An episode from 7/19/22: Sometimes it’s worth just reveling in the way a great historian tells a story, or details and invention, or brings us face-to-face with a familiar topic. Tonight, I read three sections from Jacques Barzun’s book ⁠From Dawn to Decadence⁠, where we hear about: The expedition of French scholars that followed Napoleon into Egypt (about 24: 18) The invention of the printed book, and what it meant to education and literacy (about 44:00) On the Salem Witch trials of 1692, and how closely science at the time was allied with superstition Don’t forget to support Human Voices Wake Us on Substack, where you can also get our newsletter and other extras. You can also support the podcast by ordering any of my books: Notes from the Grid, To the House of the Sun, The Lonely Young & the Lonely Old, and Bone Antler Stone. Any comments, or suggestions for readings I should make in later episodes, can be emailed to [email protected].

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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