1. WILL DURANT
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Will Durant, the great writer, historian and philosopher. was born on this day in 1885 in Massachusetts, USA and passed away on November 7, 1981 at the ripe old age of 96.
I am a great admirer of his books. I have read about Will Durant and his famous 11-volume 'The Story of Civilization'. I even had the opportunity to glance through them at the Madurai Kamaraj University Library during one of my visits about 20 years ago. As the books were in the Reference Section, I could not borrow them though I had six borrower's cards with me.
Then during a visit to Coimbatore, I saw his 'The Story of Philosophy' (paperback edition)with a platform seller and bought it at once at the unbelievably cheap price of Rs.60/- on August 15, 2000. Though I started reading it immediately, due to some reason or the other I could not continue; to crown it, I misplaced it somewhere. Then during June 2003, while I was searching for something, I found it! I was so happy and decided to complete the reading.
One would think a book about philosophy would make very difficult reading. Not this book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Only I could not just finish in two or three days like a novel. I had to savour every little passage, and as a result, I could complete its reading only on June 29, 2003. (Sometimes I have this habit of recording in the books I buy, the date and place of purchase and price so also when I completed their reading, I would record that date. That is how I am able to furnish all the dates mentioned above.
'The Story of Philosophy' is a great book; a wonderful book and a memorable one too. I still keep it on my desk with the idea of reading it again.
Then there was another book he wrote with his betterhalf, Ariel Durant, which I borrowed from the Madurai Kamaraj University Library and read avidly. It was about Literature, English and European. They had made a study of great writers and their works. Unfortunately, I do not remember the title of the book and also not able to locate it in the Net.
My dream is to read the 11-volume tome of his 'The Story of Civilization' and write about it in my blog, before I die. So help me God!
For a detailed article on Will Durant from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Durant
For more info about Will Durant from Will Durant Foundation:
http://www.willdurant.com/home.html
2. J.B.S.HALDANE
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Renowned Biologist, J.B.S.Haldane, was born on this day in 1892 in Oxford, England, and passed away on December 1, 1964 at the age of 72 in Bhubaneshwar, India.
He is a pioneer geneticist. He had radical political views, admiring Marxism, supporting Stalin and joining the Communist Party. Finally, disillusioned he left the party. He spent his final years in India, passed away there.
For a detailed article on JBS Haldane:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._S._Haldane
Grateful thanks to Will Durant Foundation and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
-------------------------
Will Durant, the great writer, historian and philosopher. was born on this day in 1885 in Massachusetts, USA and passed away on November 7, 1981 at the ripe old age of 96.
I am a great admirer of his books. I have read about Will Durant and his famous 11-volume 'The Story of Civilization'. I even had the opportunity to glance through them at the Madurai Kamaraj University Library during one of my visits about 20 years ago. As the books were in the Reference Section, I could not borrow them though I had six borrower's cards with me.
Then during a visit to Coimbatore, I saw his 'The Story of Philosophy' (paperback edition)with a platform seller and bought it at once at the unbelievably cheap price of Rs.60/- on August 15, 2000. Though I started reading it immediately, due to some reason or the other I could not continue; to crown it, I misplaced it somewhere. Then during June 2003, while I was searching for something, I found it! I was so happy and decided to complete the reading.
One would think a book about philosophy would make very difficult reading. Not this book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Only I could not just finish in two or three days like a novel. I had to savour every little passage, and as a result, I could complete its reading only on June 29, 2003. (Sometimes I have this habit of recording in the books I buy, the date and place of purchase and price so also when I completed their reading, I would record that date. That is how I am able to furnish all the dates mentioned above.
'The Story of Philosophy' is a great book; a wonderful book and a memorable one too. I still keep it on my desk with the idea of reading it again.
Then there was another book he wrote with his betterhalf, Ariel Durant, which I borrowed from the Madurai Kamaraj University Library and read avidly. It was about Literature, English and European. They had made a study of great writers and their works. Unfortunately, I do not remember the title of the book and also not able to locate it in the Net.
My dream is to read the 11-volume tome of his 'The Story of Civilization' and write about it in my blog, before I die. So help me God!
For a detailed article on Will Durant from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Durant
For more info about Will Durant from Will Durant Foundation:
http://www.willdurant.com/home.html
2. J.B.S.HALDANE
-----------------------------
Renowned Biologist, J.B.S.Haldane, was born on this day in 1892 in Oxford, England, and passed away on December 1, 1964 at the age of 72 in Bhubaneshwar, India.
He is a pioneer geneticist. He had radical political views, admiring Marxism, supporting Stalin and joining the Communist Party. Finally, disillusioned he left the party. He spent his final years in India, passed away there.
For a detailed article on JBS Haldane:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._S._Haldane
Grateful thanks to Will Durant Foundation and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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