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1 April 2005 Volume 1, Issue 8 Even in the Berkshires there are signs of spring. I planted winter aconite and find their tiny yellow blossoms cheering all through mud season, now and then peeking out through a new fall of snow. Sap is rising, the maple sugaring season has begun. I hope those of you in the northern hemisphere are enjoying some respite from an intense winter, and finding a sense of hope and promise in the renewal of this season.  Our third independent title is in production, we're setting up international distribution arrangements for print and also for digital versions, and planning even more ambitious reference for 2006 and 2007. We tackle subjects because they're important and fascinating, and only later worry about how we're going to do such big things! I'm also thrilled to report that the US edition of my own The Armchair Environmentalist is out this month (more below), and we have some exciting news from Google. World History To Go hasn't been as regular as we intend it to be, but that's not because we aren't living and breathing world history here at Berkshire. In fact, what's happened is that the response we've had from teachers made it blazingly obvious that we need quickly to find ways to build on and add to the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History. We're a very small publisher with big ideas, and this challenge has engrossed us over the past month or so. We want to do three things:
Inside the Berkshire Encyclopedia: The history of science and technology is covered in articles such as The Enlightenment, Renaissance, Science Overview and Scientific Expeditions. The state of modern technology is covered in articles ranging from Computers and Water Management to Paper and Electricity.
World History isn't just another publishing area for us. Berkshire was founded by an anthropologist and a writer, not by business or marketing executives. Our mission is to explore the whole wide world in our publications. World history is central to what we do, and a personal passion. We feel strongly that we have to offer as much material as we can at no charge (you've probably seen our free downloads already, at Berkshire World History). As we work with teacher leaders to develop lesson plans using the Encyclopedia, we want them to be easily available to every teacher and every school district. I don't have all the details yet, but we are optimistic about a new approach, that will allow us to provide free resources as well as digital versions of our encyclopedias on a subscription basis. We'll all excited about this, and if you're one of the people who has been waiting to hear from me over the past few weeks, please know that this is what's distracted me from my email box! There seems to be no model for exactly what we propose to do, but at the moment it looks as though the technical hurdles are feasible, because we've figured out conceptually what this site/platform should be. It will respond to what we've heard about needs and gaps from teachers, professors, and AP World History professionals. And it will allow us to do what a 21st century publisher ought to: integrate knowledge dynamically and make it accessible in ways that suit the needs of different groups of users. Stay tuned, please, and here are a few items that I hope will help in your teaching this month. And thanks to our intern Rachel Christensen, the World History To Go Archives are now available! Sports World
We’re looking for world history teachers who have students who love sports. We want to work with you to come up with ways to use what they love—-basketball, baseball, golf, cricket, or karate--to teach about nationalism, the diffusion of culture, and even technology. Please drop me a line and join the team! Opening day for the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World Sport is 1 June 2005, with prepub discount in place through the end of June. Google Gets PersonalCheck out our World History and HCI gear for 2005!
 Did you know that Google will write personalized letters for you? A new program uses artificial intelligence and a special emotive interface called Dave to compose all those difficult documents that we all put off. It's especially good at thank you letters and heartfelt apologies. By using online shopping data, the history of your Google searches, and metadata about individuals, Dave can come up with just the right words, with individualized responses in your own writing style (complete with your usual grammatical errors and spelling mistakes) for anyone at all, from the woman your widowed father is dating to a friend whose 50th birthday party you forgot. This remarkable new system, yet another breakthrough from Google, takes all the stress out of relationships (which are just too complicated anyway). Dave will respond to your friends for you, using emotive analysis and a unique psychoanalytic profiling protocol, leaving you free to read a book or go for a walk, or on another date, guilt-free. You only need to check the message threads when you feel like it. Dave will carry on your relationships for as long as you choose. Visit DaveWrite. (Note: this service in its highly confidential pre-beta version was called HALWrite.) History in the News: The Roots of ReligionAs you know, one of the delights of world history is the way it integrates many other disciplines. Archeologists constantly come up with discoveries that affect our perspective on the past. I was in Rome for the first time in January and took the photo above left, of an early dwelling recently excavated. A news report last month explains how a historian turned archeologist has discovered new evidence related to the mythological founding of Rome. Then I visited the Basilica San Clemente, a Baroque Catholic church built on top of an early Christian church (now excavated) on top of the meeting place of a now extinct Roman sect. The city in world history is the subject of our next world history encyclopedia, and this visceral experience of history, the roots of religion, is the kind of experience that informs our work. Here's a wonderful overview of what lies under the Basilica San Clemente.
Make Your World A Better PlaceRather than thinking of April as the cruelest month I see it as the perfect time to launch a new guide to “acting locally” to protect our beautiful planet and the natural world. Visit the Armchair Environmentalist Blog.
"There is little for most of us to do on a personal level to end war, combat nuclear proliferation, or prevent torture. But, The Armchair Environmentalist demonstrates how we can enrich our lives, have fun, and save money while dramatically reducing our ecological footprint."--Denis Hayes, Founder of Earth Day (and contributor to our 2003 Encyclopedia of World Environmental History) Available at Amazon and Bn.com, from your independent bookseller, and from Berkshire. One way to stay in touch is to visit our new Berkshire Blog, and comment on what you read there. We see this as the beginning of web-based interactions, and have much more planned to facilitate the sharing of ideas. Also of interest: An Environmental History Timeline by Professor Bill Kovarik, who also contributed to the Encyclopedia of World Environmental History. With warm regards, |
“The Armchair Environmentalist is filled with wisdom for those who want to live an environmentally responsible life. For example, simply saying no to bottled water will save energy and measurably reduce carbon emissions. Karen Christensen has incorporated more environmental advice in this crisp, tightly written volume than in anything I've seen.” --Lester R. Brown, President, Earth Policy Institute and author of Plan B: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble
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