How to Read a Book
1940 • 448 pages

Ratings43

Average rating3.8

15

There are useful insights in this book but it's far too stodgy to recommend. The misogyny of the 1940s really shows, as the only pronouns used in the book are he/him, and the recommended reading list of 137 authors contains only two (!) women – one of whom was George Eliot.

I could see this being more useful, widely read, and appreciated if it were updated for modern audiences. Alder and Van Doren and both dead now, so I'm sure they wouldn't mind shaving off 100+ pages of repetitiveness and overwrought explanations. In the spirit of syntopical reading, I look forward to reading an alternative.

January 14, 2021Report this review