I am heading over to Booksmith in Coolidge Corner this evening to go see a talk on Simon Winchester‘s new book, The Man Who Loved China.  I’m pretty excited about this since I’ve read two of his other books and liked them a whole lot, especially The River at the Center of the World.  I mentioned this expedition in a conversation today, and masokist was particularly forthcoming with an amusing and relevatory response:

 i’m sorry ehawk, but you cannot time travel: “all, married Englishman was a freethinking intellectual, who practiced nudism and was devoted to a quirky brand of folk dancing.” and a biochemist to boot!

So true, so true, but books can serve as a sort of escapism, even when they’re non-fiction. Besides, I’m not into nudism.