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The Ideal of Culture: Essays
Who is the greatest living essayist writing in English? Joseph Epstein would surely be at the top of anybody's list. Epstein is penetrating. He is witty. He has a magic touch with words, that hard to define but immediately recognizable quality called style. Above all, he is impossible to put down. Joseph Epstein's The Ideal of Essays is the fourth such volume from Axios Press and contains 63 essays. Subjects range from domestic life to current social trends to an appraisal of “contemporary nuttiness.” It follows the much acclaimed Essays in Biography , 2012, A Literary Education and Other Essays , 2014, and Wind Shorter Essays, 2016. After reading Epstein, we see life with a fresh eye. We also see ourselves a little more clearly. This is what Plutarch life teaching by example, but with a wry smile and such a sure hand that we hardly notice the instruction. It is just pure pleasure.
572 pages, Hardcover
Published May 7, 2018
61 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Epstein
105 books114 followersJoseph Epstein is the author of, among other books, Snobbery, Friendship, and Fabulous Small Jews. He has been editor of American Scholar and has written for the New Yorker, the Atlantic, Commentary, Town and Country, and other magazines.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 16, 2018
I admit to having been intimidated by erudite literary professors when I was a university student. Once I became a sexagenarian, however, I found that my commitment to great reading exceeded my youthful need for self-confidence. Priorities are one of the few benefits of aging.
Many contemporary intellectuals of every stripe, unfortunately, don’t help their cause. They seem to want the fame but not the familiarity of writing accessible prose. They often appear to write simply for the benefit of each other, which has never struck me as a very advisable business model.
Joseph Epstein, however, is not among them. While this is the first of his work that I’ve read, I can think of few books I’ve enjoyed more in an awful long time. He’s obviously brilliant, but he never presumes you know that. Or care, for that matter.
This collection of essays is exhaustive and runs the gamut from an ode to wit to growing up in the 60s. Fans of his literary criticism won’t be disappointed, however, as he includes a long string of essays on writers from Kafka (tortured) to Willa Cather (“the best novelist of the 20th century”).
The best parts of the book for me were the beginning and the end. In the former he addresses a wide array of issues dealing loosely with culture, while in the latter he offers insight on what it means to be old in the 21st century. The writing is crisp, witty, and vivid without ever getting bogged down in self-importance. I used the popup dictionary on my e-reader on several occasions but that was a function of my interest in getting it right more than a strategy often used by contemporary authors of the literary genre to use obscure language. (A good book should never make you feel ignorant.)
My strongest impression of the book is that while literary criticism is all about applying labels, Epstein uses them sparingly. And, in the end, never really labels himself (at least not to the extent a lot of contemporary authors feel compelled to), which I find an admirable case of self-restraint. His knowledge of literature will be greater than the vast majority of readers but he never bludgeons you with it. He has opinions and he voices them, and some thinner-skinned readers may be put off by his blunt rejection of identity politics, political correctness, and Sigmund Freud (not necessarily in that order). It comes off as more curmudgeonly than mean-spirited, however, and I’ve found, in my own case as well, that age will do that to you. You run out of time to prance around your point.
Epstein does adhere to Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch’s admonishment to authors to “murder their darlings,” but he does retain the upbeat cadence and imagery of a good turn of phrase. If you’re a fan of good writing, as I am, you won’t find any better.
All told, I truly enjoyed this book. It is exhaustive. But I learned a lot, both about the man and the subjects he writes about. Perhaps most importantly, I gained some insight into how to be a better reader and to be less intimidated by the world of great literature. And isn’t that ultimately the goal of literary criticism?
As a reader I’ve long held the view that the highest compliment you can pay an author is to turn the last page and think, “I wish I had written that.” In this case, however, I thought, “Oh how I wish he had been one of my professors all those years ago.”
At the very least I would have read Proust by now. It is, however, now at the top of my reading list. And perhaps that, in the end, is the highest compliment I can pay this book.
Many contemporary intellectuals of every stripe, unfortunately, don’t help their cause. They seem to want the fame but not the familiarity of writing accessible prose. They often appear to write simply for the benefit of each other, which has never struck me as a very advisable business model.
Joseph Epstein, however, is not among them. While this is the first of his work that I’ve read, I can think of few books I’ve enjoyed more in an awful long time. He’s obviously brilliant, but he never presumes you know that. Or care, for that matter.
