Lord, it's hot

[tree_and_leaf]

Thanks to a kind friend, or strictly speaking, to her mother, I've got a box's worth of space to send back to the UK, which has allowed me to send off the books I don't strictly need. It's a slightly odd combination (and I suppose it's not surprising that people keep thinking I study theology.

Comments

[rivrea.livejournal.com]

The Royal Navy Officer's Pocketbook???

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes, didn't I tell you I was considering a career outside academia?

... I actually meant to post a review of this - it's a reprint of a series of guides for newly recruited naval officers in WWII. Absolutely fascinating, especially as it isn't an official Admiralty/ War Office publication, but what various officers thought would be useful and got out privately. It was partly intended to serve as research for a Swallows and Amazons future-fic I'm vaguely considering, but it's interesting to see how much of it would have been immediately recognisable to Jack Aubrey (also, there's a special pamphlet for Medical Officers which sounds at times as if it was written with Stephen in mind). Though the stuff about first aid is really disturbing, as it mostly amounts to 'bandage them up and keep them under morphine until you get back to shore, and don't try to operate unless they're definitely going to die otherwise...' It's a wonder anyone ever survived being injured in the Navy, but I suppose a lot of the surgeons had working conditions that made Stephen's sickbay look luxurious, at least in terms of space and light.

[sammee42.livejournal.com]

Very interesting. I couldn't read all the titles, but what is "God and the Goddess" about?

[tree_and_leaf]

"God and the Goddesses", by Barbara Newman. It's about uses of the term 'goddess' within mediaeval Christian theology - discounting references to pagan divinities - so personified virtues, Mary, the Second Person of the Trinity/ Wisdom.... it's a very interesting book, and quite illuminating to see that although the middle ages had a much more rigid conception of the roles of men and women than we do, in other ways they had a more fluid concept of gender, especially with regard to God (since Love, personified, generally turns out to be God for a Christian writer, and the Divine Wisdom certainly is).