The Full Dewey: a non-fiction book club
Each month we’ll focus on one section of the library’s non-fiction collection, from the 100’s to the 900’s, and discuss a book.
Join us on the
Third Thursday of the month!
February – October 2012
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
In the Library Meeting Room
Book Club Calendar
May 17
The 400’s: Language and Grammar
The Professor and the Madman: a tale of murder, insanity, and the making of the Oxford English Dictionary
by Simon Winchester (423 Winchester)
The riveting true story of Dr. W. C. Minor, the ingenious but insane American Civil War veteran who contributed more than 10,000 definitions to the Oxford English Dictionary, and Professor James Murray, the coordinator of the massive project to create the landmark dictionary. With riveting insight and detail, Winchester crafts a fascinating glimpse into one man's tortured mind and his contribution to another man's magnificient publication.
June 21
The 500’s: Math and Sciences
A Short History of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson (500 Bryson)
Taking everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. On his travels through space and time, Bryson encounters a splendid gallery of the most fascinating, eccentric, competitive, and foolish personalities ever to ask a hard question. In their company, he undertakes a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge.
Future titles will be chosen by book club attendees two months in advance.
How is the book club structured?
After a brief examination of that month’s Dewey Decimal class (e.g., the 500’s: Science), members can recommend other titles within that section, and then we’ll discuss the featured title for the month. RSVPs are not required, but if you want emails when new meetings are scheduled and reminders about the meetings, you can join this club on Meetup.com (membership is free).
What is the Dewey Decimal System?
While the library's fiction books are organized by who wrote it (the author's last name), the non-fiction books are organized by what the book is about (the main subject heading). The Dewey Decimal System outlines what numbers to assign to various subjects so that books on similar topics can be found easily next to each other.
There are ten Dewey Decimal classes that are then broken down into ever more specific subject headings. Here are the ten classes, some with links to samples of the kinds of books found in that class.
000's: General Knowledge
100's: Psychology & Philsophy
200's: Religion
300's: Social Science
400's: Language
500's: Math & Science
600's: Medicine & Technology
700's: Arts & Recreation
800's: Literature
900's: History & Geography
Want to read more non-fiction? Visit our Adult Booklists page for more reading suggestions!