How We Behave at the Feast: Reflections on Living in An Age of Plenty
By Dwight Currie
Dewey: 170.44
Random Sentence: “When all else fails, you’ve always got mail.”

How to Be A Hepburn in A Hilton World: The Art of Living With Style, Class, and Grace
By Jordan Christy
Dewey: 170.842
Random Sentence: “The same goes for Lifehouse’s hunky front man, Jason Wade.”

June 12, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 160-169: Beam me up, Logic

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

This Is How We Dewey:

  • 160 Logic
  • 161 Induction
  • 162 Deduction
  • 163 Not assigned or no longer used
  • 164 Not assigned or no longer used
  • 165 Fallacies and sources of error
  • 166 Syllogisms
  • 167 Hypotheses
  • 168 Argument and persuasion
  • 169 Analogy

You know what they say about logic…

Though I am very much not a math or science person, I think Spock is onto something here regarding the stimulating nature of logic. Like a beautifully composed painting or cohesive album, as a simple composition an airtight, symmetrical equation or argument is a wonder to behold. All those Xs and Ys and numbers coming together to make something grand. It’s wonderful, I say. (I realize logic is more than math equations and scientific hypotheses—deal with it.)

Like the 140s, this section in my library had slim pickin’s, at least compared to the 150s. Perhaps that’s a metaphor for our times. I can only hope that the popularity of the Star Trek reboots will bring logic back in vogue, because there’s nothing people like more than a know-it-all coolly calling out everyone’s BS.

The Dew3:

Arguing for Our Lives: A User’s Guide to Constructive Dialog
By Robert Jensen
Dewey: 160
Random Sentence: “That arrogance is what has transformed Earth into Eaarth.”

Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking
By Dennis Q. McInerny
Dewey: 160
Random Sentence: “Every dog has three heads.”

Crimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders
By Jamie Whyte
Dewey: 160
Random Sentence: “It is a rare foray into gobbledygook that does not begin with a tribute to quantum physics.”

June 11, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 150-159: Paging Dr. Freud…

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

This Is How We Dewey:

  • 150 Psychology
  • 151 No longer used—formerly Intellect
  • 152 Perception, movement, emotions, and drives
  • 153 Mental processes and intelligence
  • 154 Subconscious and altered states
  • 155 Differential and developmental psychology
  • 156 Comparative psychology
  • 157 No longer used—formerly Emotions
  • 158 Applied psychology
  • 159 No longer used—formerly Will

What’s that saying? Psychology is the study of a tree whereas sociology is the study of the forest? Well, consider it Arbor Day on Teach Me How To Dewey. My library had a robust 150s selection compared to the 140s, which perhaps isn’t surprising given the broad nature and scope of psychology. The human brain is a deep well of possibility, capable of so much (language, intelligent design) and yet so little (YouTube comment sections). Of course Freud and Jung and Co. pop up here, but also pop psychology and books than aren’t quite as obsessed with sex as Sigmund.

It’s interesting to see how formerly used Dewey sections, like 157 and 159, have or have not been integrated within modern arrangements. Emotions has moved from 157 to 152, yet Will has disappeared, at least from the 150s. Perhaps a more robust study of Dewey would reveal these nuances?

TheDew3:

The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
By M. Scott Peck
Dewey: 158.1
Random Sentence: “Life is difficult.”

Savage Girls and Wild Boys: A History of Feral Children
By Michael Newton
Dewey: 155.4567
Random Sentence: “They ran on all fours, bowed head-down in the dust.”

The Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation, and Making Stuff
By Rich Gold
Dewey: 153.35
Random Sentence: “And before Barney it was a well-known Kahuna that only boys like dinosaurs.”

June 10, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 140-149: The sexiest of all -isms

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

This Is How We Dewey:

  • 140 Philosophical schools of thought
  • 141 Idealism and related systems
  • 142 Critical philosophy
  • 143 Bergsonism and intuitionism
  • 144 Humanism and related systems
  • 145 Sensationalism
  • 146 Naturalism and related systems
  • 147 Pantheism and related systems
  • 148 Liberalism, eclecticism, and traditionalism
  • 149 Other philosophical systems

Of all the subtopics in 140-149, pantheism has the coolest name by far. Its definition and substance are certainly debatable, but having nearly all of the word panther in it makes it the coolest and sexiest of all -isms. (Admittedly not a high bar to hit.)

