Defenestrating Thoughts from the Bivouac

For my birthday (way back in November), Crissy’s parents gave me a very large and generous gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. And finally, after neglecting it for a few months, I used it and bought myself a very belated birthday gift:

• Lord of the Rings Box Set (Extended Editions) - The extended versions of this trilogy was been on my “want” list for a long time and when Barnes and Noble emailed me a 15% any item coupon, it seemed like a no brainer to get it. Of course, I now feel the need to seriously upgrade my tv and sound system in order to fully enjoy the movies. :-)
• Gandhi (Anniversary Edition) - I learned about this edition’s recent release from a “products you may be interested in” email from B&N. Since it had a really good sale price (woohoo!) and I remember the movie being excellent, I ordered myself a copy. And it’s another data point to support those “products you may like” emails.
• Sir Thomas More’s Utopia - I’ve read lots of discussion, never the original work, about More’s fictional island society where everything is uniform through the country’s many cities; whether it’s religion, customs, or education. The island has no concept of wealth, and everything is distributed equally with all property being communally owned.
• Plato’s Republic - “What is justice, and why should we be just, especially when the wicked seem happier and more successful?” are the central questions to this classic. This work is considered one of the greatest works ever produced for it’s profound impact on Western thought. If you ever watched me debate (NFL Lincoln Douglas) in high school, you would know that this is one of my favorite topics to discuss. Senior year, all my cases used “justice” as a core value, regardless if I assigned to be for or against the resolution. :-)
• Aesop’s Fables - a lot fables have similarities across cultures and religions, so I’m looking forward to comparing the stories of Aesop’s Fables with the stories in my copy of the Panchantantra.
• Machiavelli’s The Prince and Other Writings - this is another work that I’ve read lots about, but haven’t really taken the time to read thoroughly. I generally disagree with Machiavelli’s assertions about human nature and the “ends justify the means” political philosophy, so I’m excited to learn about more it.

The books that I bought are part of Barnes and Noble’s Classic Series. They are a nice package with the original work and lots of supporting material (biographies, discussions, and comments by other authors). Plus they have good binding, most have a hard cover, and they all have a low price.

The downside to this purchase is that it significantly increases my “to read” list. And, since the books I borrow from the library generally get read first (they need to be returned in 3 weeks after all), who knows when I’ll get around to reading these. :-)