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Adler, How to Mark a Book
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I agree with him. Now there are some books that if my kids even glance at my heart will have palpitations and my anxiety will sky rocket. (Those are my books that are over 100 years old.) There are some that if they get marked up I’ll have a bit of a fuss because of their value (either sentimental or monetary). However, the majority of our books are bought to be used, and used hard. Especially the ones I buy for myself to continue my love of learning.
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I agree with everyone who says that books should be handled with care. But, to this day, I still have this tendency to flip books around because I get bored easily. That is when the paper starts to get ripped and the cover starts falling off. Then l would have to take it to a store with binding services in a big university. Then they would have new hardbound covers.That happens much less often now.But I know that I should have handled those books with more care. But I also think that actually reading a book is just as important as handling it with care like a fragile object.
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That's an important point. What our reaction is to any given text has its own value. This is where the interaction starts, and what Adler calls making the book your own.
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That may show just how young you are Joaquin. :) It will probably change as you age.
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"Full ownership comes only when you have made it a part of yourself, and the best way to make yourself a part of it is by writing in it."
"Confusion about what it means to own a book leads people to a false reverence for paper, binding, and type - a respect for the physical thing - the craft of the printer rather than the genius of the author."
"The third [owner] has a few books or many - every one of them dog-eared and dipapidated, shaken and loosened by continual use, marked and scribbled in from front to back. (This man owns books.)
The point of Adler’s essay for me is not so much how to mark a book but how to read it properly and engage with it whether to learn from it, agree or disagree with its content. I don’t oppose Adler’s or anyone’s method of dealing with a book as long as it works for them. I marked my books much more in the past but for many years now I use a small 4x6 notebook that easily fits into a pocket. I keep it by my side and make notes, paraphrase, list whatever moves me to move the pen. Writing it helps the memory. My favorite point of Adler’s here is in the third paragraph from the end about speed reading when he equates the number of books read to friends and acquaintances. (I will admit that many years ago I was trapped into paying for a “speed reading course” which I soon discovered to be a complete farce and waste of money.)
I don't use Adler's method exactly, but pretty close. I don't do the end notes as much as he does, at least not usually. I have found that the extent of my marking and notes reflects the extent of my agreement or disagreement with an author. The most heavily marked book I've read recently is Gutierrez' A Theology of Liberation. I disagree with almost everything he says. That is a bit of an exaggeration, but I have been having an energetic debate with him in the margins (top, bottom, left and right) and sometimes drawing lines across the pages to another bit of text with a bold "but this is not consistent with that!!" When I finish, I doubt I will ever pick it up again, but I will never give it away; if I ever have cause to dispute LT with anyone, my entire reaction and summary are there for a quick review.
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But the soul of a book can be separated from its body. A book is more like the score of a piece of music than it is like a painting. No great musician confuses a symphony with the printed sheets of music. Arturo Toscanini reveres Brahms, but Toscanini's score of the C-minor Symphony is so thoroughly marked up that no one but the maestro himself can read it. The reason why a great conductor makes notations on his musical scores—marks them up again and again each time he returns to study them—is the reason why you should mark your books. If your respect for magnificent binding or typography gets in the way, buy yourself a cheap edition and pay your respects to the author.
A book has a soul that cannot be destroyed? But one should be free to tamper with the body...lol.
But the comparison to a musical score is really interesting. A musical score exists in sort of a metaphysical nether world. The story of a book, the lyricism, the ideas, they too exist separate from the physical book in a metaphysical realm.
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Adler would approve :)
I would love to see your Gutierrez book... A couple of years ago I listened to Now You Know Media talks on Oscar Romero and Liberation Theology, both by Dr. Michael Lee of Fordham University, in preparation to a trip to El Salvador. I knew we would be visiting the chapel where he was slain. I found the Romero not bad, but the other, oh boy! Lee repeated exploring theology "in a new way" so many times it made me dizzy. I kept thinking, what new way? The human condition hasn't changed, and what Christ says is. Whether you were oppressed in the Roman Empire or are subsisting on a coffee planatation, what's the difference?
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But the soul of a book can be separated from its body. A book is more like the score of a piece of music than it is like a painting. No gr..."
I loved that paragraph!
