This week’s meme from the Classics Club:

‘Do you read forewords/notes that precede many classics?  Does it help you or hurt you in your enjoyment/understanding of the work?’

Basically, yes, I have done so, however as the norm I don’t tend to read them.  I’m usually a bit too excited to read the book to read all the forewords, etc.  I do tend to read more if it comes after the book.  Which probably sounds a little odd.  But, if an author writes a piece at the conclusion of the story about motivation, research, ideas,  etc, I usually read that and enjoy it.  Also, I think it depends on how I feel about the book.  Sometimes a book can lead me into all sorts of research because it’s piqued my interest.  It also depends on the length of the piece – I’m sure that one of the books I read recently had about 50 pages as a foreword!  For goodness sake – 50 pages – it’s almost a short book in itself!  I think the foreword can be useful to be honest but my impatience usually gets the better of me although I confess I’m more likely to read it on a reread when I’m more chilled out.

This question gets me to thinking of similar issues.  For example.  Do you love maps in books.  Sometimes I pay attention to them.  But less so if I’m reading on Kindle (it just isn’t convenient).  What about glossaries – I never tend to use them, in fact, to be honest I usually don’t find them until after I’ve finished reading by which time it’s too late!  (I don’t think I’m coming off too well in this piece! so far)

What about illustrations???  I  actually like illustrations in a book.  I have some old Dicken’s books and they have really lovely pictures.   Plus, books like The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making  by Catherynne Valente and Poison by Sarah Pinborough – which are beautiful books in their own right.  Lovely cover, well illustrated and great to read.  I think that the reason I like them is that they’re there on the page as I’m reading – probably, if the map was inserted as needs be I would study it more and similarly with glossaries (maybe added as a footnote instead).  It’s just all this constant flipping backwards and forwards in the book is distracting and also a little bit annoying.

What about you – do you read all the glossaries/appendices and other bits and pieces.  I wonder if I should be more thorough but frankly I’m usually all to caught up with moving onto the next book!

I’ve decided I’m a very bad book person!  *must read all additional reading material*