Writing on Air

For centuries, humans have tried to master air. Sea captains rein it in with their sails and pilots cut through it with their wings. We have machines to pump air into our lungs and computers to anticipate the movement of the winds. Air pervades everything we do and gives us life, yet it is impossible to capture. We can only evoke it through images, impressions and feelings. This book offers a collage of such evocations expressed through prose, poetry, photography and drawings.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262182300
• ISBN13: 9780262182300
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: Mit Pr
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

get your head in the clouds

I love looking at clouds. But I don't often get the chance to read about them. "The sun, too, is a burning cloud..." writes John P. O'Grady in his essay in this collection. The theme of air includes atmospheres of various kinds, breathing (and not being able to), flying through the air (and what flight has and hasn't meant versus human dreams about it), wind, song and sound carried by air...all kinds of neat stuff.There are a few fairly well known names among the writers but most are probably unfamiliar. There's verse by Lori Anderson, but no Laurie Anderson (though her "From the Air" riff would be perfect for this volume.) But mostly that only adds to the feeling of discovery. Unlike some anthologies, the selections don't seem like parts of something else; each is intriguing and usually satisfying. Just the right length to read easily one at a time and let them fill your sense of wonder with oxygen. It's playfully serious, thoughtful fun. This is a book that opens your mind and lets some fresh air in.