The Guide To Reading: Pocket University

The Pocket University #23

by Asa Don Dickinson (Editor), Lyman Abbott (Editor)

Some readers find the early morning, when they have all the world to themselves, their best time for reading, and, if you are a good sleeper, and do not find early rising more wearying than refreshing, there is certainly no other time of the day when the mind is so eagerly receptive, has so keen an edge of appetite, and absorbs a book in so fine an intoxication. For your true book-lover there is no other exhilaration so exquisite as that with which one reads an inspiring book in the solemn freshness of early morning. One's nerves seem peculiarly strung for exquisite impressions in the first dewy hours of the day, there is a virginal sensitiveness and purity about all our senses, and the mere delight of the eye in the printed page is keener than at any other time.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1923

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little gem originally published in 1917 (my edition 1924)was designed as a one year course of study that would provide it's reader with knowledge worthy of a four year course of study at university (with 22 accompaning books.

What is so worthy by reading this tiny little volume you may ask. Well, let me tell you. There are two essays in the beginning about reading.

The first "Books For Study And Reading" by Lyman Abbott claims that books provide three services. They may be ornaments, tools, or friends. Ornamental books it seems are neither of the latter. He says, "In every home there ought to be books that are friends. In every day, at least in every week, there ought to be some time which can be spent in cultivating their friendship. This is reading, and reading is very different from study."

The second "On Books and Reading" by the same he goes on and on beautifully about some of the stories you would encounter in the course. A statement found within "Every book leads, if you let it have its way, to another book." Then he quotes Maurice Francis Egan as saying "The best guide to books is a book itself." I had never heard of this Egan but now I have because I logged onto Gutenberg and started reading his Confessions of a Booklover. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. One last little morsel from him "Books are the strong tincture of experience. They are to be taken carefully, drop by drop, not carelessly gulped down by the bottleful. Therefore, if you would get the best out of books, spend a quarter of an hour in reading, and threee quarters of an hour in thinking over what you have read."

That's some food for thought. I think I'll take the challenge.

[Rishabh Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the supposed guide to reading from the Pocket University, as suggested by two men. A few good tips and insights into reading have been given at the start, and some decent ideas have been presented with regards to reading. The initial section about books as tools, ornaments, or friends is spectacular. However, much of the advice is haphazardly structured in my opinion.

Then the book offers advice about what to read and when to read. Before doing that, the authors say that it is necessary to read what you wish to read, and when you wish to read it. But then they proceed to give us a list of recommended readings for an entire year! Now, I'm not against a decent list of recommended readings, however, a collection dated exactly in order of when to read, and what to read, is totally against both what the authors themselves preach, and what i personally believe in.
I agree with their philosophy of finding time to read, and of the importance of reading, however, I do not share their sentiments in regards to when and what to read.
The list provided is not up to date for a modern user, as is to be expected of any guide/list made in the 1920s. Still, there's quite a few decent books mentioned, and a reader can go to any random page in the book, pick one of the mentioned books, and give it a try. The entire compilation gets this book an additional rating, however, their supposed adherence to a set of books in a particular day doesn't sit well with me.

[Alexandru Jr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

in principiu platitudini.
ideea centrala e ceva de genul "citeste ce-ti place, si cand vrei, da' numai sa citesti" :)
si poate cateva sugestii bune pt lumea care abia incepe sa citeasca - gen diferenta dintre lectura pt placere si cea pt studiu, faptul ca e important sa ai un sistem care sa te ajute sa-ti amintesti dupa aia ceea ce ai citit (doar daca nu citesti asa, pur si simplu, pt placerea momentului) sau chestii de genul asta.
plus lucruri pe care le poate spune orice cititor pasionat.
easy reading :) - dar nu cine stie ce utila.
(e una dintre cartile pe care le primesc zilnic pe mail de la o initiativa care se cheama "forgotten books" - destul de interesant proiect, dar pdf-urile lor gratuite nu sunt prea calitative)

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little volume made me so happy. I loved Lyman Abbot's essays, "Books for Study and Reading" and "On Books and Reading."

"It saddens me to think that I shall have to die with thousands of books unread that would have given me an unblemished happiness. I will tell you a secret. I have never read King Lear, and have purposely refrained from doing so If I were ever very ill I would only need to say to myself 'You can't die yet, you haven't read Lear.' That would bring me around I know it would." Abbot quoting Mr. Mifflin, Christopher Morley's prince of booksellers.