Mirror, Mirror A History Of The Human Love Affair With Reflection

by Pendergrast, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780465054718
• ISBN10: 0465054714
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-18
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

As our first technology for contemplation of the self, the mirror is arguably as important an invention as the wheel and perhaps even more universal.Mirror Mirroris the fascinating story of the mirror's invention, refinement, and use in an astonishing range of human activities-from the bloodthirsty smoking gods of the Toltecs, to the fantastic mirrored rooms wealthy Romans created for their orgies, to the mirror's key role in the use and understanding of light. From Archimedes to Isaac Newton to Max Factor to David Hockney, this is the fascinating tale of one of the most remarkable inventions in human history and its effects on myth, religion, science, manners, and the arts.

Author Biography

Mark Pendergrast was born in Atlanta and is a graduate of Harvard University. A business journalist, he has published articles and reviews in a number of magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times, the Sunday Times (London), and Financial Analyst.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
1 The Mirror of the Soul	1	(28)
2 Magic Visions	29	(24)
3 Fields of Light	53	(28)
4 The Rational Mirror	81	(34)
5 Looking-Glass Literature	115	(16)
6 A New Way of Seeing	131	(28)
7 Grasping the Universe	159	(28)
8 Kaleidoscopic Light Waves	187	(30)
9 Big Eye	217	(30)
10 The Vanity Business	247	(16)
11 Celestial Radios, Divine X-Rays	263	(28)
12 Beyond Palomar	291	(40)
13 Final Reflections: Illusions and Realities	331	(40)
Notes on Sources	371	(11)
List of Interviews	382	(5)
Acknowledgments	387	(2)
Illustration Permissions and Credits	389	(6)
Index	395