Newsnight: Learning from Great Books

(NECN) - Imagine a time before "Wikipedia". Way back in the age of the printed word, when people actually believed you could put civilization on a bookshelf. The book is "A great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books." The author is Alex Beam, known to readers of the Boston Globe for his twice-weekly column. It tells the story of how intellectual superiority was merchandised and sold door to door. But what made him decide to tell the story of the "great books" craze that took root in the 1950's? Only Alex Beam knows for sure.

NECN | December 17, 2008

Tags:. .bookshelf. .newsnight. .necn. .afterlife. .merchandised