Bibliography

Here it is: a bibliography for Steve Land himself.

Instead of footnotes to individual articles, the books listed here are the ones that I believe are most important to understanding how I think, who I am, and where I'm coming from. Rather than creating a long, exhaustive list, I want to keep this very short and limit my bibliography to those few books that, years later, I can point to as ones that shaped who I have become.

These are the most influential books I have ever read.

Data and Reality by William Kent. First published in 1978, this book wonderfully and clearly outlines some of the real disconnects between the symbols represented by data in a computer and the world as it really seems to exist. With all the advances in computing technology, the issues Kent has raised here are still unresolved. Many of my personal explorations on this site are riffs on themes that Kent wrote about over twenty years ago. Any person who creates forms, databases, or code needs to understand the implications of this book at a gut level. This book, to me, points to a large gap in information technology that existing data and semantic structures are not set up to address.

I Am Right, You Are Wrong by Edward deBono. The full title is "I Am Right-You Are Wrong: From This to the New Renaissance : From Rock Logic to Water Logic." No other single book has caused me to perceive the world more differently, more immediately, than this. This is one of those books that makes me want to buy copies for every person I have ever met. deBono relates the structure of thought with how we perceive reality, and immediately gives the reader a meta-consciousness that penetrates everything else. Reading the user reviews on Amazon, I'm a bit disappointed that there are not more highly positive reviews. This is my desert island book.

Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson. This book is much more mystical and philisophical than the others in this list. A friend asked me to read this book over fifteen years ago, I think because of my skepticism towards religion and mysticism. I think he was looking for arguments against some of the things Wilson writes in this book. After reading it, my reaction was much different than I think either of us expected. This book does not sit easy. It is inherently self-contradictory. It asks you to view the world through many different lenses, many of which make you see the world in ways that you would normally scoff or discredit. Wilson throws down the intellectual gauntlet, challenging you to embark with him on a journey of discovery. This means really making an attempt to understand, not just sit there and judge from your existing vantage point. Uncomfortable, and ultimately rewarding.

Critical Path by R. Buckminster Fuller. Buckminster Fuller is a hero of mine, largely because of what he's written in this one book. This is a book that spans the entire Universe, from physics and mathematics to human power structures to history and the future of humanity. The writing flows effortlessly from one topic to another, in the distinctive voice that Bucky (as he was known) was famous for. I have since read most of Fuller's other works, but this one really outlines the differences between what we think we know, what we have been taught, and what common sense observations will tell you. You will absolutely see the world in a new way after reading this book.

Notes on the Synthesis Of Form by Christopher Alexander. There is a sense that Alexander has discovered a new way of seeing the world in this book. It's called "Notes" because, essentially, that's what it is. Raw, newly formed observations that contradict Alexander's (and everyone's) education as to how the universe works. This exploration into how forms come about is not as comprehensive as Alexander's later work, The Nature of Order (series), which I'm currently reading. The new Nature of Order series is exciting, complete, and is the product of years of exploration, but Notes on the Synthesis of Form represents the early beginnings of this same exploration, and the observations and insights of this book will haunt you and cause you to see the world anew. This book encapsulates much of the theory behind Alexander's better-known book, A Pattern Language, which is a classic in its own right. Maybe some day I'll replace "Notes on the Synthesis of Form" with Alexander's new Nature of Order series in this list of most personally influential books, but Notes is a book I've read cover to cover three times, getting new insights every time.

© Copyright 2005 Steve Land. Last update: 4/21/2005; 8:22:54 AM.