Good Books

I have recently finished reading 2 books and I liked both of them for different reasons. The first one is 'Blood of the Isles' by a scientist, Bryan Sykes. It is, if I can call it that, the genetic history of the British Isles. Using DNA samples collected from people of all backgrounds, from all areas in the isles and isolating male and female DNA, the book attempts to construct the history of the UK, its settlements, addresses the myths of the Picts, the Celts and the Vikings. DNA from the Cheddar Man's tooth, from other fossils around Scotland, Ireland and from thousands of living people. The reason I liked this book were:

1. Unlike other books on history or science, Sykes does not claim, implicitly or explicitly his text to be definitive. He admits that this is his way of 'interpreting' whatever he has and he could be wrong.

2. Instead of using statistics to interpret, which we are so used to seeing in scientific studies, he leads the reader with stories, legendary and true.

3. Most of all, he also recommends the best place for having ice cream in Wales and I love it when people love their food irrespective of what other pursuit they are engaged in. :)

The book reminds you that History, much like current affairs (read news) these days, is supposed to be read, not necessarily believed in entirity.


The other book is by one of the greatest travellers of all times, Travels in the land of Kublai Khan by Marco Polo. The same Marco Polo, who at one point inspired great explorers like Columbus and continues to serve as an inspritation to generations after generations of travellers and explorers. Inspite of all its alleged christianity bias (which is actually true), the book is worth a read. What amazes me the tolerance of a man so far back in the past towards a land so new and so different to him. What open mindedness more than 700 years ago! What observation!

There is an elaborate description of Kublai Khan's court, his palaces, his hunting parties, civil administration, running of a welfare state, efficient postal system, penal code, dinner table. There is all of it. The one thing that got my attention the most was the postal system, which according to Polo was designed such that news from land 100 days of journey away, would reach the Great Khan in 10 days. This means that world has always been ruled by people who get their information the fastest. Only the means have changed from horse posts to telegraph to the internet. Hack the mass media of those times and you were Kublai Khan, hack the mass media of today and you get Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four and the Big Brother (Boss).