Buccaneer Scholars and Edupunks

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Which would you rather be called? A scholar or a punk? Personally, I’d prefer the former. James Marcus Bach published Secrets of a Buccaneer Scholar in 2009. Anya Kamenetz published a column in a magazine about what she calls edupunks in the same year. Which came first? Does it really matter, though? Or is one a feeble attempt to capitalize on the other? My feeling is that Kamenetz is taking a cue from a respected, successful buccaneer scholar and pasting a lot of stuff from elsewhere on the Internet. I also agree with the quote from Slate in the Wikipedia article about perspective. Also, someone on her publishing team read the item from Mr. Bach wrong and put in anyway.

James Marcus Bach, Secrets of a buccaneer-scholar :how self-education and the pursuit of passion can lead to a lifetime of success, Scribner, 2009.

Anya Kamenetz, see the Wikipedia article.

Stemma–Stemmata vs. Genealogy

In A Dictionary of English Manuscript Terminology (ISBN 9780199265442), among other odd entries, is a definition of stemma (plural stemmata). As described in this book, it is applied to editing and textual criticism but could just as well be applied to the analysis of a font’s or typeface’s history. Likewise, stemma is the more appropriate word for that philosophical maundering on morals. The etymology of the word does have the connotation of ‘ancestry’ or ‘pedigree,’ but those terms are most appropriately used for living beings, not concepts or physical artifacts. The Dictionary also has a two-page discussion of genealogy, which makes the distinction clear. There are no cross-references between the two terms so the compiler of the Dictionary noted the lack of a connection.

The Dictionary has quite a few interesting articles which would be of interest to a genealogist studying primary source material in it’s original form. Descriptions of such material abound here, as well as of the offices which created them. Other terms, such as those appropriate to historical analysis of literature (philosophy) and artistic creations (typefaces) also abound.

NPM

© 2011 N. P. Maling – Seattle Book Scouts