20 Best-Read Cities in the US

Friday, May 27. 2011

20 Best-Read Cities in the US

Glenn Reynolds links to a list of the 20 best-read cities in America.

I note that the top five cities in the list are, in order: 1) Cambridge, MA; 2) Alexandria, VA; 3) Berkeley, CA; 4) Ann Arbor, MI; and 5) Boulder, CO.

This brings to mind a quote I like from John Milton's poem, Paradise Regained:

... many books,
Wise men have said, are wearisome; who reads
Incessantly, and to his reading brings not
A spirit and judgment equal or superior,
(And what he brings what needs he elsewhere seek?)
Uncertain and unsettled still remains,
Deep-versed in books and shallow in himself...

-- John Milton, Paradise Regained, Book iv., Line 321

Posted by Tom Elia in Education at 15:04 | Comments (6) | Trackbacks (0)

Trackbacks

Trackback specific URI for this entry

No Trackbacks

Comments

Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

You surely see the irony in your post.

#1 Jake on 2011-05-27 15:53 (Reply)

Wisdom does not immediately leap to mind as the leading export of the above-named communities...

#1.1 Tom Elia on 2011-05-27 16:45 (Reply)

Quoting John Milton to prove well read liberals are shallow?

Maybe someone in Cambridge or Berekley would get it. Real Americans would think you are some kind of fancy pants pointy headed liberal.

#2 DB on 2011-05-27 21:22 (Reply)

I wouldn't sell 'real Americans' so short. I'm pretty sure they get irony...

#2.1 Tom Elia on 2011-05-28 03:29 (Reply)

This real American, however short, well remembers Housman's rejoinder that Terence, this is stupid stuff:

Malt does more than Milton can
to justify God's ways to man

#3 comatus on 2011-05-28 20:05 (Reply)

Your boredom with Milton might be well justified, but it doesn't address the underlying point about the difference between knowledge and wisdom...

#3.1 Tom Elia on 2011-05-29 05:57 (Reply)

Add Comment

Name
Email
Homepage
In reply to
Comment	Enclosing asterisks marks text as bold (word), underscore are made via _word_. Standard emoticons like :-) and ;-) are converted to images. E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications
	Remember Information? Subscribe to this entry

Historical US House Composition

Syndicate This Blog

Major Newspapers,
Magazines,
and Web Sites

Political Web Sites,
Magazines, and
Other Journals

Blogs

Economics, Science, & Technology Related
Blogs and Web Sites

Research Tools

Regional Newspapers

Features

Archives

Categories

Business News

Libertarian Ad Network

Old Archives

Friday, May 27. 2011

20 Best-Read Cities in the US

Stephan Challenge

Search

Historical US House Composition

Syndicate This Blog

Major Newspapers,Magazines,and Web Sites

Political Web Sites,Magazines, andOther Journals

Blogs

Economics, Science, & Technology RelatedBlogs and Web Sites

Research Tools

Regional Newspapers

Features

Archives

Categories

Business News

Libertarian Ad Network

Old Archives

Friday, May 27. 2011

20 Best-Read Cities in the US

Stephan Challenge

Search

Major Newspapers,
Magazines,
and Web Sites

Political Web Sites,
Magazines, and
Other Journals

Economics, Science, & Technology Related
Blogs and Web Sites