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Beginning January 1, 2023, Erik will be entering Phase II of the Books of Titans reading project where he will read through 200 of The Great Books over a 10 year timespan. Learn about his inspiration for this new phase, how he compiled his list of books, the guidelines he will put in place, and how you can be involved.
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I’ve heard you speak of a “serendipity” phase of reading, choosing by chance encounter, eye-catching book design, and recommendations or grabbing similar books. I’ve lived much of my life as a reader in serendipity, occasionally I’d read a book that I felt I “needed”. Decades later, I decided to be more intentional in my reading, and I started playing within the boundaries of reading only Project Gutenberg <= 1926 books (public domain). I stuck gold immediately with the Great Gatsby (1926), Huckleberry Finn (1885), The Temptation of St Anthony (1874) and Orthodoxy (1905). I also discovered by searching for "Curriculums" in Gutenberg that you turn up public school reading lists from the early 1900s, which tend to have interesting essays, poetry, and Great Books, and honestly it is evidence that more was expected of students in the past.
I've started mapping what I can remember reading from the past, to see the genres, assigned books, and threads of serendipity. I'm also going to borrow one of your spreadsheets to begin to track my reading in the present. Thank you for the inspiration!
Hi TJ – that is so fantastic! If you end up sharing these lists of reading lists anywhere, please let me know as I’d love to see them. That is a great idea!