This collection of essays is exhaustive and runs the gamut from an ode to wit to growing up in the 60s. Fans of his literary criticism won’t be disappointed, however, as he includes a long string of essays on writers from Kafka (tortured) to Willa Cather (“the best novelist of the 20th century”).
The best parts of the book for me were the beginning and the end. In the former he addresses a wide array of issues dealing loosely with culture, while in the latter he offers insight on what it means to be old in the 21st century. The writing is crisp, witty, and vivid without ever getting bogged down in self-importance. I used the popup dictionary on my e-reader on several occasions but that was a function of my interest in getting it right more than a strategy often used by contemporary authors of the literary genre to use obscure language. (A good book should never make you feel ignorant.)
My strongest impression of the book is that while literary criticism is all about applying labels, Epstein uses them sparingly. And, in the end, never really labels himself (at least not to the extent a lot of contemporary authors feel compelled to), which I find an admirable case of self-restraint. His knowledge of literature will be greater than the vast majority of readers but he never bludgeons you with it. He has opinions and he voices them, and some thinner-skinned readers may be put off by his blunt rejection of identity politics, political correctness, and Sigmund Freud (not necessarily in that order). It comes off as more curmudgeonly than mean-spirited, however, and I’ve found, in my own case as well, that age will do that to you. You run out of time to prance around your point.
Epstein does adhere to Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch’s admonishment to authors to “murder their darlings,” but he does retain the upbeat cadence and imagery of a good turn of phrase. If you’re a fan of good writing, as I am, you won’t find any better.
All told, I truly enjoyed this book. It is exhaustive. But I learned a lot, both about the man and the subjects he writes about. Perhaps most importantly, I gained some insight into how to be a better reader and to be less intimidated by the world of great literature. And isn’t that ultimately the goal of literary criticism?
As a reader I’ve long held the view that the highest compliment you can pay an author is to turn the last page and think, “I wish I had written that.” In this case, however, I thought, “Oh how I wish he had been one of my professors all those years ago.”
At the very least I would have read Proust by now. It is, however, now at the top of my reading list. And perhaps that, in the end, is the highest compliment I can pay this book.
March 27, 2022
I should take more notes when I read Joseph Epstein, but I get lost enjoying the writing. A quip here or an insight there is quickly lost if you don't stop and take the time. I'd like to just read it all over again, but I feel guilty about my long neglected list. Think of a smart friend you have or would like to have and ask him his take on something like WASP culture. Epstein's essays are like having that smart friend. The difference is that Epstein asks the question and then provides the answer too. And WASP culture sounds boring, right? It would be if we didn't have this great writer.
This book is unique in his output because it combines his thoughts into four different categories; Culture, Literary, Jewish, and Masterpiece themes. For the most part I have only read Epstein's take on cultural essays like Fred Astaire or Gossip or his long form essays collections like Narcissus Leaves the pool. I didn't know that Epstein had written so much about literature and the Jewish experience, both of which are worthwhile in his telling and memorable. There are books I hadn't heard of and books I know I should have read by now. Maybe I will if I live as long as Joe.
Not to be too repetitive, but Epstein's voice is that of a friend being honest about his good points and bad points. And as you read through this and other collections you'll find his value of friendship in how he regularly mentions Edward Shills, a professor and mentor to Epstein that will probably be remembered only as long as Epstein is read.
The book ends with the author's essay on being 80 years old.
If this is your first book by Joseph Epstein then skip around to the different sections if you don't like his cultural stuff. There is a good chance you will like something in here.
This book is unique in his output because it combines his thoughts into four different categories; Culture, Literary, Jewish, and Masterpiece themes. For the most part I have only read Epstein's take on cultural essays like Fred Astaire or Gossip or his long form essays collections like Narcissus Leaves the pool. I didn't know that Epstein had written so much about literature and the Jewish experience, both of which are worthwhile in his telling and memorable. There are books I hadn't heard of and books I know I should have read by now. Maybe I will if I live as long as Joe.
Not to be too repetitive, but Epstein's voice is that of a friend being honest about his good points and bad points. And as you read through this and other collections you'll find his value of friendship in how he regularly mentions Edward Shills, a professor and mentor to Epstein that will probably be remembered only as long as Epstein is read.
