Alan Jacobs

My guest today is Alan Jacobs, the author of The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction. Jacobs is a scholar of English literature, writer, and literary critic. He is a distinguished professor of the humanities at Baylor University.

In contrast to the more methodical approach of Mortimer Adler's classic How to Read a Book, Jacobs offers an insightful, accessible, and playfully irreverent guide for aspiring readers. He shares advice on how to make reading more pleasant, the benefits of writing in your books, why you should reread books, and more wonderful reading advice.

TIMESTAMPS:

• [00:39] About Prof. Alan Jacobs & growing up a reader
• [02:56] Thoughts on How to Read a Book by Mortimer Alder
• [06:26] The truth about giving book recommendations
• [09:53] The difference between liking to read & liking to have read
• [11:26] Why you probably don’t want to read only Great books
• [14:35] Great books require a lot of your time, attention, and reflection
• [17:24] Niccolo Machiavelli’s relationship with books
• [21:26] The benefits of writing in your books
• [24:51] Pros and cons of reading on a Kindle
• [32:24] The truth about speed reading & why you may be reading too fast already
• [36:06] The benefits of rereading books
• [42:40] Two books that had a huge influence on Alan & how they changed him
  • Middlemarch by George Elliot
  • The Dyer's Hand by W.H. Auden