snoutling's review against another edition
3.0
Some fascinating and amusing snippets in here, but unfortunately very male-centric. Less than one fifth of the lists are by women.
One particular list stood out - Gandhi's list/letter to his grandson in 1947: "the seven blunders that human society commits, and that cause all the violence...
Wealth without work.
Pleasure without conscience.
Knowledge without character.
Commerce without morality.
Science without humanity.
Worship without sacrifice.
Politics without principles."
One particular list stood out - Gandhi's list/letter to his grandson in 1947: "the seven blunders that human society commits, and that cause all the violence...
Wealth without work.
Pleasure without conscience.
Knowledge without character.
Commerce without morality.
Science without humanity.
Worship without sacrifice.
Politics without principles."
guvenator's review against another edition
5.0
Just the most gorgeous, fascinating book I've come across after it's predecessor, Letters of Note. Really worth a read.
mspris's review against another edition
5.0
The premise of what this book is intrigued me, so I had to check it out when I heard about it. And I was not disappointed. The list-maker that I am absolutely found it fascinating and inspiring. I recommend everyone check out this book, for the history lessons it includes.
devon_marie's review against another edition
5.0
A great little gem. There is a plethora of list types featured, touching on being funny, poignant, sad, and reflective. Vonnegut's contract with his wife is particularly enjoyable.
graventy's review against another edition
4.0
The original (Letters of Note) was better, but Lists of Note was still really interesting, though it wandered from the main criteria a little bit. The book is a collection of lists of things with historical or noteworthy importance, with lists from all sorts of famous people. Neat.
mayralimeirajm's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
A bit inconsistent. Had some gems; interspersed with some truly uninteresting, almost irrelevant lists.
COOL THINGS YOU’LL FIND:
Einstein's incredibly demanding and somewhat demeaning conditions for the continuation of his marriage.
A list of workmen’s absences dating almost 3 thousand years ago.
Salem Witch Trials’ accused and accusers.
Darwin’s dad’s objections for his famous Beagle expedition.
A nineteen-year-old Newton’s list of sins written in code.
Random da Vinci’s to-do list.
Gandhi’s seven social sins, written for his thirteen-year-old grandson.
The interesting discovery that a 1976 John Lennon classified Paul as extraordinary, Ringo as friend, George as lost, and Elvis as fat.
A bit inconsistent. Had some gems; interspersed with some truly uninteresting, almost irrelevant lists.
COOL THINGS YOU’LL FIND:
Einstein's incredibly demanding and somewhat demeaning conditions for the continuation of his marriage.
A list of workmen’s absences dating almost 3 thousand years ago.
Salem Witch Trials’ accused and accusers.
Darwin’s dad’s objections for his famous Beagle expedition.
A nineteen-year-old Newton’s list of sins written in code.
Random da Vinci’s to-do list.
Gandhi’s seven social sins, written for his thirteen-year-old grandson.
The interesting discovery that a 1976 John Lennon classified Paul as extraordinary, Ringo as friend, George as lost, and Elvis as fat.
questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.5
I read Letters of Note last year and found it fascinating so wanted to read more of Usher's books. This wasn't quite as good, really just because reading a list usually isn't as interesting as reading a letter. However it was still an interesting glimpse into parts of history and a good book to dip in and out of.
baimeilian's review against another edition
3.0
I thought I wouldn't like it because I didn't relate to some of the lists but instead it inspired to create some of my own. These lists have hidden meaning and deep understanding and I know some of them were written in a spur of a moment but it really is interesting to see what is going on in the minds of some of the most interesting people in the world.
andycyca's review against another edition
3.0
I'm of two minds about this book. Even though the curation has a lot of work behind, this book is hardly the compendium of inspiration that I expected. The book has some interesting variety and among several uninteresting lists there *are* seeds of inspiration and example to be learned from others.
In my digital edition, some of the lists are presented in image form, and they were quite low resolution, which didn't help to extract the contents of the list. Fortunately, this is not the rule and some of those images are transcrpited.
Overall interesting but not life changing. Get it if you really, really want to.
In my digital edition, some of the lists are presented in image form, and they were quite low resolution, which didn't help to extract the contents of the list. Fortunately, this is not the rule and some of those images are transcrpited.
Overall interesting but not life changing. Get it if you really, really want to.
mxballin's review against another edition
3.0
This--much like its predecessor Letters of Note is best taken not as the author's personal choices to collect, not as the end-all collection of lists. I thoroughly enjoyed the mixture of list-writers represented, but I wouldn't say it was any more than this author's particularly choices.
Lovely as a table book, to peruse through over time. Some of these lists are long, which means that unless you take them in small quantity, you will have a tendency to skim if you are a reader like me.
I really enjoyed this book as a way to gain access to materials I would most likely never otherwise see--separately or together.
Great as a gift, or a nice addition to your own home as a book for fun tea-time browsing.
Lovely as a table book, to peruse through over time. Some of these lists are long, which means that unless you take them in small quantity, you will have a tendency to skim if you are a reader like me.
I really enjoyed this book as a way to gain access to materials I would most likely never otherwise see--separately or together.
Great as a gift, or a nice addition to your own home as a book for fun tea-time browsing.