The Harper's Index Book, Vol. 3
Gathered from the "Harper's Index" column in Harper's magazine, these facts are presented in stark language and frequently startle the reader: "Portion of personal mail sent in 1985 that consisted of greeting cards: ." Others capture the drifting tide of cultural events: "Number of radio stations with a disco format today: 0." Numbers are combined in way to make eerie juxtapositions: "Pounds of plutonium and highly enriched uranium that are missing from U.S. inventories: 9,600 pounds. Pounds of plutonium needed to make an atomic bomb: 15." Some baffle: "Number of 'telephone-related' injuries in 1985: 11,000." As Harper's editor Lapham notes, these numbers are "fragmentary proofs of the world's density, wonder, contradictions, and desire."Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.