The book ends with the author's essay on being 80 years old.
If this is your first book by Joseph Epstein then skip around to the different sections if you don't like his cultural stuff. There is a good chance you will like something in here.
April 23, 2024
The title essay of this book explores Epstein's own ideal of culture, which is basically extensive familiarity with the classics of western literature, art, and music. He spends some time on his own time teaching at Northwestern and more on his time as a student at and ongoing connections with the University of Chicago. Some of his examples of those who achieved his ideal are Jacques Barzun, Arnaldo Momigliano, and Hugh Lloyd Jones. Like Epstein, I tend to be a traditionalist (what do you expect from someone with three degrees in Greek and Latin), but even I find him a bit too exclusive in what constitutes culture.
Most of the essays are on individual books and writers. They are enjoyable, but tend to the superficial. It is nice to be reminded of old favorites (Gibbon, Tacitus, Herodotus) and to be pushed to read some important books that I haven't (e.g., Proust). One of Epstein's strengths is in marshaling well-chosen quotations from whatever work is under discussion. There are also a number of essays that included a lot of personal reminiscences, including his days at the University of Chicago, and a couple, "Death Takes No Holiday" and "Hitting Eighty" that reflect on impending mortality. While not quite as far down the road as Epstein, I also hear Time's winged chariot in the distance.
Epstein's writing is workmanlike, often quite good. His jokes are mostly funny, occasionally tiresome or annoying. The book has a lot of typos and minor mistakes. I am not sure whether Epstein or his publisher are responsible. A few examples: Gibbon's erstwhile fiancé was Suzanne Curchod, not Curchord (multiple times, including the index). Richard Lattimore for Richmond. In the essay on Sir Ronald Syme, Epstein conflates the second triumvirate with the first: Caesar, Pompey and Lepidus instead of Crassus; really? Then there is the embarrasing howler balling for bawling. "Sholem Aleichem" is particularly full of typos.
There was a lot that I enjoyed, but also a fair amount that was annoying. And while Epstein mostly got details right, the mistakes are embarrassing.
Most of the essays are on individual books and writers. They are enjoyable, but tend to the superficial. It is nice to be reminded of old favorites (Gibbon, Tacitus, Herodotus) and to be pushed to read some important books that I haven't (e.g., Proust). One of Epstein's strengths is in marshaling well-chosen quotations from whatever work is under discussion. There are also a number of essays that included a lot of personal reminiscences, including his days at the University of Chicago, and a couple, "Death Takes No Holiday" and "Hitting Eighty" that reflect on impending mortality. While not quite as far down the road as Epstein, I also hear Time's winged chariot in the distance.
Epstein's writing is workmanlike, often quite good. His jokes are mostly funny, occasionally tiresome or annoying. The book has a lot of typos and minor mistakes. I am not sure whether Epstein or his publisher are responsible. A few examples: Gibbon's erstwhile fiancé was Suzanne Curchod, not Curchord (multiple times, including the index). Richard Lattimore for Richmond. In the essay on Sir Ronald Syme, Epstein conflates the second triumvirate with the first: Caesar, Pompey and Lepidus instead of Crassus; really? Then there is the embarrasing howler balling for bawling. "Sholem Aleichem" is particularly full of typos.
There was a lot that I enjoyed, but also a fair amount that was annoying. And while Epstein mostly got details right, the mistakes are embarrassing.
November 28, 2018
Readers I have admired have admired Joseph Epstein. Ten years ago I tried and failed to appreciate a collection of his essays titled In a Cardboard Belt! I don’t know what has changed, apart from the fact that I’ve grown ten years older, but this time Epstein caught fire for me and I read the whole of this chunky volume in little more than a week.
Epstein is something like an American version of Theodore Dalrymple (in fact, you can read Dalrymple on Epstein here). Both write superior prose (Dalrymple, I think, is a little better). Both are exceedingly prolific. Both also suffer, I’m afraid, from lax editors. Axios Press does better for Epstein than Dalrymple’s publishers do for him, but I find myself penciling in typographical corrections in either case.
