More on Reading

I recently scanned a book entitled “1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die,” edited by Peter Boxall.  At 25 books a year, it would take over 40 years to read 1001 books.  All of the books in the book are fiction.  Few of us are going to read 1001 books of any kind between now and the time we die.  Even if we plan to, this book would not help us prioritize our reading because it lists the books in chronological order based on the date of publication.

I kept track of the country of origin and the date published of each book in the book.  Of the 1001 books that must be read, 547 were published after January 1, 1950.  Of those, 54% were written by a European author.  That is much less Eurocentric than the pre-1950 list, which is 80% European.

I have read 21% of the pre-1950 books, but only 8% of the 1950 and after books.   Sadly, of some of the books that I have read, I can remember nothing other than that I read the book.  (See “V” by Thomas Pynchon.)

This compilation overlapped with another book I am reading “Head in the Cloud,” by William Poundstone.  The subtitle is “Why Knowing Things Still Matters When Facts Are So Easy to Look Up.”   The author concludes (among many and varied findings) that general knowledge correlates with higher income.  Trivia matters!

He has a relatively easy (according to him) ten-question trivia test (the questions are undisclosed).  After surveying a statistically significant group, he concluded that the people who answered all ten questions correctly had an average income of over $90,000 per year and that those unable to answer a single question averaged approximately $40,000.  He adjusted for education, age, and other factors that might affect earnings.  He concluded that the connection between better knowledge and income was real and linear – more right answers equals higher income.

The connection between this book and the previous one is that the author surveyed people to determine how many could name a creative person from South America (31%), from Asia (13%), and from Africa (10%).  Can you name an artist, novelist, poet, playwright, architect, or filmmaker from those continents?  If so, you likely earn more money than someone who can’t.

In preparing for the book, the author conducted many surveys, including these five questions, which were asked of Colorado State and Kent State undergraduates:

1. Who wrote the Brothers Karamazov?
2. What is the last name of the captain of the ship The Bounty, whose crew mutinied?
3. What mountain range separates Europe from Asia?
4. What was John Kenneth Galbraith’s profession?
5. What leader did Fidel Castro overthrow in assuming control of Cuba?

If you answered any one of these questions correctly, then you did better than all 681 students.  They combined to get exactly zero correct answers.  The author’s point isn’t that the students are stupid, but that their generation isn’t expected to learn facts the way that previous generations were.

I also recently read a book that is on Boxall’s list and also on most lists of the 100 best novels of all time:  “Of Human Bondage,” by W. Somerset Maugham.  I’m glad I did, even though the protagonist is among the most frustrating main characters I have ever encountered.  (The book is over 100 years old, so I’m not too worried about spoiling anything.)

Philip Carey, the main character, makes so many bad decisions in his quest to find his place in the world that it is hard to keep track of them.  Most of them are based in large part on his conception of his duty as a gentleman or his belief in (what approximates) heraldic love.  It is quaint, it is loathsome to a pragmatist.  For example, Phillip inherited enough money to get him through medical school, but then he spends roughly half of it in one year, ultimately leading to penury and an inability to continue his education.

I started the book on my phone, switched to a paperback for 200 pages or so, and then finished on my phone.  Reading on my phone is incredibly convenient.  It’s always available, books aren’t.  It provides its own light, convenient at night, whether watching TV or in bed.  Turning pages is silent, useful if your sleeping companion is a light sleeper or easily annoyed.  But phone reading is also annoying because the page and font are relatively small and because it is difficult to retrace steps to check on this or that name or event.  I like the convenience of reading on a phone or tablet, but I won’t be abandoning books anytime soon.

However you read, read more — because the more you read, the more you know.  The more you know, the more money you make.  This information is less likely to help those of you who are my age (50 plus), but those of you with a lot of earning years ahead should pay heed.

(Answers:  Dostoevsky, Bligh, Ural Mountains, economist or professor, Batista)