The Dissent Of Man
By JF Derry
Exploring the influence of Darwin on everyone: atheists, Christians, biologists and entrepreneurs
Saturday, 27 February 2016
PEEFACE : A Quiz
Hello,
hope all's well in your part of the universe. I'm sad that pledging has stalled again. Sorry for being so forward, but please can I urge / beg / plead with you to persuade at least an other person to pledge - you must know someone who would be interested. I honestly can not do this by myself, which has pretty much been the case until now. Please.
Right, that's the crawling out of the way, let's lift da vibe in da howse. As per my previous Shed post (Catalogue Catalysis), I was constructing a bibliography of all the reading I've been doing for this book over the last dozen or so years. There's a lot! So, to make the task of typing out all the book and paper and video details, I turned to technology to assist. The dictation utility on the iPhone has improved beyond recognition and manages to capture most words, as long as they, or the grammar is not too out of the ordinary. Of course, as the page from Reverend Robert Forby's 1830 classic, The Vocabulary Of East Anglia (above) doth attest, it doesn't require modern technology or unusual words for a cock-up. It's just more likely. Especially as authors tend to draw on the extraordinary for inspiration, so that book spine stands out amongst the herd, and also because an intriguing or slightly obscure-sounding title often evokes something big; a further-reaching concept than a banal title might. So, hopefully you'll agree, combining naïve software and authorial orotundity, we have a recipe for fun.
Below are a dozen book titles and their author names, one pairing per line, as translated via dictation. I think my favourite is number 8, but there are some corkers in there. They get more difficult as you progress down the list, but they're not as tough as they look. Just see how you get on. Shall we say the first to post a set of correct answers in the comments below gets choice of my spare books (see what's on offer at the end of this post). Just copy and paste the questions from below into the comments box and add your answers. No deadline, just the first to get them all. Good luck!
To get you started, here are a couple of examples:
101 flossy problems Martin: ------------> 101 Philosophy Problems Martin Cohen
The evolution of god Rob is right ------------> The Evolution of God Robert Wright
Quiz questions
[Hint: they're all about Darwin, evolution, science and/or religion]
1. Victorian sensation James a so-called ------------>
2. Your inner fish knew she win ------------>
3. Joseph Conrad and Charles Darwin Redmond oh hang them ------------>
4. Annies box Randall keen ------------>
5. Against all gods PC grilling ------------>
6. What makes biology unique answer me are ------------>
7. Personal narrative of a journey to the Queen knock to your regions of the new continent humbled ------------>
8. Wife ascending Nick Lane ------------>
9. The age of Carly William Durham pool ------------>
10. Bug about Peter as it is his divine grace AC back to bed into Swanley come to panda ------------>
11. The scientific outlook good friend Russell ------------>
12. The bugger that Peter ------------>
Choice of Prize
Darwin A Graphic Biography Simon Gurr & Eugene Byrne (condition : NEW)
Darwin in Scotland JF Derry (NEW)
Rocks of Ages Stephen J Gould (AS NEW)
The Origins of Virtue Matt Ridley (GOOD)
Darwin Adrian Desmond & James Moore (ACCEPTABLE)
The Problems of Philosophy Bertrand Russell (GOOD)
The Natural History of Selborne Gilbert White (ACCEPTABLE)
Endless Forms Most Beautiful Sean B. Carroll (VERY GOOD)
The God Instinct Jesse Bering (GOOD)
Darwin’s Island Steve Jones (VERY GOOD)
Darwin’s Ghost Rebecca Stott (VERY GOOD)
Remember to pester someone to pledge please. Thanks.
Julian
Edinburgh
Top rewards
Hardback
ebook edition and your name in the back of the book
Digital
ebook edition and your name in the back of the book
Comments
Wow, this looks tough, I'll have to get my thinking hat on! I'll start with 3 which I'm pretty sure is Joseph Conrad and Charles Darwin - Redmond O'Hanlon. I'll post again if I can work out the rest...
posted 7th March 2016
I'll have a go with:
1. Victorian sensation James a so-called ------------> Victorian Sensation - James A. Secord
2. Your inner fish knew she win ------------> Your Inner Fish - Neil Shubin
3. Joseph Conrad and Charles Darwin Redmond oh hang them ------------> Joseph Conrad and Charles Darwin - Redmond O'Hanlon
4. Annies box Randall keen ------------> Annie's Box - Randal Keynes
5. Against all gods PC grilling ------------> Against All Gods - A.C. Grayling
6. What makes biology unique answer me are ------------> What Makes Biology Unique? - Ernst Mayr
7. Personal narrative of a journey to the Queen knock to your regions of the new continent humbled ------------> Personal Narrative of a Journey to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent - Humboldt
8. Wife ascending Nick Lane ------------> Life Ascending - Nick Lane
9. The age of Carly William Durham pool ------------> The Age of Kali - William Dalrymple
10. Bug about Peter as it is his divine grace AC back to bed into Swanley come to panda ------------> Bhagavad-gita as it it - His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
11. The scientific outlook good friend Russell ------------> The Scientific Outlook - Bertrand Russell
12. The bugger that Peter ------------> - The Bhagavad-gita
posted 7th March 2016
Spotted a typo Bhagavad-gita as it it, should be Bhagavad-gita as it is...
posted 7th March 2016
Aaaaaand we have a winner. Well done Marcus, not as difficult as it looked eh? Good fun though. Might have to do another - I'll see what Siri thinks about it. Meanwhile, let me know what you'd like in the way of your book choice.
Sorry no-one else had a shot.
posted 8th March 2016
I think The Age of Kali - William Dalrymple took me longest to work out, good fun though and a great list of books. Also, winning a book is too good a chance to miss!
posted 8th March 2016