In the present volume, Epstein touches on everything from Roman historians to Jewish boxers to Willa Cather novels to the phenomenon of old people dressing like adolescents (“youth drag,” he calls it). But in some of the best and most amusing essays we find him fretting over old age. He examines his own health habits (“Virtue consists in having a salad for lunch; disappointment, in eating it”). He worries about repeating old stories to the same people (“Have I arrived at my anecdotage, the stage of mental decomposition that precedes full dotage?”). He dreads the inevitable day when “some bright young oncologist or grave neurologist informs me that the time has come for me to cease flossing.”
That last one had me laughing out loud.
Epstein is something like an American version of Theodore Dalrymple (in fact, you can read Dalrymple on Epstein here). Both write superior prose (Dalrymple, I think, is a little better). Both are exceedingly prolific. Both also suffer, I’m afraid, from lax editors. Axios Press does better for Epstein than Dalrymple’s publishers do for him, but I find myself penciling in typographical corrections in either case.
In the present volume, Epstein touches on everything from Roman historians to Jewish boxers to Willa Cather novels to the phenomenon of old people dressing like adolescents (“youth drag,” he calls it). But in some of the best and most amusing essays we find him fretting over old age. He examines his own health habits (“Virtue consists in having a salad for lunch; disappointment, in eating it”). He worries about repeating old stories to the same people (“Have I arrived at my anecdotage, the stage of mental decomposition that precedes full dotage?”). He dreads the inevitable day when “some bright young oncologist or grave neurologist informs me that the time has come for me to cease flossing.”
That last one had me laughing out loud.
June 5, 2018
Mr. Epstein's collection of essays is worth the read for three reasons:
1. Readers will be able to discover the names of significant people in history of whom they have no knowledge, whatsoever. hence, a run to the library will be in order and/or new requests for Christmas or birthday presents.
2. New examples of the author's wit and overall curiosity about what has made the world as it is today.
3. An understanding of just how ignorant and uncultured the reader is.
BONUS POINT: Epstein's final chapter about aging is priceless. Perhaps due to this reviewer's age (67) which helps said reviewer understand JE's points.
One might not find every chapter worth the time and effort, but that is the value of reading essays without true chronological connection. Start anywhere, within reason (the index does not count).
1. Readers will be able to discover the names of significant people in history of whom they have no knowledge, whatsoever. hence, a run to the library will be in order and/or new requests for Christmas or birthday presents.
2. New examples of the author's wit and overall curiosity about what has made the world as it is today.
3. An understanding of just how ignorant and uncultured the reader is.
BONUS POINT: Epstein's final chapter about aging is priceless. Perhaps due to this reviewer's age (67) which helps said reviewer understand JE's points.
One might not find every chapter worth the time and effort, but that is the value of reading essays without true chronological connection. Start anywhere, within reason (the index does not count).
February 2, 2023
I can't recall when this last happened, but I kissed the book right after I finished reading it. Never mind if I had to consult my iPhone's dictionary every few pages or so, especially into the first half of the book (quite a lot of BIG words with exhilarating meanings here). And predictably, this reading will cost me again. Extremely persuasive by merely sharing an anecdote from a chosen book or writer, Joseph Epstein's MO never fails to rope me into running after these titles and authors. In fairness to the guy, his tastes have only failed me once. Hello, "The Journals of Leo Lerman." (Goodbye!)
Mr Epstein's latest collection of recent essays are written with less restraint apropos to his thoughts on victimhood, political correctness, academia's trajectory over the years, perhaps even his political leanings. I'm in agreement with his sentiments on the trend of victimhood as a virtue, today's escalating PC-ness and the laissez faire policy enjoyed by English lit students. Combine the last two, and in the spirit of equal representation for gender and race, you get mediocrity.
Toward the end of the book, a friend of Mr Epstein's, upon learning he's reading (yet another) book on the Roman Republic, encapsulates what I already know of the fellow, having amassed and read almost all of his books of essays: "you don't read any crappy books, do you?" Does this make him a snob? Yes, indeedy--the kind I will try to emulate, after I'm done reading my share of crappy books, after a good sifting, and ditching the crappier titles from the merely crappy. My quota for crappy has yet to be filled. After all, once upon a prehistoric youth, the guy read "A Stone for Danny Fisher." Bet you like me, he shed a tear or two, too.
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/65006652...
