Great Book Titles
Recently I was at my favorite bookstore (that would be Daedalus Books, their warehouse store in Columbia, MD), and saw what I thought was a remarkable title for a book:
Masters of Equitation on Canter, compiled by Martin Dizzle
The title itself is masterly, suggesting volumes with the fewest possible perfectly chosen words, at the same time as, at least on first reading, it sounds like a bunch of jibberish. Then there's the author's name, one of the sort of English names that most typically causes Americans to giggle. Further, that little twist of the knife: he's not the author, but the compiler. It's all too beautiful, poetic, mysterious, ironic, and amusing. So much in so little space! (There was a companion volume: Masters of Equitation on Trot, but it doesn't have quite the same poise to my ear.)
This title, remarkable as it is, does not replace the previous (and still current) number-one title on my personal list of remarkable book titles. Rather, it joins forces with that book title that I have for several years thought one of the finest:
The Aesthetics of the Japanese Lunchbox, by Kenji Ekuan
As unbelievable as it may seem, that is precisely what the book is about: exploring the history of the Japanese Lunchbox and examining it as a reflection of Japanese society. As it should be, the book itself is beautifully made and fascinating.