About this title: From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of God Is Not Great, a provocative and entertaining guided tour of atheist and agnostic thought through the ages--with never-before-published pieces by Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Christopher Hitchens continues to make the case for a splendidly godless universe in this first-ever gathering of the influential voices--past and present--that have shaped his side of the current (and raging) God/no-god debate. With Hitchens as your erudite and witty guide, youll be led through a wealth of philosophy, literature, and scientific ...
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Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780306816086ISBN:0306816083
Description: Fair. Q. Ex-library paperback with identifiers. Moderate bumping and rubbing. Text is unmarked, tight. All items are carefully and securely packed to insure they arrive in the advertised condition. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Date Published: 2007-11-05
ISBN-13:9780306816086ISBN:0306816083
Description: New. No jacket as issued. New paperback book with light shelf wear. We ship 6 days a week, generally within 24 hours; single CDs and DVDs upgraded to 1st class! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Da Capo Pr
Date Published: 2007-11-05
ISBN-13:9780306816086ISBN:0306816083
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780306816086. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780306816086ISBN:0306816083
Description: Very Good. VERY GOOD OVERALL CONDITION-TRUSTED DEVON (UK) BASED SELLER-IN STOCK-SENT WITHIN 1 WORKING DAY-AVAILABLE BY EMAIL FOR QUERIES-NO QUIBBLE REFUND IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED- read more
"The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever, compiled by Christopher Hitchens, is not a novel, as such, but a collection of essays, quotes and short critiques on the subject of religion and god(s), written by notable figures across the centuries. TPA will quickly get you in touch with dozens of the world's most influential nonbelievers of the past and present, rather than having to scour a myriad of books in order to find their essays - all thanks to Hitchens.
Among the essayists chosen are Karl Marx (this comes as no surprise, as Hitchens himself was a former Marxist), David Hume, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain,H.L. Mencken (who writes an hilarious essay dedicated to the memory of all of the abandoned gods), Sigmund Freud, George Orwell, Bertrand Russell, Albert Einstein, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and many others. There is even a rather amusing essay by Penn Jillette - the larger, more loquacious half of the comedic duo Penn & Teller.
Here is a favorite passage of mine, which comes from the poem God's Funeral, by Thomas Hardy:
And tricked by our own early dream And need of solace, we grew self-deceived Our making soon our maker did we deem And what we had imagined we believed.
It is difficult to ascertain if TPA is perhaps just a collection of Hitchens' favorite atheists, rather than the definitive volume of non-believing luminaries, but each selection is deliciously well-chosen and represent a compendium of some of the sharpest literature in anti-theology. Hitchens himself has also written an enjoyably barbarous introduction to the book, as well as brief introductions to each of the selected authors.
The Portable Atheist is really more of a handy reference to keep on the bookshelf, if, say, you happen to be looking for a particularly powerfully-delivered sermon on the evil tenets of the Old Testament, versus a good summer read to tote to the beach. But the book will definitely allow you to become more familiar with these amazing writers, both classical and modern, and will save you the effort of having to seek them out yourself - saving you both time and money.
P.S. The title is a tad misleading, as at a daunting 499 pages, the book's girth makes it anything but "portable.""
"Some thoughts from reading snippets of this tome for my job . . .
1. At 500 pages and a few pounds, this is anything but "portable" 2. For people who don't believe in a God, they spend an awful lot of time and energy talking about Him. 3. If this is a true representation of atheists, then they are egotistical, arrogant, vile, cruel, hate-filled, and generally depressive people."
"There were certainly some "essential" readings in this collection. There were the more obvious selections (Spinoza, Einstein, Freud, Russel, Sagan, Dawkins). There were some great pieces by writers whom I'd never read before (Emma Goldman, H. L. Mencken, Michael Shermer, Victor Stenger). These were balanced with pieces by fictional and poetic writers (Updike, McEwan, Rusdie, etc.). All of this was great. The big problem with Hitchens' collection is the lack of fat-cutting. It's a 480 page grouping that can seem redundant and tiring at times. With 47 selections, there were some articles that could have easily been cut; a good ten that did not quite reach the "essential" category. Some more cutting could have been done within the articles; some writings took long tangents that, out of their original contexts, seemed too off-topic (I'm looking at YOU, Karl Marx). Don't get me wrong -- The Portable Atheist was an informative, enjoyable, satisfying read -- but don't read it cover to cover and expect to be enthralled by every page."
"I was hoping to find a collection of readings with a positive, humanist perspective, but looking back, that seems hopelessly naive. Hitchens is Hitchens, even when speaking through others. I have little patience for atheists who dismiss believers as ignorant cretins, but who are always the first ones to play the victim when believers treat us condescendingly. Believers certainly don't have a monopoly on hypocrisy.
Part of the problem with books like this is that they are essentially vanity projects: Hitchens takes such an utterly polarizing stance that he is certainly not trying to sway anyone who does not already feel as he does. This book serves only to further alienate atheists and theists - and, really, we didn't need his help.
That said, there are some very interesting readings here, if you can get past Hitchens's attack-ridden notes. Maybe someday we'll see a similar compilation by someone who can stand to let minds and words greater than his own speak for themselves."
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