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Infinity of Lists

Umberto Eco's book "The Infinity of Lists" is a celebration and analysis of the use of lists in art and literature throughout history. The book contains Eco's essay reflecting on how the concept of catalogs and lists has changed over time and expressed different cultural periods. It also includes an anthology of relevant literary excerpts and illustrations of artworks that analyze and exemplify the texts. The book is beautifully illustrated and examines how lists have been used from ancient times through modern artists like Andy Warhol and Arman.

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526 views

Infinity of Lists

Umberto Eco's book "The Infinity of Lists" is a celebration and analysis of the use of lists in art and literature throughout history. The book contains Eco's essay reflecting on how the concept of catalogs and lists has changed over time and expressed different cultural periods. It also includes an anthology of relevant literary excerpts and illustrations of artworks that analyze and exemplify the texts. The book is beautifully illustrated and examines how lists have been used from ancient times through modern artists like Andy Warhol and Arman.

Uploaded by

Dino Mozardien
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Infinity of Lists

Title Author ISBN Imprint Binding Extent Dimensions RRP Release Date Category The Infinity of Lists Umberto Eco 9781906694821 Quercus Hardcover 408 pages 240 x 170mm $99.95 December 2009 Art

Umberto Eco

Translated from the Italian by Alastair McEwen

A lavishly illustrated celebration of lists in art and literature by one of Europes most influential writers and thinkers Description In the history of Western culture we find lists of saints, ranks of soldiers, catalogues of grotesque creatures or medicinal plants, and hordes of treasure. This infinity of lists is no coincidence: a culture prefers enclosed, stable forms when it is sure of its own identity, while when faced with a jumbled series of ill-defined phenomena, it starts making lists. The poetics of lists runs throughout the history of art and literature. We do not only see it at work in ancient bestiaries, the celestial hosts of angels or the naturalist collections of the 16th century. We also find it more obliquely from Homer to Joyce, from the treasures of Gothic cathedrals to the fantastic landscapes of Bosch and cabinets of curiosities, until we get to Andy Warhol and Arman in the 20th century. In this beautifully illustrated edition, Umberto Eco reflects on how the idea of catalogues has changed over the centuries and how, from one period to another, it has expressed the spirit of the times. His essay is accompanied by a literary anthology and a wide selection of works of art illustrating and analysing the texts presented. Sales Points The Infinity of Lists is a companion title to On Beauty and On Ugliness, which have combined sales in all editions of 1.1 million copies worldwide Ecos writing has a unique ability to dance on the page and to resonate in the mind Daily Telegraph The Infinity of Lists is also the title of the series of cultural events curated by the author, taking place at the Louvre in November 2009 and certain to be reviewed extensively by the international arts press Author Profile Umberto Ecos first novel, The Name of the Rose (1982), was a huge bestseller which brought him worldwide acclaim. With his subsequent works of fiction, philosophy, literary criticism and semiotics, he has been recognised as one of Europes finest thinkers. He is currently President of the Scuola Superiore di Studi Humanistici at the University of Bologna. Alastair McEwen is the translator of some of Italys finest living writers, including Alessandro Baricco, Antonio Tabucchi, Sandro Veronesi and Fleur Jaeggy. Murdoch Books, Pier 8/9 23 Hickson Road, Sydney NSW 2000 Australia Telephone 02 8220 2000, Fax 02 8220 2558

Visit our website at www.murdochbooks.com.au

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