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The Cultural Tutor: Forty-Nine Lessons You Wish You’d Learned at School
'The Cultural Tutor is dedicated to a cosmopolitan view of culture. It writes about every continent, every religion, every tradition of art and poetry' TOMIWA OWOLADE, THE TIMES
'For anyone who has enjoyed The Cultural Tutor on X, this book will be more of the same delight. Expect nuggets of insight and wisdom, wrapped in the author's trademark warmth and wit' ALAIN DE BOTTON
'A remarkable book. The Cultural Tutor is a witty, wide-ranging, and engaging exploration of humanity's shared heritage, from ancient history to modern art.' DONALD ROBERTSON
Who does the Mona Lisa actually depict?
Why do we still look to the Greeks and Romans to inform our politics?
Where do we find meaning in a world dominated by technology?
*
Culture is like a language. Art, architecture, history and philosophy are its grammar. And, like a language, anyone can learn it.
In 2022, Sheehan Quirke took to Twitter (now X) as The Cultural Tutor with the aim of making culture accessible for everyone. He wrote about poetry, paintings, building design, and counter-intuitive but fascinating facts about history and geography. It wasn’t the sort of content you usually find on a newsfeed – and yet it has flourished, gaining over 1.7 million followers.
Taught in forty-nine short lessons – from Babylon to Brutalism, Ronaldo to Ragnarök – Sheehan takes readers on a delightful and fascinating journey through culture. He explores provocative questions (is mythology any different to science?) and uncovers illuminating stories (did you know that the highest paid athlete in history was a Roman charioteer?).
This is a witty and thought-provoking exploration of everything you need to know to begin your own adventures in the world of culture and see the everyday wonders around you.
'For anyone who has enjoyed The Cultural Tutor on X, this book will be more of the same delight. Expect nuggets of insight and wisdom, wrapped in the author's trademark warmth and wit' ALAIN DE BOTTON
'A remarkable book. The Cultural Tutor is a witty, wide-ranging, and engaging exploration of humanity's shared heritage, from ancient history to modern art.' DONALD ROBERTSON
Who does the Mona Lisa actually depict?
Why do we still look to the Greeks and Romans to inform our politics?
Where do we find meaning in a world dominated by technology?
*
Culture is like a language. Art, architecture, history and philosophy are its grammar. And, like a language, anyone can learn it.
In 2022, Sheehan Quirke took to Twitter (now X) as The Cultural Tutor with the aim of making culture accessible for everyone. He wrote about poetry, paintings, building design, and counter-intuitive but fascinating facts about history and geography. It wasn’t the sort of content you usually find on a newsfeed – and yet it has flourished, gaining over 1.7 million followers.
Taught in forty-nine short lessons – from Babylon to Brutalism, Ronaldo to Ragnarök – Sheehan takes readers on a delightful and fascinating journey through culture. He explores provocative questions (is mythology any different to science?) and uncovers illuminating stories (did you know that the highest paid athlete in history was a Roman charioteer?).
This is a witty and thought-provoking exploration of everything you need to know to begin your own adventures in the world of culture and see the everyday wonders around you.
457 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 4, 2025
81 people are currently reading
490 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 9, 2025
I've enjoyed this book as much as I enjoy author's previous work on twitter, posting about culture and history.
It's a wide ranging work talking through architecture and history and philosophy, art or music and a whole lot of everything. It also pleasantly jumps between ages - you get a bit of Modern History, and some Ancient too. It mainly targets what we consider as 'Western Civilisation' but does a good job of finding influences to bits all around.
I'd give it five stars but for me it was a little too conversational unlike the books I'm used to reading. This is understandable though considering the author's background and inspiration coming from posting about this content on the social media.
I'd certainly describe it as a positive and inspiring book and that's really what we all need right now. Good stuff
It's a wide ranging work talking through architecture and history and philosophy, art or music and a whole lot of everything. It also pleasantly jumps between ages - you get a bit of Modern History, and some Ancient too. It mainly targets what we consider as 'Western Civilisation' but does a good job of finding influences to bits all around.
I'd give it five stars but for me it was a little too conversational unlike the books I'm used to reading. This is understandable though considering the author's background and inspiration coming from posting about this content on the social media.
I'd certainly describe it as a positive and inspiring book and that's really what we all need right now. Good stuff
December 19, 2025
A whirlwind of fresh air in the stagnated cultural life of today.
September 28, 2025
This book aims to introduce the world of Western culture without the complex contemporary vocabulary that academics are accustomed to using.
I enjoyed some chapters more than others. The ones about architecture, for example, were wonderful and inspired me to delve further into the topic. Others failed to capture my imagination in the same way. Unfortunately, music was omitted as a subject, even though it is such a ubiquitous pillar of Western culture.
The writing style leans heavily on quotations. I didn’t mind too much and found some of the original voices of historical figures enriching, despite the way they interrupted the narrative flow.
In sum, it is a book with a unique lens, an unusual writing style, but also some unfortunate omissions.
I enjoyed some chapters more than others. The ones about architecture, for example, were wonderful and inspired me to delve further into the topic. Others failed to capture my imagination in the same way. Unfortunately, music was omitted as a subject, even though it is such a ubiquitous pillar of Western culture.
The writing style leans heavily on quotations. I didn’t mind too much and found some of the original voices of historical figures enriching, despite the way they interrupted the narrative flow.
In sum, it is a book with a unique lens, an unusual writing style, but also some unfortunate omissions.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews