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Milton’s Teeth and Ovid’s Umbrella is one of those rare paperbacks that
should be provided with stiff covers at once to preserve it. Michael Omert has a
superb style and, miraculously in a book about science, can make you laugh out
loud. His theme is that you can learn a lot about human history not from written
records, but from small, everyday things, such as toothbrushes, graffiti, keys
and playing cards. Every section is a winner. Try the opening paragraph of the
section on football and you might find yourself two stations beyond the one
where you should have got off. Published by Touchstone, $11, ISBN
0684801647.