books
William Leith25 October 2012
The Infinity of Lists
by Umberto Eco
(MacLehose Press, £25)
Umberto Eco ponders the phenomenon of lists mostly by giving us lists to look at — because, of course, descriptions of lists won’t do. So he gives us long lists of things — for instance, the names of angels, from Abdizuel to Zymeloz, and the names of demons, from Aamon to Zepar. Luckily, he broadens his definition to include paintings, so the main experience is of flipping through a beautifully presented book of artworks, including Panini’s Ancient Rome.