For probably the first time in Dewey thus far, the number of words in this 10-spot that end in “-ism” far outnumber those that don’t. Translation: It’s about to get ideological up in her’. This is not to say that ideology is bad; it’s simply incomplete most of the time, or limited in its understanding of the world. Believing in only one -ism is impossible, but once you start collecting them your box of -isms becomes a cluttered hoard of old toys that don’t always play well with each other.

So be smart with your -isms, everyone!

The Dew3:

Dancing in the Dark: Romance, Yearning, and the Search for the Sublime
By Barbara Lazear Ascher
Dewey: 141.6
Random Sentence: “‘She’s not in my way, Terrence,’ says Banana Moon Cake Man.’ ”

Hope in the Age of Anxiety
By Anthony Scioli
Dewey: 149.5
Random Sentence: “Hope lets you breathe a little easier.”

The Essential Transcendentalists
Edited by Richard Geldard
Dewey: 141.3
Random Sentence: “No sun illumines me, for I dissolve all lesser lights in my own intenser and steadier light.”

June 6, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 130-139: Calling Questlove

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

The Rundown:

  • 130 Parapsychology and occultism
  • 131 Parapsychological and occult methods
  • 132 No longer used—formerly Mental derangements
  • 133 Specific topics in parapsychology and occultism
  • 134 No longer used—formerly Mesmerism and Clairvoyance
  • 135 Dreams and mysteries
  • 136 No longer used—formerly Mental characteristics
  • 137 Divinatory graphology
  • 138 Physiognomy
  • 139 Phrenology

So many strange words in this section–where to start? I have no idea what Physiognomy (138) means and I’m not even going to look it up. I’m going to pretend that it is the study of a human’s physiological reaction to gnomes. Academic librarians, could you point me to some good physiognomy journals? Publications lacking pictures of gnomes will not be considered. We also have Phrenology, which I’m assuming is the study of The Roots. (Contrary evidence of this assertion also will not be considered.)

Meanwhile, we’ve got a fascinating collection of topics in this ten-spot, including Mental derangements, Mesmerism, and Divinatory graphology, which is the practice of seeking knowledge of the future (divinatory) through handwriting analysis (graphology). Ummmm… OK. I should come out as a skeptic of this kind of stuff: not of the paranormal per se, because I do believe in the spiritual, but of the general wisdom of messing around with all the “dark matter” out there. I’m happy to debate and learn more about it, but don’t invite me to your seance because I’m too busy Deweying.

On second thought, summoning the spirit of Melvil Dewey for a Q&A on this blog would be quite the scoop.

The Dew3:

Cosmic Karma: Understanding Your Contract With the Universe
By Marguerite Manning
Dewey: 133.5
Random Sentence: “In this Pluto house, intellectual freedom is power.”

So You Want To Be Psychic?
By Billy Roberts
Dewey: 133.8
Random Sentence: “Allow the space surrounding you to become slowly flooded with vibrant light, coloured with pink.”

You Can Read A Face Like A Book: How Reading Faces Helps You Succeed in Business and Relationships
By Naomi Tickle
Dewey: 138
Random Sentence: “Individuals with large ear lobes are naturally inclined to support others in their personal growth.”

June 4, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 120-129: Deweyterminism

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

The Rundown:

  • 120 Epistemology, causation, and humankind
  • 121 Epistemology
  • 122 Causation
  • 123 Determinism and indeterminism
  • 124 Teleology
  • 125 No longer used—formerly Infinity
  • 126 The self
  • 127 The unconscious and the subconscious
  • 128 Humankind
  • 129 Origin and destiny of individual souls

Can we discuss 125 for a second? “Formerly Infinity”? That 1) should be a high school garage band or Tumblr immediately, and 2) is, when you think about it for a second, an insane mind-melt. Something used to be infinite but now is not?