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I do mark in the margins, less so than underlining, mostly by symbols such as stars, exclamation marks, smiley faces and frowns, and short sentences. Sometimes at the end of a chapter when there is sufficient space I jot down a few thoughts.
Manny wrote: "I thought this paragraph made a rather interesting point:But the soul of a book can be separated from its body. A book is more like the score of a piece of music than it is like a painting. No gr..."
This is one of the ideas in Bulgakov's the Master and Margarita, isn't it? That even if you burn a manuscript you haven't destroyed the book itself, its metaphysical existence.
Kerstin wrote: "John wrote: "I don't use Adler's method exactly, but pretty close. I don't do the end notes as much as he does, at least not usually. I have found that the extent of my marking and notes reflects t..."Gutierrez reminds me of that old review "xxx has written a book that is good and new, unfortunately what is good is not new and what is new is not good." The Gospel is there, which is of course good, but then applied through a Marxist materialist anthropology, economics and historicity, which results in nonsense. Nonsense squared or cubed really in the context of Christianity which teaches a fundamentally different anthropology.
Kerstin wrote: "Manny wrote: "I thought this paragraph made a rather interesting point:But the soul of a book can be separated from its body. A book is more like the score of a piece of music than it is like a p..."
I loved this short essay, Kerstin, thanks for suggesting it. I read several portions of it to my wife.
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But the soul of a book can be separated from its body. A book is more like the score of a piece of music than it is like a p..."
Is it? The Master and Margarita has been on my reading list but I've never gotten to it.
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Ha, you should see my scribbles. And when I'm in a moving vehicle the lines come out as wavy as a trembling hand. Can you imagine standing in a crowded subway on my way off to college trying to underline while the train is bouncing and rocking...lol.
I just read the essay. I thought it was good. But it did not really speak to me that much. Maybe because I don't really mark my books? Even if there are words there that really impressed me and I would be happy to quote them to anyone I meet, I don't underline or encircle them. I'm not against the idea of writing on the margins but I have never done that myself. There is only one book I own that I have marked. I only underlined some words. But maybe Mortimer Adler's essay might inspire me to mark books I might get in the future? I guess it will. I know that there are many good books out there that I have not read and have words worth underlining or ideas worth commenting on the margins about.
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Joaquin, I think you’re still in high school. If you go on to college you’ll be pressed to remember key pieces of information, and so you’ll have to quickly find them in review. Also if you have to write college papers, you’ll want to identify parts that you need to either quote or paraphrase. Now unless you’re one of those like Galicius above who can take notes on paper outside of the book, then you will have a need to write in them. Time will tell. Of course you can only write in books you own.
Manny wrote: "Joaquin wrote: "I just read the essay. I thought it was good. But it did not really speak to me that much. Maybe because I don't really mark my books? Even if there are words there that really impr..."Yes, I am still in high school. Unlike some of my classmates, I don't highlight the key points in my textbooks. I have a notebook after all and that is where I put the important pieces of information. But maybe I need to get the habit of marking books already because the last two years of high school in the my country were already made to feel like college. But the last year of high school, I think, is the grade level with a lot of research papers. Thanks for this reminder.
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Whatever technique works best for you. I can see merit to both.
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1. Underlining: of major points, of important or forceful statements.
Absolutely. That’s probably the most important single thing you can do, identify the salient points.
2. Vertical lines at the margin: to emphasize a statement already underlined.
I do this too, but more if a lengthy passage is very important. I do it in lieu of underlining.
3. Star, asterisk, or other doo-dad at the margin: to be used sparingly, to emphasize the ten or twenty most important statements in the book. (You may want to fold the bottom corner of each page on which you use such marks. It won't hurt the sturdy paper on which most modern books are printed, and you will be able to take the book off the shelf at any time and, by opening it at the folded corner page, refresh your recollection of the book.)
I use asterisks too, again to highlight an import section. So what’s the difference between my underlines, vertical lines, or an asterisk? Not much actually. Underlining is more when I think the particular language used by the author is significant.
4. Numbers in the margin: to indicate the sequence of points the author makes in developing a single argument.
I don’t really do this, but then I don’t read philosophic works where the building of argument is important. If there are several points I may list them, numbering them.
