Everyman's McLuhan

Certainly one of the more important minds of the 20th century was Marshall McLuhan, a man whose grappling with the new technology of his time produced often quoted but rarely genuinely understood 'philosophy'. The reliable Wikipedia defines it well: 'In The Mechanical Bride, McLuhan turned his attention to analyzing and commenting on numerous examples of persuasion in contemporary popular culture. This followed naturally from his earlier work as both dialectic and rhetoric in the classical trivium aimed at persuasion. At this point his focus shifted dramatically, turning inward to study the influence of communication media independent of their content. His famous slogan, "the medium is the message" (elaborated in his 1964 book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man) calls attention to this intrinsic effect of communications media.... at the empirical level of consciousness, the medium is the message, whereas at the intelligent and rational levels of consciousness, the content is the message'. And that is about as concise a definition of McLuhan's influence to be found...until now. This extraordinarily well-designed (McLuhan would most assuredly approve!) new book is an exploration of the influence of McLuhan by McLuhan's official biographer W. Terrence Gordon. In the colorful pages (ah, media influence!) designed by Eri Hamaji, Gordon, along with writer Jacob Albert, gives us quotes, the 'terminology', explanations, examples, and a genuine understanding of McLuhan's massive influence not only on the media, but also on the thinking of contemporary man. It is presented with wry wit, integrating visual with written information, and maintaining the position that McLuhan's at times obtuse observations are now available to the general minds of McLuhan's 'global village'. Once again Buzz Poole and his staff have created a book that integrates design with important information. In this handsome volume there is intellectual enhancement and visual excitement that will reward the reading public, hungry to understand the important minds that shaped our present. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, November 07