I was also intrigued by teleology, which is the study of evidences of design in nature. In fact, all of these topics are terrifically vast fields of knowledge through which we can frolic and smell the books. (Though if you start poking around the subconscious, get ready to find some crazy stuff.) If you’re looking for some light beach reading, now you know where to start.

The Dew3:

Life is a Miracle: An Essay on Modern Superstition
By Wendell Berry
Dewey: 121
Random Sentence: “If local adaptation is important, as I believe it unquestionably is, then we must undertake, in both science and art, the effort of familiarity.”

Love: Plato, the Bible, and Freud
By Douglas Morgan
Dewey: 128
Random Sentence: “Love is, among many other things, a fact.”

The Philosopher and the Wolf: Lessons From the Wild on Love, Death, and Happiness
By Mark Rowlands
Dewey: 128
Random Sentence: “The truth is, I suppose, that I’ve always been a natural misanthrope.”

June 2, 2014 1 Comment

DDC 110-119: Let’s get metaphysical

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

The Rundown:

  • 110 Metaphysics
  • 111 Ontology
  • 112 No longer used—formerly Methodology
  • 113 Cosmology (Philosophy of nature)
  • 114 Space
  • 115 Time
  • 116 Change
  • 117 Structure
  • 118 Force and energy
  • 119 Number and quantity

Time to get college-dorm-at-2am up in here. I mean, just look at the subtopics in this 10-spot: change, space, time (though unfortunately nothing on the space-time continuum), energy… Each of these concepts are their own unfathomable galaxies within the blown-mind universe. Sometimes it seems these kinds of heady topics can only be discussed after a few pints at the pub. Does anyone outside of academia actually sit down and read books about this stuff? For a non-STEM person like me, books like The Infinite Book below are great because they are meant to make the dense quandaries of high-level science more accessible for English majors like me. But perhaps I need to challenge myself.

Or I’ll just read another novel.

The Dew3:

The Phenomenon of Man
By Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Dewey: 113
Random Sentence: “The paradox of man resolves itself by passing beyond measure.”

The Infinite Book: A Short Guide to the Boundless, Timeless and Endless
By John D. Barrow
Dewey: 111.6
Random Sentence: “Pythagoras believed infinity was the destroyer in the Universe, the malevolent annihilator of worlds.”

Grammars of Creation
By George Steiner
Dewey: 116
Random Sentence: “It can be cancelled and reduced to trackless silence.”

May 30, 2014 1 Comment

DDC 100-109: Don’t know much philosophy

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

The Rundown:

  • 100 Philosophy and psychology
  • 101 Theory of philosophy
  • 102 Miscellany of philosophy
  • 103 Dictionaries and encyclopedias of philosophy
  • 104 No longer used—formerly Essays
  • 105 Serial publications of philosophy
  • 106 Organizations and management of philosophy
  • 107 Education, research, and related topics of philosophy
  • 108 Kinds of persons in philosophy
  • 109 Historical treatment of philosophy

Ahhhhhh… Sam Cooke. Melodically justifying ignorance since 1960. But those of us who don’t know much about philosophy are in luck: Dewey’s got us covered. Having conquered the first 100 Dewey points, we now enter the mind-melting glass case of cognition dedicated to Philosophy and Psychology. This first 10-spot focuses on philosophy, its theories and important historical figures. If you’re like me, you’re now having flashbacks to that Philosophy 101 course you took freshman year that was very stimulating but also made your brain hurt after every session and where you learned how to extend two pages’ worth of substantive arguments into 10 pages of grade-A high-falutin’ BS. (Or was that just me?)

Anyway, I really am fascinated by philosophy, even if I’m not cut out to study it hardcore. (I’m also noticing that it’s a super annoying word to type, at least for hunt-and-pecker like me. For the last time, hands, it’s not philospohy!) A lot of the books in my library were dedicated to making philosophy accessible to laypeople, which is good because it’s often not. Still, it is everywhere, even when it’s not evident. Just ask the Philosoraptor.

The Dew3:

Plato and A Platypus Walk Into A Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes
By Thomas Cathcart
Dewey: 102 CAT
Random Sentence: “Curiously, Camus looked a lot like Humphrey Bogart.”

