Gullivers Travels is a satire by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift; that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the "travellers tales" literary subgenre. It is Swifts best known full-length work; and a classic of English literature.The authorJonathan Swift (30 November 1667 ndash; 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist; essayist; political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs; then for the Tories); poet and cleric who became Dean of St Patricks Cathedral; Dublin.
#87738 in eBooks 2016-02-09 2016-02-09File Name: B011I2MNRG
Review
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful. Ratliff shows the way to navigate the new cloud of music. and appreciate new music againBy BikerguyBen Ratliff might have had me in mind as he was writing this book at least people like me. I am old enough to have purchased most musical recording formats/media and knew how to select music by genre. which. in turn enabled me to know what music to select to listen to at any moment. My "owned" collection was large and extensive. but not all encompassing. I have found what Ratliff describes as a very deep comfort zone of what I think I like. but that comfort zone has become somewhat of a dark dead end alley now. With music streaming services. I have this problem of too much to choose. I no longer know how to choose. becuase the few choices of new music I do listen to. I dont know how to listen in order to appreciate!If you have this same problem. Ratliffs book is for you. I purchased it in Kindle format after seeing it in new hardcover non-fiction at the very first physical retail bookstore in Seattle.In his very first sentence. "We are living in the age of the cloud." One of Ratliffs main justifications for encouraging us to learn how to listen to music again is to get some personal control over this "cloud". Streaming music services. because they are mediated by the Internet. are always collecting information about our listening habits and using that information to serve us up music to listen to....based on this real deep. safe comfort zone we have. The effect is we dont break out.Ratliffs proposal is that we begin to learn enough about music so we collect as much knowledge as information is being col!ected about us. He proposes learning about qualities of music that transcend stale classifications like "genre" so we can discover music again. Some of these qualities are repetition. slowness. speed and silence. There are more.At the end of each of he twenty chapters in the book he proposes a "playlist" to illustrate his ideas.I have taken to taking these playlists and creating them in my favorite streaming service. I now find I can appreciate music again. I am losing my fear of breaking out of my comfort zone and hearing the qualities of music he proposes that transcend "genres".I might even learn to understand rap.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent if sometimes philosophical journey through musicBy Jonathan DownesThis is an excellent book if you have a passion and curiosity for music. Bens breadth of knowledge leads to an independent and often surprising journey through musical listening25 of 26 people found the following review helpful. SuperbBy TortolitaJust superb. Ratliff writes beautiful prose while showing us how to enjoy music even more than we had ever thought possible. and we love music. This is an important book. in addition to being supremely enjoyable. With "every song. ever" always on tap. Ratliff maps out a fascinating territory where remote associates occur unexpectedly. and where sounds surpass the now-redundant genre labels. The old saw that talking about sex is like reading about food doesnt apply to this wonderful book about music. The list of mentioned recordings following every chapter will have you running for the computer to listen to his illustrations in music. This is going onto the list of books I hope my children will read when they are older.
