My recent unemployment allowed me to take a trip to Seattle to visit family. I hadn't been home for two years and it was nice to have some free time to hang out. After meeting for lunch with a friend, I reluctantly agreed to go to the D.I. across the street so my wife could search for some deals. Admittedly, I don't care too much for D.I. because the one by us in Mesa doesn't have that many things that I like (unless you are looking for Barry Manilow 8-tracks) and is a little big.Perhaps the Seattle area D.I.'s are less visited than here. I say so because I found a steal in the book section. Volume 10 of the Hugh Nibley series, The Ancient State, was there for only $2. Of course it had not dust jacket, but do we really buy books for the the dust jacket? I didn't know how much it cost new, but I knew I got a good deal.
The conclusion to the story? I found out online when I got home that The Ancient State retails at Deseret Book for $34.95.
Perhaps, you say, this is a pretty lame post. I agree. But after losing a job and relocating to a different state with a house in Arizona anchoring us down, I need any good luck I can get.
(Tell me if you can honestly see a difference. Or at least a difference that is worth $32.95.)
2 comments:
What's "The Ancient State" about?
I think that it deals more with the structure of Ancient States and their governments. The Deseret Book review says:
The Ancient State, by Hugh Nibley, is a thought-provoking examination of aspects of ancient culture, from the use of marked arrows to the surprisingly universal conception of kinship, from argument from various schools of philosophy to the rise of rhetoric. Author Hugh Nibley brings his usual meticulous research and scholarship to bear in this enlightening collection of essays and lectures."
And a commentor their says:
"If for no other reason, you should buy--not just read, but BUY--this book so you can read and reread 'The Unsolved Loyalty Problem Our Western Heritage' and the rather smirkingly titled 'Victoriosa Loquacitas The Rise of Rhetoric and the Decline of Everything Else.' The former examines the politically polarized atmosphere of the fourth century, with various parties and interest groups attempting to lump together similar loyalties so as to defeat the opposition. The latter essay examines how the practice of rhetoric, in its slavish devotion to business and law, ruined ancient education and culture. Also, if you are interested in the ancient origins of the temple, you may find that Nibley's essay on the Hierocentric State offers some intriguing parallels (without, however, so much as mentioning LDS temples). Why only four stars? Because I found the final chapter on mantic vs. sophic ways of thought to be rather uninteresting--mostly lecture notes. By the way, most of the chapters in the book were originally published in non-LDS academic journals, thus subjecting Nibley and his work to a more critical audience than he normally faced among the friendly LDS and BYU peers. This really is some of his best work--and a foundation for future research on the Book of Mormon and the temple."
I look forward to reading it.
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