books @ cc.

From Nicholas II to Putin
by Robert Service (2003)

Lucidly written with a lack of political bent and a handful of wry humour, this revised and updated history of Russia is a useful general reference on Soviet past with the main focus on the period of communist government.

since c.1200 (3rd ed.)
by M.C. Ricklefs (2001)

Divided into six parts of major chronological history of Indonesia from the coming of Islam to the removal of Abdurrahman Wahid in 2001, this textbook is designed as a stepping stone for those overwhelmed by the wealth of specialised information (and oftentimes in foreign-language), or those wanting relatively detailed panoramic view of Indonesian history in English without the overemphasis on colonialism and exoticism.

trans. Pramoedya Ananta Toer and Socialist Realism Literature
by Eka Kurniawan (1999)

Initially written a thesis for his philosophy degree in Universitas Gadjah Mada, Eka, evidently deferential to Pramoedya but at the same time also critically sensible, offers a comprehensive basic text on (as the title suggests) Pramoedya Ananta Toer and (his role in) the growth of Socialistic Realism in relation to the global movement as well as local figures/parties. Covering general as well as specific historical facts with lucid clarity, the book assumes little familiarity with Indonesian history and is accessible to general readers.

How our animal heritage affects the way we live
by Jared Diamond (1991)

The theme of the book, “[h]ow the human species changed, within a short time, from just another species of big mammal to a world conqueror; and how we acquired the capacity to reverse all that progress overnight,” would be recognisable to readers familiar with Diamond’s later books (Why is Sex Fun?, Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse).

Traditional Orchestra of Indonesia, 2nd ed.
by Jennifer Lindsay (1992)

A simple introductory text for those with no prior knowledge of gamelan. Outlining some of the basic history, background information on the instruments (with basic tuning and notations), concepts and frameworks, it also explains the structure of gamelan and its interrelationship with other art forms. A glossary, along with a list of suggested readings, recordings, photographs and figures also accompany this helpful text.

Chronicle of the Future
by Svetlana Alexievich (1997)

( New version from the Dalkey Archive Press available )

“This is not a book about Chernobyl, but about the world of Chernobyl,” so Alexievich wrote, and indeed, instead of writing about what happened, she compiled a wide range of oral, first-hand testimony, accounts, sometimes occasional rant and condemnations from broad range of people involved and/or affected by Chernobyl. Plenty of tongue-in-cheek resignations in the face of something big and unknown gone wrong. Alexievich is mostly invisible—she allows everyone to speak for themselves—although a certain amount of editing has definitely been done. Alexievich realises that “suffering is our refuge”, that, as one of her interviewee said, people who haven’t suffered hungered for stories about suffering— “cheap philosophy”.

by Sophie D. Coe, Michael D. Coe (2003)

Generously accompanied with 97 illustrations (13 in colour), the book examines the origin of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao, “food of the gods”), its history and sociological importance/pervasiveness from its first domestication by the Olmec, the more colourful widespread combinations of chocolate (e.g. with chilli, vegetables, meat, pasta) and finally its familiar present-day uses brought about by mass production and its recent luxurious status revival.

by Mark Mazower (2000)

A short but broad-ranging history book, it challenges the common one-dimensional stereotype of “the Balkans”. From the Romans to the present, including the Byzantine and Ottoman experiences, it treats the former Turkish domains as part of a common, if complex, historical inheritance.

Homosexual Love in the Nineteenth Century
by Graham Robb (2003)

Robb challenges the common assumptions of the Victorian age as a tabloid image of homophobic hell populated by mean-spirited, fearful and envious ignoramuses from which gay people eventually liberated themselves. Despite its all-inclusive subtitle however, Strangers mainly focuses only on western Europe, with a few mentions of Eastern Europe and America.

Food and Fantasy in Early Modern Europe
by Piero Camporesi (1989)

Divided into 19 chapters, Bread of Dreams is an account on how (as summarized by the jacket) “many people in early modern Europe lived in a state of almost permanent hallucination, drugged by their hunger or by bread adulterated with hallucinogenic herbs.”