The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’oh! of Homer
Edited by William Irwin et al.
Dewey: 100 SIM
Random Sentence: “Can Nietzche’s rejection of traditional morality justify Bart’s bad behavior?”

Astonish Yourself! 101 Experiments in the Philosophy of Everyday Life
By Roger Pol-Droit
Dewey: 100 DRO
Random Sentence: “Do not step out of that shower jet’s narrow circle.”

May 28, 2014 1 Comment

DDC 090-099: Kell yeah!

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

The Rundown:

  • 090 Manuscripts & rare books
  • 091 Manuscripts
  • 092 Block books
  • 093 Incunabula
  • 094 Printed books
  • 095 Books notable for bindings
  • 096 Books notable for illustrations
  • 097 Books notable for ownership or origin
  • 098 Prohibited works, forgeries & hoaxes
  • 099 Books notable for format

We made it to the end of our first 100 of Dewey! #WeDeweyedIt! And if it wasn’t totally evident by now that the Dewey Decimal Classification is about books, allow it to remind you one more time with this 10-spot dedicated to the things of books themselves: manuscripts, incunabula, and the kind of rare books only super-booksellers dare deal with. My closest encounter with this material happened in a Preservation & Conservation class in library school, wherein we learned about the history of paper, bookbinding, and conservation techniques, and also got to make a few books from scratch (one of which I won in a lottery at the end of the course – still a life highlight). To cap the course we had to write a research paper on any topic course-related; I chose to write a brief history of incunabula (early books) and titled the paper Dream of the 1490s: Gutenberg and the Birth of the Printed Book, a title fans of Portlandia and books will be able to appreciate.

With the exception of the lacuna of despair that was the 040s, this section (in my library at least) has had the slimmest of pickings. The highlight would probably be the legendary Book of Kells (about which a delightful movie was made). Anyone else find something cool in the 090s?

The Dew2:

The Book of Kells
By Bernard Meehan
Dewey: 096.1 MEE
Random Sentence: “According to Pliny, the chief characteristic of the panther was that its sweet breath attracted and stunned other animals.”

Literary Hoaxes: An Eye-Opening History of Famous Frauds
By Melissa Katsoulis
Dewey: 098.3 KAT
Random Sentence: “Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things, but being a great and passionate lover is not one of them.”

May 26, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 080-089: Paging Carrot Top

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

The Rundown:

  • 080 General collections
  • 081 Collections in American English
  • 082 Collections in English
  • 083 Collections in other Germanic languages
  • 084 Collections in French, Occitan & Catalan
  • 085 Collections in Italian, Romanian & related languages
  • 086 Collections in Spanish & Portuguese
  • 087 Collections in Slavic languages
  • 088 Collections in Scandinavian languages
  • 089 Collections in other languages

In case you don’t remember (or have tried to forget) (a) payphones, (b) the “comedian” Carrot Top, or (3) the AT&T “Collect” commercials featuring Carrot Top and payphones, let me enlighten you. (Warning: this video might give you unwanted flashbacks to Carrot Top and the early 2000s.) For some tragicomedic reason that’s the first thing I thought of when coming upon this section of Dewey, dedicated to “collections” in all their vague, aggregated glory. But true to their nature, this collection of collections brings together a diverse array of topics into one accessible place. Most of these books I’d still consider bathroom reading rather than weighty nightstand material, though I guess that will depend on how things are going in the bathroom.

The Dew3:

My Bad: The Apology Anthology
Edited By Paul Slanksy
Dewey: 081 MY
Random Sentence: “I did take some lives and I’m very sorry for that.” -David Berkowitz

‘Found’: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items From Around the World
By Davy Rothbart
Dewey: 081 FOU
Random Sentence: “DID YOU JUST SEE THE BACKSTREET BOYS?”

Best-Loved Chinese Proverbs
By Theodora Lau
Dewey: 089.951 LAU
Random Sentence: “Don’t try to scoop the moon from the bottom of the sea.”

