I’m generally curious to see lists of “Best Books” of various types, wondering how many (if any) of them I’ve read. But I am particularly fascinated by the idea of the “Great Books” courses that were taught in the early part of the mid-twentieth century. One of these, possibly the best known, was a series of books published by the Encyclopedia Britannica under the auspices of the University of Chicago – the project spearheaded by university president Robert Hutchins and his henchman, philosopher Mortimer Adler. They chose books not necessarily for their literary merit, but for the ideas they contained. Naturally the entire project was controversial – who gets to decide what books are great and what makes them so -- but it had a surprising impact.
A Great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall, and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books by Alex Beam is a somewhat humorous look at the project, beginning with its precursors and following through to its imitators. It is particularly enjoyable for its peek into the personalities of the generators of the book series, the educators turned hucksters. The books themselves get very little attention, but that really isn’t the point. The idea is the point. If you’re interested in the Great Books fad, this is a wonderful place to start.
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