Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory: The Illustrated Edition is a rare sort of book — a product of intellectual rigor imbued with deep emotion. First published in 1975, this work of history and literature has helped readers come to terms with the legacy of the First World War. After garnering a National Book Award and other honors, the book has been a fixture on college reading lists and “best of” lists.  Now, there is a vividly illustrated edition that should spark fresh interest in Paul Fussell’s nonfiction masterpiece. 

My latest review for The Book Studio.

Photographer Preston Merchant has been traveling the world documenting the global diaspora of people from India. Indo-Carribean “Chutney Soca” music, South African “bunny chow,” Manhattan Bhangra nights, and more.

The resulting book (forthcoming) should be fascinating.

(via Sree Sreenivasan on facebook)

The New York Times reports on two new documentaries featuring remarkable, recently rediscovered footage from World War II. A surprising amount of stunning film in these cable television documentaries was shot originally in color. The Smithsonian Channel will feature “Apocalypse” and History will run “WWII in HD.”

Oddly, in a desperate-sounding attempt to capture the attention of “younger audiences,” the Smithsonian Institution’s cable channel “colorized” more than 2/3 of the footage in its program.

I find it interesting that the commercial History program is adhering to higher documentary standards than the public/non-profit Smithsonian “brand.”

Amazing indeed. [via http://twitter.com/ettagirl]

The Sound of Young America

On “The Sound of Young America” the inimitable Jesse Thorn interviews the director of Philadelphia’s fascinating Mutter Museum – a treasure trove of medical history and strangeness.

The New York Times describes the newly-christened U.S.S. New York — a futuristic amphibious transport ship with a bow forged from wreckage of the World Trade Center. She’s likely to be used by Marines and Special Forces in anti-terror and humanitarian operations. I think it is a beautiful machine.

Here is the official U.S.S. New York site. Another New York Times blog post describes the somewhat less-than-glorious history of previous ships that carried the “U.S.S. New York” name.