Harvard Classics Reading Club discussion

It will no doubt be a challenge, but also a pleasure. If one were to read through Volume 50, the Reader's Guide, there are subject-based ways to approach the works. I think I'm simply going to read through it starting at vol. 1; there is a (very) rough chronological progression, and since there is so much material to cover, it's as good a method as any.

I was given a set of the first edition books and they're in good shape. It seems like it will be easier to own the compiled volumes themselves rather than seeking each text within the volume separately, and sometimes the volumes themselves would be nearly impossible to replicate as in the case of the essay volumes.

I hope to finish one volume roughly every two weeks although some will (and should!) take longer than others. When I finish a work I'm going to post my favorite quote or idea from it.

Really looking forward to what's ahead.

I think this is a great plan! Look forward to reading these in the future.

I'm going to give it a try too. Started Vol. 1 last night. :-)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harva...

I wanted to see the list. Maybe i have read some already.
Vol. 17. FOLKLORE AND FABLE, AESOP, GRIMM, ANDERSON
Fables, by Aesop
Children's and Household Tales, by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Tales, by Hans Christian Andersen
Vol. 1

I read Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen last month

I want to read The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm

This may not be the exact version but that is ok with me.

I was thinking about those stories just the other day and how nice it would be to re-read them again. :-)

I feel like I can't remember a single thing from those books though I read both as a child.

Hope this helps:
https://exploratoria.wordpress.com/20...

Luis wrote: "Hope this helps:
https://exploratoria.wordpress.com/20..."

That's great! Thanks!

Benjamin Franklin birthday is this month. Maybe a good reason to look at his autobiography.

This month i read The Odyssey


It is Volume 22 of the Harvard Classics.

I am glad i read this. It wasn't as hard as i imagined. I liked the adventures. I tried to find art work to go with the different stories. I also listened to The Odyssey of Homer which was informative. I will probably need to read it again to really feel the story has become my own.

I just purchased a set of the Harvard Classics and look forward to starting with Volume 1.

It took me just over three years, but I just finished reading all the Pulitzer winners for the novel and fiction categories. I enjoyed it so much, I began looking at other challenges and have settled on reading the Harvard Classics.

I’m not a very fast reader, so my plan is to finish the first 10 volumes over the next two years. I won’t be reading in order but instead will tackle fiction and sprinkle in nonfiction depending on my mood.

I’ve already completed The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and The Golden Sayings of Epictetus. I’ve started reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy by Laurence Sterne. Meditations is something I’ll read for a couple of minutes a day and I’ll spend about 4 hours a week on ASJTFAI.

I look forward to posting and reading your comments!

Hi Sandra,

The biggest changes in my life over the past three years have occurred less because of what I read and more because I read. For example, I spend way less time watching television or staring at my phone than I used to because that time is now spent reading. My patience, comprehension, and acceptance of different writing styles has increased. And, all of this has helped me improve my own writing.

Some of the books in the Pulitzer canon definitely expanded my perspective on other cultures within the US.

As far as the few Harvard Classics I've read so far, The Golden Sayings of Epictetus opened my eyes to how closely Christianity aligns with the beliefs of the Ancient Greeks.

D

Hi Sandra,

I work in government. So, yes, I think about social issues all day long.

I get all my books from the public library. If they don't have what I'm looking for (and they nearly always do) I'll buy a used copy online and donate it to the library when I'm done.

I spend much more time in bars and restaurants than bookstores and coffee shops! ;)

Diego