May 23, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 070-079: Carryin’ the banner

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

The Rundown:

  • 070 Journalism, and newspapers
  • 071 Newspapers in North America
  • 072 Newspapers in British Isles; in England
  • 073 Newspapers in central Europe; in Germany
  • 074 Newspapers in France & Monaco
  • 075 Newspapers in Italy & adjacent islands
  • 076 Newspapers in Iberian Peninsula & adjacent islands
  • 077 Newspapers in eastern Europe; in Russia
  • 078 Newspapers in Scandinavia
  • 079 Newspapers in other geographic areas

Extra! Extra! Get your papes heeya, Jack Kelly. We continue along the general theme of writing, books, and cultural institutions with The Newspaper in all its storied, soon-to-be-antiquated glory. While I was disappointed not to find a comprehensive history of that classic 1992 Disney musical/bad-accent-party Newsies, I found a lot of books on journalism or by journalists, along with (diving back into meta-ness) a lot on writing and publishing and the challenges therein, which actually seem to be good resources for aspiring authors. Once again, the books in my library were limited almost exclusively to two digits (070 and 071); apparently Scandinavian newspapers don’t fit within the the collection purview of a Midwestern public library.

As a writer myself, I struggle with how much writing about writing I should read. On the one hand it’s helpful to learn how other seemingly successful writers struggle through the quotidian difficulties of the writing life. On the other hand, it’s easy to get bogged down in reading about writing and not actually get your own writing done. It’s the same thing with the modern trends of “lifehacking” and productivity: so many new apps and web tools make promises of increased productivity and streamlined life, but when I focus so much on the tools themselves I get fixated on the tool instead of the product it’s supposed to help create.

Or maybe I’m overthinking it.

The Dew3:

What Kind of Loser Indie Publishers? And How Can I Be One, Too?
By Pamela Fagan
Dewey: 070.593 HUT
Random Sentence: “Did you just throw up a little in your mouth?”

Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writer’s Life
By Michael Greenberg
Dewey: 070.92 GRE
Random Sentence: “Purged of empathy, I joined in the protective cynicism of the courthouse employees.”

Red Blood & Black Ink: Journalism in the Old West
By David Dary
Dewey: 071 DAR
Random Sentence: “That’s just the way with juries – they think it no more wrong to shoot an editor than a Jack-rabbit.”

May 21, 2014 Add Comment

DDC 060-069: Museum’s Rules

A Teach Me How To Dewey production

The Rundown:

  • 060 General organizations & museology
  • 061 Organizations in North America
  • 062 Organizations in British Isles; in England
  • 063 Organizations in central Europe; in Germany
  • 064 Organizations in France & Monaco
  • 065 Organizations in Italy & adjacent islands
  • 066 Organizations in Iberian Peninsula & adjacent islands
  • 067 Organizations in eastern Europe; in Russia
  • 068 Organizations in other geographic areas
  • 069 Museum science

It’s becoming evident that the first 100 of Dewey is tailored for folks who already love the library and its humanities brethren. Like the “first fruits” of library science, the best stuff (at least according to people like me who geek out about books, libraries, museums, and other districts of Nerddom) comes first, before every other discipline, as an intellectual offering to St. Dewey.

Museums aren’t the only subject of the 060s, but they are the most interesting since books about Iberian organizations apparently don’t circ well. (There were a lot of books on the so-called Robert’s Rules, a reference authority for parliamentary and meeting procedures, but forgive me for not raving about the riveting world of legislative order.)

Does your library have any other interesting books in the 060s? I’ve already admitted by bias toward museums and the like, but is there anything here for non-history geeks? If not, take heart that once we get out of the 100s we won’t find hardcore history until Dewey’s end. Until then:

The Dew3:

The Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America’s Greatest Museum, The Smithsonian
By Nina Burleigh
Dewey: 069.09753 BUR
Random Sentence: “Perhaps Adams’s preference for looking at the skies was motivated by his hopelessness at what he witnessed on the earth.”

Cabinets of Curiosities
By Peter Mauriès
Dewey: 069 MAU
Random Sentence: “From the monsters of folklore and mythology to the freaks of real life was no very long step.”

The Secret Museum
By Molly Oldfield
Dewey: 069.5 OLD
Random Sentence: “It might seem a bit of a weird thing for him to have done, that is, if you’ve read his novels but don’t know much about butterfly mating.”

May 19, 2014 Add Comment