Arnold Bennett is probably not widely read in the 21st century, but in his heyday during the first 30 years of the 20th century he was one of the most popular and most respected authors in Britain, and his most famous works included The Old Wives’ Tale, the Clayhanger Trilogy, and The Card. He was essentially a literary man, but he started out as a journalist and in his time he produced many self-improvement books such as were all the rage as more and more ordinary working-class people (having started to benefit from free education) sought the opportunity to better themselves in an era when the theme was often ‘knowledge is power”. Literary Taste, which has a sub-title “how to form it, with detailed instructions for collecting a complete library of English Literarure”, came into that category, and was a very successful publication. More than 100 years after it first appeared (in 1909) it will seem rather quaint, but there is much of value in it, and, bearing in mind that much good and great literary work has been produced in modern times, it is still worth a study. Remember it is a book that pointed the way for the generation of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers!

Literary Taste: How to Form It (Arnold Bennett Collection) PDF

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