This episode of ReadingforWisdom features a cracker of a 'book about books' by British broadcaster, public intellectual and member of the House of Lords, Melvyn Bragg. "12 Books that Changed the World" is Bragg's innovative take on some texts which, over the past 200 or so years, made a real and measurable social, economic, political or economic impact on humanity. I say 'texts' because not all the works he picks fit neatly into our common understanding of what a 'book' is.

Having grown up with the South Bank Show, and being a long devotee of BBC Radio 4's In Our Time (IOT), Bragg, IMHO, is a British national treasure. All the 'books' featured in Bragg's book are listed below accompanied by a link to a relevant IOT episode (though for football I've just gone for some glory videos from across the YouTube universe). Enjoy!

Principia Mathematica (1687), by Isaac Newton; IOT on the science and scholarly desputes of Newton [ Ссылка ] and [ Ссылка ]

Married Love (1918), by Marie Stopes, IOT on the feminist movement [ Ссылка ] and BBC World Service on this Birth Control pioneer.
[ Ссылка ]

Magna Carta (1215), by Members of the English Ruling Classes; IOT on the creation of this foundation of common law [ Ссылка ] and on the legendary outlaw most associated with this period in English history, Robin Hood [ Ссылка ]

The Rule Book of Association Football (1863), by a Group of Former English Public School Men. Nothing from IOT that I can find so I’ll have to substitute some cracker YouTubes from Wrzzer [ Ссылка ] , KamenikProductions [ Ссылка ] and TopPassion! [ Ссылка ]

On the Origin of Species (1859), by Charles Darwin; IOT on this seminal work [ Ссылка ] and on its darker influence [ Ссылка ]

On the Abolition of the Slave Trade (1789), by William Wilberforce; IOT on a seminal point for liberal Christian though and action [ Ссылка ]

A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792), by Mary Wollstonecraft; IOT on the ‘mother of feminism’ [ Ссылка ]

Experimental Researches in Electricity Vols. I-III (1839, 1844, 1855), by Michael Faraday; IOT on this genius from humble beginnings [ Ссылка ]

Patent Specification for Arkwright’s Spinning Machine (1769), by Richard Arkwright; IOT on the Industrial Revolution [ Ссылка ]

The King James Bible (1611), by William Tyndale and Fifty-four Scholars Appointed by the King; IOT on this great work [ Ссылка ]

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776), by Adam Smith; IOT on this great work [ Ссылка ]

The First Folio (1623), by William Shakespeare; IOT on his work [ Ссылка ], and on his life [ Ссылка ], and on him and literary criticism [ Ссылка ].

ReadingforWisdom is a YouTube channel aimed at exploring some of the ideas around the idea of books as a timeless technology, essential for our intellectual evolution as a species. Considering ‘books’ can and will take us in all sorts of intellectual journeys but the channel does have a natural bias towards discussions about books, their ideas and authors who focus on history, warfare, politics, culture, science and the human condition (ok, most things that matter then). The videos will explore the history of religion but, unlike much content on the web referring to ‘wisdom’, it is a thoroughly secular enterprise, the editor a lifelong religious sceptic.

The channel is a companion to [ Ссылка ], a site curated by Dr Emmet McElhatton to modestly add to what Robert Maynard Hutchings, Chicago academic, Editor-in-Chief of the Great Books of the Western World series and, with colleague Mortimer Adler, founder of the Great Books movement, described as the ‘great conversation’ of history; the dialogue created through the exchange of ideas through the medium of published writings. While the material on [ Ссылка ] is grounded in rigorous study, the product of lifelong reading, we hope to provide, and recommend, material that is accessible, stimulating and free from unnecessary academic stylings.

This series of videos are filmed and edited by Caleb McClure. Music is supplied by [ Ссылка ]

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