7 Stimulating Books

The English philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626) once suggested that "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested." I like this line, perhaps because it seems to illustrate the way how some books really hold our attention while others do not. Frequently I use the word "stimulating" to describe those "few" books "to be chewed and digested," and credit them with enriching my experiences in life. As such I thought it might be nice to compile a brief list of books I've found stimulating at some point in my life. This isn't an exhaustive list, and is likely biased toward more recently encountered material. Nevertheless I think it could prove a fruitful exercise, so let's dive in and have a look.

In no particular order:

1.) "The Great Divergence: China Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy" (2000)
        By: Kenneth Pomeranz

I encountered this book through my friend Laura, who was taking a pre-modern history class our sophomore year of college. One night we were doing homework together in the library, when she began describing this book which contended that coal and colonies provided the decisive cause of European "divergence" during the Industrial Revolution. Utterly puzzled, I remember saying something along the lines of, "Laura, that can't be right, the author has it all backwards: coal and colonies were the result of industrialization, not the cause.

Months later I borrowed that book, and well, my mind was blown. A professor of history at the University of California Irvine, Dr. Pomeranz suggests that leading up to the Industrial Revolution several areas of the globe (parts of northwestern Europe, the Indian sub-continent, and pockets in China) seemed poised to begin industrializing in earnest. That those areas of northwest Europe (such as England, and to a lesser extent France and the Netherlands) took off while those in India and China did not has long puzzled historians, particularly since some areas in China seemed better prepared for such a transition than say, England. This marked change is at the heart of "the great divergence," where parts of Europe became highly industrialized while much of the rest of the world "diverged" down another path and did not.

In the past some have argued this divergence occurred because of an innate "racial" superiority of people of "northwest European extraction." Others have argued that technology, law-codes, and/or cultural ethics of hard work provided Europeans with their advantage. Pomeranz takes a different approach, arguing that the presence of coal and new-world colonies provided both the energy and untapped-hinterlands needed to drive the new industrializing economy. Advantages in excess land capacity, new-world resources such as timber, precious metals, and sugar, and the energy-rich and easily extractable sources of coal in England all provided the means by which a relatively obscure corner of Europe became the driving engine of the world economy for 200 years.

Many have disputed Pomeranz, or have sought to add further nuance to his argument. But for me his book radically altered the way I perceive the rise and decline of tribes and states in world. And while he might not have the last word on what caused the great divergence, Dr. Pomeranz certainly got me thinking about it in a new way.

2.) "Lore of Running, 4th edt." (2003) and "Waterlogged" (2012)
        By: Tim Noakes, MD

I combined these two because they are in my mind intimately related. Both works seek to bring the latest in exercise research to the lay-person trying to apply that research in training. Along the way, Dr. Noakes frequently disputes popular theories of exercise performance which do not fit with the available evidence. From his work, I have learned, among other things, about the known effects (long and short term) of overtraining, the available evidence of peaking in performance, and hydration during long endurance events. As important is Dr. Noakes' historical approach, which traces particular ideas in exercise performance from an early date up to the present. His history of training theory in "Lore of Running," and the history of hydration advice in "Waterlogged" both serve as excellent examples of the value in rehashing what has been tried or thought before. If nothing else, such historical digressions provide a good place to begin one's own intellectual journey.

3.) "The European Reformations" (1996)
        By: Carter Lindberg

I read this book for a class in college called "European Religious Wars," and again for a class I sat but did not officially take called "The Reformation." The thing I found most thought-provoking in this book were the clear explanations of theology, and how those theological ideas shaped and were shaped by the historical, intellectual, and social context of the Reformation era. Indeed, I've yet to find a better work of history that so effectively explains theology and how it relates to the historical subject.

4.) "Daniels' Running Formula" (1998)
       By: Jack Daniels, PhD

This is a staple in the modern coaching literature for distance runners, and it's a good one. In it, Daniels provides a series of tables one can employ to develop a training plan for races from "800m to the marathon." In addition, he stresses the individual training needs, as well as the need to focus on the process of training rather than simply the results of training.

Perhaps the most stimulating aspect of Daniels' book involves the economics of distance training. The basic idea here is that, as when employing economic capital, distance runners should seek to maximize their "running capital" assessing their training needs. In short, the idea is to achieve the maximum benefit from training for the least amount of effort. This involves the employment of stress and recovery, which when combined effectively produce the most fitness gains with the least amount of wear. Ideally a new training stress should be milked for all its benefits before a further stress is added. Finally, the fitness benefits from these new stresses appear to obey the law of diminishing returns, such that each additional amount of stress provides increasingly less additional benefit; conversely, each additional stress also increases the chance of developing an injury. Finding a middle ground between these two curves which effectively meets one's needs and risk-tolerance seems to be at the heart of Daniels' coaching philosophy.

5.) "How to Live: Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer" (2010)
        By: Sarah Blakewell

This charming biography of the 16th century French philosopher Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) is a creative, fresh way of exploring a person's life, their ideas, and their times. Broken down into 20 thematic chapters, Blakewell provides a rich tapestry of detail, argument, and digression. I particularly enjoyed the way she describes the changing perceptions of Montaigne over time; how in one period he was hailed a great hero of thought, while in another he was loathed as a great deceiver of men. Reading this book encouraged me to read some of Montaigne's Essays myself, and so far it's proved an interesting experience.

6.) "Running Within" (1999)
        By: Jerry Lynch and Warren Scott

Originally I borrowed this book from my roommate in college, whose dad left it with him after helping us move in for XC camp. My old roommate never went in for books like this, but I absolutely loved it.

At its root, I think "Running Within" is a book about cultivating healthy attitudes and mental habits related to exercise and performance. Following the opening section (where the concepts are introduced), each chapter concludes with a list of visualization exercises and positive affirmations. The idea is to use these exercises as a way of cultivating a positive mindset while in the midst of difficulty (ex: in a race, a workout, or while recovering from an injury).

It's a touching book, and provoked a lot of thinking on my part about what I want to do when I enter a race, or do anything in life really. One friend called it a "hippie book" when I described it to him, but I liked it a lot.

7.) "The Pillars of the Earth" (1989) and "World Without End" (2007)
        By: Ken Follett

I combined these because they're sequels, and quite related. They're both novels of historical fiction, taking place during the late Middle Ages. Among other things, the first details the construction of a Gothic cathedral in England, and the second deals with the Black Plague. Their stories are rich, multi-layered, and laced with great detail.

One feature I liked about both books was the way it intimately portrayed the boom-and-bust cycle of economic activity in the towns involved in the story. Changes in rule-of-law, incentives, pricing, and demand all greatly altered the fortunes of the characters in each tale, which provides a fascinating background over which they seek to adapt and move on.

Some other stimulating books include:

"On War" (1832) by Carl von Clausewitz
"The Confessions of St. Augustine" (398) by Augustine of Hippo
"The Thirty Years' War" (1939) by Georges Pages
"A History of Western Philosophy" (1945) by Bertrand Russel
"The Ideological Origins of Nazi Imperialism" (1989) by Woodruff Smith

Happy Tuesday, friends :)