Books about books

CliffsNotes, a company selling literature study guides, was founded by Clifton Keith Hillegass while working as a college bookstore rep in Nebraska. The idea came from a suggestion that he should make a US version of the Cole’s Notes study guides that were available in Canada.

Hillegass launched his CliffsNotes in 1958 with a series of 16 Shakespeare guides. The slim pamphlet-style books were intended as a complementary study aid to the original text, not as a “cheat sheet” substitute. Despite that, sales were banned in campus bookstores in some universities.

These original (and most widely imitated) study guides are now all available online. Pair that with AI tools that allow you to summarise and ask questions and you have unimaginable insight at your fingertips. “Except”, argues Seth Godin, “it doesn’t work until we choose to understand.” As he explains in The Cliffs Notes paradox on Seth’s Blog.

Writing

Mention ‘study guides’ and most of us will think back to school days and Eng Lit set texts.

Whether that ruined or rewarded a love of reading, can you still remember a book you were required to read at school?  Try to create a short summary of that book purely from memory.

We’d love to see what you come up with, if you’d like to share.

Photo by Julian Nortoft on Unsplash