There is something of the sleuth in any scholar; small wonder, therefore, that one as flamboyantly articulate as Umberto Eco should have successfully turned his talents to the writing of a detective story, Il nome della rosa. But this, Eco's first novel, is no mere detective story; rather, its framework serves as a vehicle for nothing less than a summa of all the author knows about the Middle Ages—and all he wishes us to know…. Eco's rare gift for epitome has a chance to shine forth in this book and his own delight in his task is often infectious. At the same time, this very delight carries a risk: one is intermittently reminded of novels by Jules Verne such as Around the Moon, in which the author's desire to impart knowledge has carried him away, and leaves the reader toiling along behind, a little baffled. Still, like...