28 November, 1660

Wired magazine  informs me  that on this day in 1660, the Royal Society was founded. Coincidentally, just yesterday, I finished reading Quicksilver, a historical fiction that features the Royal Society prominently. Quicksilver is actually book 1 of a three-part novel named The Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson. I’ve had the books for over two years and only now have I  been able to devote enough time to read them. The story is extremely difficult to follow because of the interplay between fact and fiction and because of the complexity of its ideas. It is also quite interesting because it deals with the genesis of the industrial revolution, a subject that has interested us before.

2 thoughts on “28 November, 1660”

  1. Actually, it is an eight part novel, which was published in three volumes because of the current fascination for trilogies.

    I thought you had read the entire cycle already. We had once talked about how beautifully the concept of credit is explained from first principles in The Confusion. And you keep referencing the quote made to Eliza about ettiquette.

  2. Actually, I tried reading it in my usual style and by the time I came to the last book, I realised that I had no idea of the story and was totally confused. So I went back to Quicksilver and read it paragraph-by-paragraph and found that I had lost that skill. So I just finished a slow, but enjoyable read I started 3 months back.

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