12/11/21

This book gives an outline of the 60 Great Books plus the 2-volume Syntopicon..

A short, but delightful, treatise on liberal education and the necessity of it-- especially so in our modern-day society. The text is brief, concise, and logical.

It is an extremely well written book. 5 stars! ( )

One of the most amazing books series I've ever read. ( )

This is an extended speech about the virtues of reading directly the books considered to be lasting classics. The choice of such books by the editorial board assembled by the Encyclopedia Britannica's board of directors, reflects the concerns of 1950's USA. admitting that limitation, since this book predates books like "The Medium is the Massage" by Marshal McLuhan, and "Mankind and Mother Earth" by Arnold Toynbee, which have been written since, it is a good set of epigrams to reinforce the idea that the ordinary mind is better off to address the content of famous books by reading them directly rather than relying on popularization and editors. Fortunately some books are great because they are brilliant explanations of the ideas they espouse. If you address the great books, you will find them quite interesting. Having a list designed by someone else is useful, see if you agree with that list, and read such titles as you can agree on.
The other fact is that life-long reading is the only method for a person seeking education, and to say that youth is the time when your reading program should be completed short-changes the population. reread an old favourite and see how well it stands up, and try a book you didn't like and see if your experience has altered your opinion. Please!
This introduction is short and snappy, and even if you disagree with the list, you will be better off for the read. ( )