Charles Lincoln Van Doren

Napoleon ruled the world, but his letters to maman begged her to help him rule his family. What would I find, I wondered, in other letters to mothers written by other despots, by scientists and soldiers, by princesses and poets? The result is, I think, a unique view of many fascinating people.

On t.p.: A compendium of important statements on man and his institutions by the great thinkers in western history.

“Charles Van Doren has laid a feast before all of us that is irresistible.” —Mortimer J. Adler This engaging love letter to reading follows the great authors and classics that transformed the world: from Aristotle and Herodotus in ancient Greece to Salinger and Heinlein in 20th century America. Like a professor whose enthusiasm enwraps his students, Van Doren explains what’s wonderful in the books you’ve missed and awakens your desire to reopen the books you already know. Divided chronologically by the periods in which these classics were written, each book is put in its historical context and brought to life by Van Doren’s brilliant analysis. The Joy of Reading delves into a wide range of genres—fiction, poetry, drama, children’s books, philosophy, history and science. This is the one book that brings together everything you need to know about the classics you missed and ignites your passion to read and reread the greatest books the world has ever known. This book is the fruit of a lifelong love affair. Reading, I believe, is my favorite thing to do; books and I have been inseparable almost as long as I can remember. To this day, I become distressed if I am anywhere without a book, a magazine, a newspaper, any scrap of paper to read. I like the smell of books, certainly the feel of them. Life without books would be, for me, a vacant horror.” —Charles Van Doren