Forward through the rearview mirror : reflections on and by Marshall McLuhan

Abstract

Communications thinker and prophet Marshall McLuhan gave us phrases the medium is message and global village. Today, with explosion of electronic technologies and on-line communication, his ideas are more relevant than ever. Forward Through Rearview Mirror is an evocative and visually exciting exploration of McLuhan's life and work in context of information age. The book consists of short prose passages, aphorisms, interviews, letters, and dialogues by McLuhan -- many never before published -- interwoven with biographical text by his biographer Philip Marchand and commentary by such cultural critics as Louis Rossetto, Neil Postman, Camille Paglia, and Lewis Lapham.The book is organized into four parts: Global Village and Identity, Medium is Message, and Extensions of Man. In keeping with McLuhan's style of speaking and writing, text consists of a series of brief entries, ranging in length from a single line to a page. The entries have been selected and positioned so that they can be read consecutively as a narrative or randomly as individual ideas. Throughout, material by McLuhan appears in a different typeface and color from material by others, to make two clearly distinguishable. Part book, part magazine, part storyboard, this multidimensional look at ideas and life of patron saint of Wired magazine will appeal to anyone interested in technology, contemporary thought, and popular culture.