San Antonio College Library

Umberto Eco's latest work unlocks the riddles of history in an exploration of the "linguistics of the lunatic," stories told by scholars, scientists, poets, fanatics, and ordinary people in order to make sense of the world. Exploring the "Force of the False," Eco uncovers layers of mistakes that have shaped human history, such as Columbus's assumption that the world was much smaller than it is, leading him to seek out a quick route to the East via...

A look at the role of serendipity in major medical and scientific breakthroughs of the twentieth century explains how chance led to the discovery of such medical advances as penicillin, chemotherapy drugs, X-rays, Valium, and Viagra.