Books of the month — March 2023

Personas decentes. Leonardo Padura. I enjoyed every word. Grimmer and more crime-heavy than usual, and marvellously written. It condenses close to a century of Cuban history into two plots full of misery, determinism, humour and characters that grip you for good.

Lessons of the Masters. George Steiner. A gift from Mónica Meika, who has helped me all year on the Tramontana product management programme. It sent me back to refresh some classics —Heidegger included!— and let me enjoy a vision of education full of noble aspirations. It came with a dedication far beyond anything I deserve. ;)

Real Science. What it is, and what it means. John Ziman. A superb book. A healthy, practical way of understanding science as an institution. It traces the history of what we usually call academic science from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, with an analysis full of good and never simplistic arguments that deepens the Mertonian theses. It brings in his practical experience as a scientist and his broad view as a historian and researcher of science. Highly recommended.

Index, A History of the. Dennis Duncan. A fine book about an invention, a model, a way of organising information that escapes our notice precisely because it is so ordinary. For me, a creature of indexes, a genuine historical gift.