How Not to Read|Britannica Blog

There's an interesting post over at the Britannica Blog by J.E. Luebering about a new survey of books people have purchased or borrowed and yet did not read. A few notables: Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire, Crime and Punishment, and Bill Clinton's My Life. Some quotes from the article: the British survey, for instance, found that over half of respondents purchased books not to read but to decorate their homes. Others blame the books themselves: too long, too boring, too “difficult.” And: What doesn’t draw much extended attention – because, no doubt, it’s simply a given — is the fact that there’s simply too much in this world to read. Alan Riding, in his NYT/IHT article, picks up and immediately drops the issue with his first sentence: “It may well be that too many books are published, but by good fortune not all must be read.” My favorite quote of the whole article, though, is from Isaac D'Israeli's "The Man of One Book," which concisely expresses my feelings about reading: Pliny and Seneca give very safe advice on reading: that we should read much, but not many books. Also, be sure to check out Bob McHenry's comment on the post.