Book
The edge of memory : ancient stories, oral tradition and the post-glacial world / Patrick Nunn.
Summary:
In today's society it is generally the written word that holds the authority. We are more likely to trust the words found in a history textbook over the version of history retold by a friend - after all, human memory is unreliable, and how can you be sure your friend hasn't embellished the facts? But before humans were writing down their knowledge, they were telling it to each other in the form of stories. "The Edge of Memory" celebrates the predecessor of written information - the spoken word, tales from our ancestors that have been passed down, transmitting knowledge from one generation to the next. Among the most extensive and best-analysed of these stories are from native Australian cultures. These stories conveyed both practical information and recorded history, describing a lost landscape, often featuring tales of flooding and submergence. These folk traditions are increasingly supported by hard science. Geologists are starting to corroborate the tales through study of climatic data, sediments and land forms; the evidence was there in the stories, but until recently, nobody was listening. In this book, Patrick Nunn unravels the importance of these tales, exploring the science behind folk history from various places - including northwest Europe and India - and what it can tell us about environmental phenomena, from coastal drowning to volcanic eruptions. These stories of real events were passed across the generations, and over thousands of years, and they have broad implications for our understanding of how human societies have developed through the millennia, and ultimately how we respond collectively to changes in climate, our surroundings and the environment we live in.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781472943286
- ISBN: 1472943287
- ISBN: 9781472943262
- ISBN: 1472943260
- Physical Description: 288 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color), maps ; 22 cm.
- Publisher: London : Bloomsbury Sigma, 2018.
- Copyright: ©2018
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Recalling the past -- Words that matter in a harsh land -- Australian Aboriginal memories of coastal drowning -- The changing ocean surface -- Other oral archives of ancient coastal drowning -- What else might we not realise we remember? -- Have we undermined ourselves?.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Folklore > History.
Ocean > Folklore.
Storytelling > History.
Legends.
Oral tradition.
Oral history.
Aboriginal Australians > Social life and customs.
Indigenous peoples > Social life and customs.
Folklore and history.
Climatic changes.
Search for related items by series
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Northwest Indian College.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lummi Library | GR 48 .N86 2018 | 290273 | Stacks | Available | - |
| LDR | 04089cam a22006017i 4500 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | 44710 | ||
| 003 | NWIC | ||
| 005 | 20191031223815.0 | ||
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| 020 | . | ‡a1472943260 ‡q(paperback) | |
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| 042 | . | ‡alccopycat | |
| 082 | 0 | 4. | ‡a398/.3 ‡223 |
| 050 | 0 | 0. | ‡aGR48 ‡b.N86 2018 |
| 100 | 1 | . | ‡aNunn, Patrick D., ‡d1955- ‡eauthor. |
| 245 | 1 | 4. | ‡aThe edge of memory : ‡bancient stories, oral tradition and the post-glacial world / ‡cPatrick Nunn. |
| 264 | 1. | ‡aLondon : ‡bBloomsbury Sigma, ‡c2018. | |
| 264 | 4. | ‡c©2018 | |
| 300 | . | ‡a288 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : ‡billustrations (chiefly color), maps ; ‡c22 cm. | |
| 336 | . | ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent | |
| 336 | . | ‡astill image ‡bsti ‡2rdacontent | |
| 336 | . | ‡acartographic image ‡bcri ‡2rdacontent | |
| 337 | . | ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia | |
| 338 | . | ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier | |
| 490 | 1 | . | ‡aBloomsbury sigma series |
| 504 | . | ‡aIncludes bibliographical references and index. | |
| 520 | . | ‡aIn today's society it is generally the written word that holds the authority. We are more likely to trust the words found in a history textbook over the version of history retold by a friend - after all, human memory is unreliable, and how can you be sure your friend hasn't embellished the facts? But before humans were writing down their knowledge, they were telling it to each other in the form of stories. "The Edge of Memory" celebrates the predecessor of written information - the spoken word, tales from our ancestors that have been passed down, transmitting knowledge from one generation to the next. Among the most extensive and best-analysed of these stories are from native Australian cultures. These stories conveyed both practical information and recorded history, describing a lost landscape, often featuring tales of flooding and submergence. These folk traditions are increasingly supported by hard science. Geologists are starting to corroborate the tales through study of climatic data, sediments and land forms; the evidence was there in the stories, but until recently, nobody was listening. In this book, Patrick Nunn unravels the importance of these tales, exploring the science behind folk history from various places - including northwest Europe and India - and what it can tell us about environmental phenomena, from coastal drowning to volcanic eruptions. These stories of real events were passed across the generations, and over thousands of years, and they have broad implications for our understanding of how human societies have developed through the millennia, and ultimately how we respond collectively to changes in climate, our surroundings and the environment we live in. | |
| 505 | 0 | . | ‡aRecalling the past -- Words that matter in a harsh land -- Australian Aboriginal memories of coastal drowning -- The changing ocean surface -- Other oral archives of ancient coastal drowning -- What else might we not realise we remember? -- Have we undermined ourselves?. |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aFolklore ‡xHistory. | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aOcean ‡vFolklore. | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aStorytelling ‡xHistory. | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aLegends. | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aOral tradition. | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aOral history. | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aAboriginal Australians ‡xSocial life and customs. | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aIndigenous peoples ‡xSocial life and customs. | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aFolklore and history. | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aClimatic changes. | |
| 776 | 0 | 8. | ‡iebook version : ‡z9781472943279 |
| 830 | 0. | ‡aBloomsbury sigma series. | |
| 923 | . | ‡apurchase ‡d20181018 ‡nI-200011019 ‡sProQuest | |
| 955 | . | ‡ave14 2018-10-26 | |
| 985 | . | ‡eVENDOR LOAD | |
| 901 | . | ‡a20721653 ‡bSystem Local ‡c44710 ‡tbiblio | |