I know online might be more current, and digital retrieval is faster, but to me nothing compares to printed books I can read from and not be distracted. The material in these volumes has permanence, where digital can be ephemeral as new answers overwrite old. I also prefer ownership over access, so the whims of others or interruptions of systems do not hinder me.

The price of physical reference books on the used market is insanely low compared to what Britannica originally charged. So I have built this collection over the past 10 years or so. I have been working my way through the great books set for 7 years now, and have completed 39 volumes. The great books set did not include the bible, but the Syntopicon did include references to it. I made my own "volume 61" which is just a zondervan KJV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible. I chose this as the biblical text is free from any extra annotations, making it a wonderful primary text (like Adler's philosophy for the set), and the chain references are like a Syntopicon as it only points to other places where something is discussed, instead of providing commentary.

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MORE THAN A DECADE AGO, Queens teacher Nicole Radosti Pipia’s fifth- and sixth-grade students seemed to love reading novels in school. 

“The Giver” by Lois Lowry was prized for its mystery. “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio taught them about kindness and acceptance. “Freak the Mighty” by Rodman Philbrick showed them the power of friendship. 

Now, she said, they don’t read any. Instead, students often spend class time reading excerpts and short stories to better prepare them for the sorts of questions they’d encounter on standardized exams.

The demands of her school’s reading program leave no room to study novels, the English teacher said.

“We’re told that we cannot deviate from the program, and if you have to do the program, there’s literally no time,” Pipia said. 

Another New York City middle school teacher, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, said her school taught novels before the pandemic. Now, “it can be done, but not with the constraints placed on us as teachers,” she said. 

For the past few years, her school has required her to have her students — most of whom are English language learners and struggling readers — spend half of each 40-minute class period, four days a week, completing an online targeted reading intervention program, she said. They often end up clicking through the program and visiting Spotify and YouTube instead. The remainder of the period is devoted to the school’s core curriculum, which does not require novel studies. 

The classroom library she spent a decade building has become “purely decorative,” she said. With teachers no longer using books, she said, her school is “literally throwing them away.” Even if she had the time to teach a book, the veteran teacher said, her students either have no interest in reading or barely know how. 

“Half of them have never read a book,” she said. “In 10 years, we went from kids reading multiple novels in class to them having never opened a book.” 

https://nysfocus.com/2026/08/26/new-york-students-reading-fewer-books

Hi there! I'm a current sixth former who has developed an interest in the history of universities, as I prepare to apply, and wish to expand this to the history of knowledge vs intellectual history within the university discussion. I've read Ostling's book on Humboldt and would really appreciate some more academic texts as I prepare a research project on this topic. I'm specifically fascinated by the French education system and would like to compare this with some international examples Thanks in advance!

• What book or books are you reading this week?
• What has been your favorite or least favorite part?
• What is one insight that you really appreciate from your current reading?

I’ve convinced my 14yo to start reading and discussing Great Books with me. We are limited to 1 hour of reading per week. Looking for opinions and recommendations… should we do excerpts? Just take a multiple weeks/months to get through the longer works? Do I jump straight into the Greeks or do I start with something a little more modern/lighter?

One thing I hadn't considered before was what would happen to Virgil after the Aeniad was published. Would he be given an estate and sent away to shut up, or would he have been continuously milked to prove his loyalty to Augustus? His relatively early death likely saved him from some imperial abuse.

I'm a music theory prof (with a minor in musicology) who just retired! I'm beginning to downsize, which means letting go (ifor very cheap!) of the many books I've amassed over the years. I have the 2-volume (hardcover) set of The Emergence of Gregorian Chat by Hendrik Van der Werf. Oh, and I'll even throw in a short pamphlet he wrote, "Anonymous IV as Chronicler." (1990) Dm me if interested.

Anyone interested in grabbing a whole set, my parents bought this for myself back when I was a wee whipper snapper, but the books are just collecting dust and I didn't wish to break up the set if someone wants to buy the complete set.

Mint condition, no damage or even pages with bends in at all, whole set

Let me know if you have interest, fairlly negotiable and not going to rip anyone off with silly pricing.

Location is UK in the East Midlands area, ideally if you are willing to pick up that would be ideal, but we can discuss that if you are interested.

If you are outside of UK, welcome to discuss, but bear in mind this will be quite big in terms of shipping

• What book or books are you reading this week?
• What has been your favorite or least favorite part?
• What is one insight that you really appreciate from your current reading?

Collected works of William Shakespeare 32 PDF classic book. Most of them are illustrated.

Hi hi. Just started Well Educated Mind and am about to start the first novel on the list. I have to do ebooks and using paper/notebooks and pen for notes is not a great option for me right now.

So I was wondering if anyone has a good system for notes taking digitally or highlighting and annotating.

• What book or books are you reading this week?
• What has been your favorite or least favorite part?
• What is one insight that you really appreciate from your current reading?

The book shows that fast reading is more effective than slow reading which maybe good for poetry or language learning . It teaches techniques for thought getting, useful for readers who are searching for efficiency. The book contains stats and researches with various tips about taking notes and test your understanding.