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The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom by Simon Winchester

egardner, August 11, 2008

I have recently been re-reading Robert K. Logan's "The Alphabet Effect", the sub-title of which is The Impact of the Phonetic Alphabet on the Development of Western Civilization.

Logan explains that Needham missed the point that the Western alphabet is a 'natural tool for classifying ... codified law, scientific classification, and standardized weights and measures.'

This book, published in 1986, is a fascinating look at the development of the alphabet and its effect on society. Parts of it are worth reading as an adjuct to "The Man Who Loved China."

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