Adlerrama Day 1: "How to Mark a Book" by Mortimer Adler

Here I go!

 I'm doing this again!

Summary: Do you really own a book if you don't scribble in it?

Commentary: As I was doing side reading for the blog, there was one name that kept coming up: Mortimer Adler. 

He was a philosopher, professor, etc., etc. For the blog's purposes, he's most important for two things: First, creating The Great Books of the Western World and second, writing a variety of books and articles about making education accessible to more people.

TGBotWW (The Games Breath of the Wind Waker) is probably the only classics collection that can go toe to toe with T5FSoB, being a similar complete unit across time, versus just an assortment of classics by a publisher. I'm kind of annoyed with Norton at the moment (lack of good digital access, and tiny print on flimsy paper), so I might be drifting towards reading part of theme instead. As I was looking around, I found an article he published in the 1940s (I believe expanded from a chapter in his book) titled "How to Mark a Book".

That seemed like something worth reading for the project, and if I liked it I could dig into some of his other stuff. He starts with:

You know you have to read "between the lines" to get the most out of anything. I want to persuade you to do something equally important in the course of your reading. I want to persuade you to write between the lines. Unless you do, you are not likely to do the most efficient kind of reading. 

As far as this kind of article goes, that's a pretty clever opening. The contrast between read and write, the appeal to efficiency for the kind of person who reads fancy magazines, a good start.

He preemptively channels some Gandalf-burns with, "This deluded individual owns woodpulp and ink, not books." As well as "this guy fucks" with "This man owns books."

His mark up list consists of:

• Underlining (or highlighting)

• Vertical lines at the margin 

• Star, asterisk, or other doo-dad at the margin 

• Numbers in the margin 

• Numbers of other pages in the margin 

• Circling or highlighting of key words or phrases 

            • Writing in the margin, or at the top or bottom of the page

Along with some notes about dog earring, writing summaries, etc. He's pretty flexible though, telling people to use side paper, etc. if you prefer. All in all, I found him readable, a little funny, and insightful. I think I'll grab a short off the extras list tomorrow, print it out, and mark it up. I think, overall his technique is reasonably similar to mine (I'm definitely a separate notes guy, but that's just so I don't have to squish my handwriting). Digital is a little different, since you can just put whatever you want where ever you want with minimal fuss. I'll close with his own closing lines:

If your friend wishes to read your Plutarch's Lives, Shakespeare, or The Federalist Papers, tell him gently but firmly, to buy a copy. You will lend him your car or your coat -- but your books are as much a part of you as your head or your heart.

This guy books.