Mr Epstein's latest collection of recent essays are written with less restraint apropos to his thoughts on victimhood, political correctness, academia's trajectory over the years, perhaps even his political leanings. I'm in agreement with his sentiments on the trend of victimhood as a virtue, today's escalating PC-ness and the laissez faire policy enjoyed by English lit students. Combine the last two, and in the spirit of equal representation for gender and race, you get mediocrity.
Toward the end of the book, a friend of Mr Epstein's, upon learning he's reading (yet another) book on the Roman Republic, encapsulates what I already know of the fellow, having amassed and read almost all of his books of essays: "you don't read any crappy books, do you?" Does this make him a snob? Yes, indeedy--the kind I will try to emulate, after I'm done reading my share of crappy books, after a good sifting, and ditching the crappier titles from the merely crappy. My quota for crappy has yet to be filled. After all, once upon a prehistoric youth, the guy read "A Stone for Danny Fisher." Bet you like me, he shed a tear or two, too.
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/65006652...
June 27, 2018
This is a compilation of essays that range from 3 - 8 pages that are originally published in periodicals that include the Wall Street Journal, Weekly Standard, Commentary, and Claremont Review of Books. The essays are delightful and informative reading. Each essay focuses on a book, an author, or idea. The title of the book comes from the first essay. Epstein has a winsome and engaging way of communicating. By another’s pen, the subjects of these essays would probably be tortuously dull. But, Epstein has a knack for integrating personal, historical, and literary anecdotes that make the whole book an entertaining learning event.
The essays are divided into five parts: The Culture, Literary, Jewish, Masterpieces, and one essay in part five: Hitting Eighty. The two essays I enjoyed the most were the first and the last: The Ideal of Culture and Hitting Eighty.
The essays are divided into five parts: The Culture, Literary, Jewish, Masterpieces, and one essay in part five: Hitting Eighty. The two essays I enjoyed the most were the first and the last: The Ideal of Culture and Hitting Eighty.
December 24, 2018
I felt like I've learned so much on subjects I've never given a thought about. Joseph Epstein is an intellectual though I don't believe he'd say he is. So much culture is instilled in this book. I am glad I was able to finish the book before the year's end.
June 15, 2018
Joseph Epstein ties with Clive James as my favorite living essayist.
November 20, 2020
I must admit that I did not know anything about the author before reading this book. Sometimes that can be dangerous, but in this case the result of reading this book was getting to know the thinking and feeling of a writer whom I would like to read a lot more of. There are definitely some interesting strands in the author's thinking that I find appealing, from the author's moderation in political matters to a cultured approach that points out the snobbery of being cultured as being accessible to anyone who is willing to take the care to be a well-read and sound-thinking person, which is the sort of snobbery that I can wholeheartedly endorse and probably unconsciously and frequently exhibit. Much of the book consists of wonderfully written and elegant book reviews, and as a prolific book reviewer myself, I can recognize in these reviews the work of someone who is an elegant craftsman of his thinking on literature, and one can see the results of many hundreds and thousands of books read and digested and ruminated and reflected upon. It should also go without saying that such a book is not by any means a quick read, and so the reader of this book is going to have to devote a fair amount of time to reading it to read it justly.
This book is a hefty collection of works that is more than 500 pages long and is divided into five sections, with the smallest sections first and last. The book begins with an introduction, and then the first part, on "the culture," which leads to various essays on such issues as old age, wit, coolness, the sixties, as well as the ideal of culture and its threat in an age that seems disinclined to serious reading and thinking. After this, the author includes a host of biographical essays that are written about a large host of writers, including Willa Cather, the young T.S. Eliot, Kafka, Proust, Eric Auerbach, Evelyn Waugh, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tacitus, and Philip Larkin, and also includes reviews on books about biographies, cliches, grammar, and the eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica (II). This is followed by essays relating specifically to Jewish culture (III), such as the work of Sholem Aleichem, the genre of jokes, and thoughts about a Jewish Christmas. This is followed by the author looking at masterpieces like Memoirs of Hadrian, the Life of Johnson, Epicetus' writings, Speak, Memory (a fantastic memoir), as well as the Brothers Ashkenazi (IV). The book then finishes with a brief essay on hitting eighty (V), after which there are original publication notes for the essays of the book and an index.
