KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW, by Simon Winchester (William Collins, $37.99) Sometimes, a great idea is all you need. Other times, even the best of ideas needs a little help.
In the 1890s, Belgian duo Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine had what must have seemed like an absolutely brilliant idea: assemble as much information as possible, write each factoid on an index card, store the cards in hundreds of specially made filing cabinets, cunningly index everything so the desired information can be easily
