Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life (Henry Holt; $17) is his fourth and next-to-last book about books, and this one takes a new form. A more slender volume than his previous ones (a memoir and two collections of his writings), this book is also different. He terms it “. . . a florilegium: a ‘bouquet’ of insightful or provocative quotations from favorite authors, surrounded by some of my own observations, several lists, the occasional anecdote and a series of mini-essays . . . There's even, occasionally, a bit of out-and-out advice.”

Dirda uses this combination to explore how his reading has shaped and molded his personal life, and at the same time how his personal life is reflected in the books he reads. Though this contemplative, almost diaristic approach using various elements is not unique, the exquisite layout of the grouping makes it feel as if it is as much his pattern imprinted on it as the book designer’s.

Unlike a novel or serious work of nonfiction, though, which envelopes its reader, making her or him become part of itself, this book is meant to act as a stimulator of thought, of ideas and of appreciation.

In the chapter entitled “The Pleasures of Learning,” Dirda reminisces about school-ish memories wrought by the month of September in a brief but evocative essay. He follows that up with quotes about education and learning. Another even shorter essay—perhaps labeling it a thought in two paragraphs might be more accurate—leads to a list of books he terms “great patterning works,” that is, books that later authors “build on, allude to, work against,” books that give us a foundation for understanding all of the world’s literature. More quotes, but this time they lean toward the deliciously cynical as in H.L. Mencken’s statement: “Schools reek with puerile nonsense. Their programmes of study sound like the fantastic inventions of comedians gone insane.”  Three longer essays that delve deeper and wider into the subject follow that, then a list of novels, stories, plays and memoirs about school life until Dirda finishes up with a final essay laying out his belief that our society has become so dependent on test results that “we have forgotten the importance for a young person to simply flounder about, try out various daydreams, make and learn from mistakes.” Whew! All this packed into a mere 17 pages.

If this seems an unwieldy style, let me assure you it works surprisingly well. Reading Book by Book is like a journey where you look this way and that as the train moves through the country, where you feel warmed by sun in the morning and chilled by clouds in the afternoon, when you snack on a park vendor’s hot dog for lunch and sit in graceful surroundings at a fine restaurant for dinner. They all are part of the same trip, and each one enhances that trip in a unique way.
 
In a later chapter entitled “Work and Leisure,” Dirda’s wisdom (gleaned from all that reading?) bursts forth. Particularly noteworthy are his thoughts on intensity, that focused energy which when given to what we do allows us to transcend the “work” of work to the point where it “become an inner citadel to which you can retreat during times of crisis, as well as a reliable rampart from which to face the world and misfortune.”

One of the problems a reader may face with this book is thinking that the author (who has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and enjoys Plato as much as Sherlock Holmes) is “above” her in terms of reading. It’s true that Dirda’s professional reading as well as his personal passion takes him into some areas where many readers including myself will probably never go, whether by choice or lack of opportunity. Interestingly, he addresses that in my favorite chapter, “The Interior Library” and even lays out suggestions not only for books but for how to find them. If you like popular science fiction, how about a turn into the classic The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin? If you are one of multitudes who read the best-selling The Professor and the Madman how about the equally enthralling classic, The Reckoning? Haven’t heard either of these? That’s his point. Good literature, quality literature is not boring. Nor is it restricted to weighty fields or subjects. It can be thrilling, suspenseful, funny. It just need not be on the best-seller list to be so.

Strewn in among the essays and quotes are the aforementioned short but delightful lists of things that by themselves make this book worth owning:  

Books for the guest-room library
Ten novels about love
Suggestions for encouraging children to read more
Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa reading
Works of art and film criticism
Classic works of music
Five propositions about poetry
Artful works of literary nonfiction
Guidance counselors or moral essayists
And finally what he calls “Taking care of business”: wise if simple life truisms.

Dirda is truly a superlative reader and writer. Even if you are already an enthusiastic reader yourself—and if you read BiblioBuffet you undoubtedly are—Book by Book will interleave a fresh passion into your reading life. Read this book to delight in Dirda’s zeal for the experience of reading, yes, but use it to  explore your own journey book by book.


Since her childhood days of Mother Goose, Lauren has been giving her opinion on books to almost anyone who will listen. Lauren shares her home with several significant others including three cats and nearly 1,000 books that, whether previously read or not, constitute her to-be-read stack. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it