5. Numbers of other pages in the margin: to indicate where else in the book the author made points relevant to the point marked; to tie up the ideas in a book, which, though they may be separated by many pages, belong together.
Yes, I do this too but sparingly. It’s a pain to try to find the page of the previous idea to tie them together. I guess that’s my laziness.
6. Circling of key words or phrases.
Absolutely. Very important. A circle on top of the print stands out. I also circle dates to orient the passage in time and history.
7. Writing in the margin, or at the top or bottom of the page, for the sake of: recording questions (and perhaps answers) which a passage raised in your mind; reducing a complicated discussion to a simple statement; recording the sequence of major points right through the books. I use the end-papers at the back of the book to make a personal index of the author's points in the order of their appearance.
Yes absolutely. A list of characters at the beginning of the book, an important thought in the margin, a summary of the salient point at the end of a chapter, an asterisk at the beginning of the chapter, what page important thoughts or events are located in the back of the book. I never fold a page tip. I’ll write that page number in the back.
Other things I do:
1. An exclamation mark on the side to highlight a well written or beautiful section. Double exclamation marks for something exceedingly well written.
2. An arc of a line to connect something on the top of the page to something on the bottom.
3. A definition of a word or term that comes up in the writing that I needed to look up.
4. Emotional reaction that I might have to a passage.
5. Question mark on something I don’t understand.
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The immediacy of a physical book cannot be surpassed. It is also much easier to page back and forth, especially when moderating :)
Part of it is that my ancient kindle 2 is early technology. I prefer the app on my laptop when I want to underline. But still, it is cumbersome. What I often do, especially with public domain books, is download a version so I can copy and paste the text into comment boxes here.
Over the years I've seen many discussions of kindle vs. book, and to me it never was an either/or proposition. More like a both/and, very Catholic, I know :). It is one more tool in your toolbox, so to speak. You pick the right one for the right "job."
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Yes I also copy and paste off of download versions. But I could never read a whole book off a computer.
Manny wrote: "I think one other thing should be pondered. How does marking a book in the new world of ebooks work? You would think it would work the same way but I find it different. Certainly one can tack notes..."I think there are pluses and minuses. I pretty much only highlight in ebooks, and scribble notes. I read ebooks almost exclusively on my ipad with a keyboard, so writing notes is no big deal. I find I write more notes, perhaps because other means of expressing myself are more limited.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortime...
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I was raised to believe books are precious, fragile and should always be treated with respect. Open carefully to not destroy the binding, remove paper jackets till done reading to extend life span, no underling, highlighting, or cornering and never use hand lotions or creams before reading! Wash hands and dry carefully before reading. Arguably most importantly here in the South, never take your best reads to the beach, swimming pool, or on workouts. Rather, on those days limit yourself to only dime store reads, especially on particularly sweaty days unless well air conditioned. :-)
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This was such an interesting read. I enjoyed everyone chiming in with how they mark up a book. Adler’s essay was very thought provoking. To describe the reading of a book as a conversation between the author and reader was so elementary and yet a point I’ve missed all these years.I only recently began marking up books having thought prior to that to mark a book was a cardinal sin. I’ve picked up some great suggestions from both Adler and this discussion. Thank you!
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Catholic Thought
Books mentioned in this topic
The Master and Margarita (other topics)How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Clifton Fadiman (other topics)Harold Bloom (other topics)
John Senior (other topics)
http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham/d...
What is your thoughts?
Now I must admit that I was taught books were sacrosanct. As a child our grubby hands had to be washed and we were taught turn the page without harming it, food and drink not anywhere close. Writing in them was a mortal sin. Given my father's background of having grown up in communist East Germany where nothing was in the stores to be purchased, the few books he had couldn't be replaced if they were damaged. I still have a handful of his books, and their pristine condition amaze me. Now they are so old, and some of the binding so cheap, they were produced in the 1940s, that I keep them on the "high shelf" so they don't completely fall apart.
How do you approach books?
A little bit about Mortimer Adler. As Manny already said, he was a Liberal Arts professor and instrumental in publishing the 54 - volume set of the Great Books of the Western Canon in 1952.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_B...
He also wrote How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading
There were others who did similar compilations, Clifton Fadiman, Harold Bloom, and John Senior come to mind.