Three stars. Parts I liked, parts I didn't. I wasn't much for the horses. But it was a nicely written book for the most part and a couple of parts I read last night were brilliant:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by BerylMarkham
A map in the hands of a pilot is a testimony of a man’s faith in other men; it is a symbol of confidence and trust. It is not like a printed page that bears mere words, ambiguous and artful, and whose most believing reader – even whose author, perhaps – must allow in his mind a recess for doubt.
A map says to you, ‘Read me carefully, follow me closely, doubt me not.’ It says, ‘I am the earth in the palm of your hand. Without me, you are alone and lost.’
And indeed you are. Were all the maps in this world destroyed and vanished under the direction of some malevolent hand, each man would be blind again, each city be made a stranger to the next, each landmark become a meaningless signpost pointing to nothing.
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I'd like to say boo to Beryl for making me rework my presentation I'm giving next month on spatial data quality. I need to work this in and its going to make me restructure the entire thing. Curses for being so brilliant Beryl.
I was always aiming at the trust aspect in the presentation, but this is just such a perfect quote.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by BerylMarkham
Africa is never the same to anyone who leaves it and returns again. It is not a land of change, but it is a land of moods and its moods are numberless. It is not fickle, but because it has mothered not only men, but races, and cradled not only cities, but civilizations – and seen them die, and seen new ones born again – Africa can be dispassionate, indifferent, warm, or cynical, replete with the weariness of too much wisdom.
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This nicely summed up the depth of Africa that few can hope to really understand.