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From the Times’ Archive: What Men Read in 1909

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I just discovered the Times Machine, a special section of the New York Times’ Web site that has pictures of archived newspapers from about 100 years ago. There are selections from the 1850s through to the 1920s. From 1909, I found this front page, dated March 28, where seven well-known men of the time listed their top ten books.

new-york-times-archive

The article, titled “Selections of Books by Well-Known Men: Seven Lists of Ten Best Books, from Men in Varied Activities, Indicate Literary Tendencies of the Day,” shows that men of 1909 read the Bible, Shakespeare, and Emerson … or at least they all thought these were impressive answers.

The article is lengthy and detailed, and it is unfortunate that it’s near impossible to read it in its entirety. Some of what you might not be able to read: The editors tested these seven men’s trends against the general public. They also analyzed why and how people choose favorite books.


Posted in Classics, Just Plain Fun, Reading Related, Top Lists on March 28th, 2009

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