So Many Books: Reading and Publishing in an Age of Abundance
by Gabriel Zaid
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 89)
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
publishers, information professionals, readers, writers
Zaid's book is a small gem. Translated from the original Spanish, this is a insightful and erudite discussion of the significance of reading as a pillar of culture, the current and future state of of publishing, and the continuing viability and importance of the printed book in a world of e-texts and online publishing. Zaid has a great many worthwhile things to say, and he says them well in a concise manner.
Among the many things he points out is that the biggest cost in reading is not the p...more
Among the many things he points out is that the biggest cost in reading is not the p...more
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Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
book people
"Speaking of [goodreads.com], I'm currently reading a book entitled _So Many Books_ by Gabriel Zaid, who approaches the publishing process as if he were a realist statistician discussing overpopulation in america (publishing biz as malignant problem). in short, for every person born in america every year there are roughly 5 - 20 books written; increasingly, there are more writers than readers (modern [wo]man doesn't like to dredge through the trash to get to a good book, [s]he'd apparently ...more
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Read in July, 2008
A really interesting book about the overwhelming amount of books available. I found many of his points about finding an audience and the impulse to write and be the voice everyone hears to be fascinating. I found myself stopping and just enjoying the logic of his arguments and the way he said that we couldn't possibly read everything we want. Of bookstores, he states, "To be angry because a book isn't where you want it to be is to be angry at the randomness of fate. Instead, we must take jo...more
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Read in January, 2008
A short little book that a lot of people here would likely enjoy as we look at "certain people" who are closing in on having read 1,000 books.
There is a limit to what people can read, and its surprisingly small. If you absolutely devote your life to reading, you might double that amount or so, but in the end we'll only sample a tiny amount of what's been written. On the other hand, books are so cheap to produce that everyone who wants to be a writer can be a writer.
Oh, well. ...more
There is a limit to what people can read, and its surprisingly small. If you absolutely devote your life to reading, you might double that amount or so, but in the end we'll only sample a tiny amount of what's been written. On the other hand, books are so cheap to produce that everyone who wants to be a writer can be a writer.
Oh, well. ...more
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Read in January, 2004
The human race publishes a book every thirty seconds,” writes Mexican author and self-confessed bibliophile Gabriel Zaid. How can anyone keep up with the hundreds of books they should read? Titles pile up over the years into precarious stacks that cry out to be read, and seem to frown each time a new book purchase is added to the pile. So Many Books is a philosophical and passionate love letter to the books that change us, and it serves as a reminder to the publishing industry that the ...more
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I got more from the first chapter (on why/how we read) than the rest of the book (a call to arms for publishers to curtail crappy writing). But basically I think the credo: 'What does it matter how cultivated and up to date we are, or how many thousands of books we’ve read? What matters is how we feel, how we see, what we do after reading; whether the street and the clouds and the existence of others mean anything to us; whether reading makes us, physically, more alive.' (p. 24) applies to any...more
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Read in January, 2008
This is where I admit to having a serious addiction to books. Not to mention a deep and abiding curiosity about the mysteries of books; about the metrics of production and all of those conversations between writers and readers.
I really enjoyed this book. So much is contained within its 144 pages that I need to purchase my own copy.
After all, 'if every private library is a reading plan' then the chaos that is my plan is clearly, umm, a plan undergoing continuous improvement.
I really enjoyed this book. So much is contained within its 144 pages that I need to purchase my own copy.
After all, 'if every private library is a reading plan' then the chaos that is my plan is clearly, umm, a plan undergoing continuous improvement.
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Read in January, 2008
A surprisingly positive book about the present publishing world. Major point: Abundance of books means a diversity of books means a real need to place particular books in particular hands (or "conversations" of culture). This book is full of epiphanies large and small. A nice weave of information and an essential love of books. Some lyrical moments: "There are more books to contemplate than stars in a night on the high seas."
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Read in July, 2007
I guess the moral of the story, with regard to reading in the face of 'so many books,' is quality before quantity (though quantity begets diversity). Not news, really, but this was still an interesting read, full of fun facts to regurgitate (e.g., it would take an average person about 15 years just to read a list of books [title and author] of every book published).
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Read in December, 2004
recommends it for:
Everyone who is a Reader
We live in an age where writers will soon outnumber readers. And interestingly, many of these would-be authors don't read! "If all those who wanted to be read would actually read, there would be an unprecedented boom, because never have so many millions of people dreamed of being published."
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Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
the avid reader
Ah, where would the world be without the number-crunchers? Zaid does practice what he preaches though, and his analysis of an overabundance of publishing was presented in a concise manner, under 150 pages. A good read, a little bleak towards the middle, with a hopeful end.
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Read in September, 2006
This is an absolute must read for anyone interested in publishing, particularly independent publishing.
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