Never Ever EVER Stop Reading

Lesson for the day: Never ever EVER stop reading. What gives?

After 13 years studying the history of the great books idea, via archives and *extensive* secondary reading, this morning I ran across some material—in George Nash’s classic tome about the history of the conservative intellectual movement—that helped me revise and solidify my thinking about the Cold War roots of Great Books Conservatism. I had been nicked, on two prior occasions from article readers, for my inadequate/incomplete analysis of the reception of Britannica’s set in the 1950s. Those critics, however, *never once* provided even a single secondary reference to get me going. Despite that, I had clearly heard the criticism; it resonated somewhere deep, and been simmering.

But, until this morning, I’d never run across the proper contextual material to help me explain the popularity of the great books idea beyond excellent Britannica salesmanship. Enter Nash. Now I have it—during my *last* window of opportunity before the mss goes to the copy editor (May 1).

So I repeat: never ever EVER stop reading. – TL

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