About the Author

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Foreword ix
4. Acknowledgments xiii
5. Introduction xv
6. 1. Agony and bliss 1
7. 2. Cryptograms vs. pictograms 20
8. 3. The Great Wall of China and other exotic fables 40
9. 4. Dave Barry vs. the intellectuals 54
10. 5. How would a magician memorize Chinese characters? 71
11. 6. Lord Chesterfield and the Mandarins 84
12. 7. Where do hunches come from? 111
13. 8. In the basement under the Chinese Room 131
14. 9. Converging strands: can ‘‘ideogram’’ be salvaged? 151
15. Notes 169
16. References 177
17. Index 191
18. About the Author 197