An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List
Umberto Eco
2 books referenced
Books by Umberto Eco
Referenced in 6 episodes
November 06, 2025
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Referenced when introducing Umberto Eco as 'the author of The Name of the Rose' before discussing his postmodern analysis of Disneyland.
September 24, 2025
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Referenced in connection with Aristotle's lost book on comedy, noting that 'Umberto Eco fans will recognize that in The Name of the Rose.'
December 28, 2023
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Referenced as a comparison when discussing the story of Guglielma and Maifreda: 'It's like something out of The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco novel' - used to describe the extraordinary medieval heresy episode.
August 20, 2023
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Referenced as having a library modeled on Borges's Library of Babel. This is Umberto Eco's novel, though the author is not explicitly mentioned in the transcript.
August 12, 2021
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Referenced as containing a tribute to English character through William of Baskerville, who is modelled on Sherlock Holmes
November 09, 2020
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Mentioned alongside The Secret History as one of the great historical novels comparable to An Instance of the Fingerpost.
Referenced in 3 episodes
July 03, 2024
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Mentioned as a comparison to the idea that the Black Hand invented elaborate rituals and spy thriller elements specifically to impress the young conspirators.
December 11, 2023
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Referenced as a comparison to Don DeLillo's Libra, noting that both novels deal with conspiracy theories that are constructed and then seem to become true.
January 04, 2021
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Described as 'the great novel about conspiracy theories' that takes every great conspiracy theory in history (Knights Templar, Rosicrucians, etc.) and bundles them into one super conspiracy theory