Godel, Escher, Bach (Penguin Press Science)

Music, art, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, formal logic, philosophy, genetics, mathematics: how could one not enjoy a book which brings together such a grab-bag of subjects and successfully demonstrates that they are, indeed, relevant to one another. I know a bit about music and art, but very little about the other topics Hofstadter weaves into his braid, so Gödel, Escher, Bach was an invigorating mental workout, one enlivened by the wit and whimsy—I don't doubt that these qualities will irritate those humorless types who groan with displeasure at puns—that Hofstadter cannot resist injecting into discussions of issues which can only be counted as serious. The book is nearly forty years old, so I'm uncertain whether Hofstadter's conjectures and conclusions remain valid; they are, without a doubt, stimulating.