Thinking about Thinking - not quite essays by Margaret Randall

Margaret Randall, the author, editor, and translator of nearly 200 books, turns her mind to the process of thinking - the purpose of which is to engage in the act of curiosity, inquiry, and examination. What results is an intimate, keen, and far-ranging collection of exploration from one of the great minds of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. These thirty-one pieces range from current political events to the history of communication, from deciphering the Maya code to a childhood admiration of Elizabeth Taylor, from Alan Turing to the New York City subway maps. And each one concerns itself more with the act of thinking than reaching conclusions, engaging readers with their own ability to think.

The limited edition of the book is a numbered first-printing series of 100 copies, signed by the author. Run on heavyweight 80# paper with a matte cover finish, printed and perfect bound in New Mexico. The exquisite edition is currently the second printing of the book, on the same paper and cover stock. The bookstore edition is run on 50# creme paper and printed in the USA.

“Discerning and deeply humane, these essays from international award-winning poet, activist, author Margaret Randall are gems of wisdom, originality, and vision, challenging us to rethink the very process of thought itself. Distilled with age and her wide-ranging art and activism over the course of eight decades, these pieces are quintessential Randall: profound, moving, unforgettable.”

— Minrose Gwin, author of The Accidentals

“In Thinking about Thinking, Margaret Randall’s brilliant mind takes us on a journey of exploration of the personal: identity, vulnerability, purpose, and of the social/political (which of course is personal): revolution, food, art, technology. From the personal ‘Becoming Elizabeth Taylor’ to the provocative ‘Preserving Racism or Preserving History?’ to the expansive, research-based ‘Breaking the Maya Code: Creativity across Continents and Time,’ to the exquisite love letter to her wife Barbara, ‘Silliness Genes,’ the thirty-one essays will school you, challenge you, tickle you, entertain you, and give you hope. Grateful to take this journey with someone so deeply committed to speaking her truth, in the service of setting herself, and others, free.”

— Olga Talamante, community activist and Executive Director Emerita of the Chicana Latina Foundation

“Rarely is a book both beautiful and practical. Randall’s is just that—a moving and revelatory exploration of some of the world’s great conundrums, and a trail guide to how any one of us might move through the underbrush and into open spaces and new light.”

— V. B. Price, author of Innocence Regained