In many ways, this book demonstrates the author's ideal of culture by exploring different elements of that culture. One of the highest compliments I can give the author as a reviewer is that he reads books with a goal of liking and appreciating them. There are a great many people who enter into the field of criticism and do not like or seem to want to like what they are reading or listening to or eating or the like. This is not the case here. At times the author has deeply critical things to say about the writing he deals with, but the author looks for ways to praise authors, whether for their obvious literary skill, or for their moral seriousness, or for skills in description, or something else of that nature. If the author shows a distaste for preachiness in literature, a common failing among many of us who write [1], there are a lot of pleasant essays about the author's reading and thinking here, bookended with thoughts about aging and culture, making this an excellent collection of essays from someone whose writings I would like to be more familiar with, though hopefully most of the other books are a bit shorter.
[1] Those who can do. Those who can't teach. Those who can't teach sell. Those who can't sell preach. And those who can't preach critique.
This book is a hefty collection of works that is more than 500 pages long and is divided into five sections, with the smallest sections first and last. The book begins with an introduction, and then the first part, on "the culture," which leads to various essays on such issues as old age, wit, coolness, the sixties, as well as the ideal of culture and its threat in an age that seems disinclined to serious reading and thinking. After this, the author includes a host of biographical essays that are written about a large host of writers, including Willa Cather, the young T.S. Eliot, Kafka, Proust, Eric Auerbach, Evelyn Waugh, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tacitus, and Philip Larkin, and also includes reviews on books about biographies, cliches, grammar, and the eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica (II). This is followed by essays relating specifically to Jewish culture (III), such as the work of Sholem Aleichem, the genre of jokes, and thoughts about a Jewish Christmas. This is followed by the author looking at masterpieces like Memoirs of Hadrian, the Life of Johnson, Epicetus' writings, Speak, Memory (a fantastic memoir), as well as the Brothers Ashkenazi (IV). The book then finishes with a brief essay on hitting eighty (V), after which there are original publication notes for the essays of the book and an index.
In many ways, this book demonstrates the author's ideal of culture by exploring different elements of that culture. One of the highest compliments I can give the author as a reviewer is that he reads books with a goal of liking and appreciating them. There are a great many people who enter into the field of criticism and do not like or seem to want to like what they are reading or listening to or eating or the like. This is not the case here. At times the author has deeply critical things to say about the writing he deals with, but the author looks for ways to praise authors, whether for their obvious literary skill, or for their moral seriousness, or for skills in description, or something else of that nature. If the author shows a distaste for preachiness in literature, a common failing among many of us who write [1], there are a lot of pleasant essays about the author's reading and thinking here, bookended with thoughts about aging and culture, making this an excellent collection of essays from someone whose writings I would like to be more familiar with, though hopefully most of the other books are a bit shorter.
[1] Those who can do. Those who can't teach. Those who can't teach sell. Those who can't sell preach. And those who can't preach critique.
July 23, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed the three weeks it took to get through this wonderful large collection of essays. As a literary form, the essay form, initially proffered by Montaigne, is a challenge to execute well. I have appreciated the essay collections put out by Gore Vidal, Christopher Hitchens, and Marilynne Robinson. Epstein touches on a little bit of everything over his long career as Northwestern professor, critic, and observer. I especially enjoyed the essays on some of the old Greeks and Romans like Herodotus and Tacitus.
July 21, 2020
I discovered Joseph Epstein during this lock down. Read some of his essays in national review about living during this crazy time and was hooked. He is one of the best essayist I have read. The wide range of this collection , the prose , the language is wonderful. The subtle humour, the deep insights, the economy with words amazed me. Not a single sentence is wasted. Personal favorites are his essays on death,parenthood, old age, Orwell , the 1960's , all the ones of being a Jew. Highly recommended
September 20, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of essays which range modern politics to literature to the classics. For me, it was a tour of some of the greatest literary and historical figures of all time. I will remember this book forever because it contains an essay that convinced me to read Proust's "In Search of Lost Time," a treasure in itself. In typical Epstein style, there are plenty of good laughs within, too.
November 13, 2019
Reading Epstein's essays is like eating potato chips, once I start I can't stop.
August 29, 2019
Great essays and lots to think about. Covers much ground. I love this traditional era of intellectualism and striving. I like the ideas that excellence in areas of art, culture and philosophy is a keystone of society. The only reason I couldn't give a 5 star is because I've read Jacques Barzun. Epstein isn't quite he.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews