How To Be Idle
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"A true literary gem... irresistable"--USA Today
Product Description
As Oscar Wilde said, doing nothing is hard work. The Protestant work ethic has most of us in its thrall, and the idlers of this world have the odds stacked against them. But here, at last, is a book that can help. From Tom Hodgkinson, editor of the Idler, comes HOW TO BE IDLE, an antidote to the work-obsessed culture which puts so many obstacles between ourselves and our dreams. Hodgkinson presents us with a laid-back argument for a new contract between routine and chaos, an argument for experiencing life to the full and living in the moment. Ranging across a host of issues that may affect the modern idler - sleep, the world of work, pleasure and hedonism, relationships, bohemian living, revolution - he draws on the writings of such well-known apologists for idleness as Dr Johnson, Oscar Wilde, Robert Louis Stevenson and Nietzsche. His message is clear: take control of your life and reclaim your right to be idle.
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First Sentence
I wonder if that hard-working American rationalist and agent of industry Benjamin Franklin knew how much misery he would cause in the world when, back in 1757, high on puritanical zeal, he popularized and promoted the trite and patently untrue aphorism "early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise"? Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
I wonder if that hard-working American rationalist and agent of industry Benjamin Franklin knew how much misery he would cause in the world when, back in 1757, high on puritanical zeal, he popularized and promoted the trite and patently untrue aphorism "early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise"? Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
87 of 89 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A very reassuring read for anyone who, like this reviewer, often has difficulty getting up in the morning and feels unnecessarily guilty about it. Hodgkinson fires a broadside at the dreadful work-hard-play-hard attitude begun by such apparent luminaries as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison and Winston Churchill which has done nothing but reduce us to mentally unstable, guilt-ridden wrecks. A severe example of the "anti-idler's" puritanical onslaught is in his criticism of Lemsip, previously a soothing drink to be enjoyed while recuperating at home in bed, now using the horrendously authoritarian slogan "stop snivelling and get back to work!" to attack our insecurities. By exposing their hypocrisy (e.g. Edison's claiming he only needed 3-4 hours sleep per night, where in reality he had at least two 3-hour naps during the day) and displaying some hilarious, down-to-earth and touching excerpts from the works of far more sensible and contemplative characters such as Dr. Johnson, William Blake and Robert Burns, the book encourages us to reclaim our time for thoughts, dreams and appreciation of the present rather than analysis of the past or plans for a better future. A refreshing antidote to the deluge of dreadful "self-improvement" literature that shouts "Oi! Stop lazing around!" from so many bookshelves. Kick back and enjoy....
85 of 87 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a great book. At heart it shares the ethos of books like 'In Praise Of Slow' that champion a rejection of high pressure high speed modern lifestyles in favour of a calmer more contemplative approach. However, Hodgkinson's tack is more radical and polemic, suggesting that a lot of the things that people naturally do and society labels as idle or lazy are exactly the things we should be doing to take life more slowly and paradoxically become more alive. Things like staying in bed, taking long lunches, drinking plenty of alcohol, going for a walk. As has been mentioned, the idea that smoking or rioting should be part of this lifestyle are, for me, taking things too far, but in a way these chapters simply help amplify his thesis without corrupting it. The book has made me more determined than ever to pursue a freelance lifestyle, working when I want to and devoting more time to life affirming pursuits like playing music, reading and spending time with freinds and family. By the way, reviews such as 'I only read two chapters then I 'got it' and couldn't be bothered with the rest' and 'buy it if you can be arsed' have totally missed the point - idle and lazy are not the same thing, the book it about reclaiming your right to do what you want. Spending a long time savouring a good book to it's finish is exactly what the book is about, and I recommend you do just that.
40 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you are one of those folk, like me , who is inclined to feel somewhat less of a person for having,say, spent the morning on amazon instead of writing reports, this is the book for you. It is one of those books best read over a long period of time to digest its ample wisdom and profound thought, not only from Hodgkinson himself but also some of history's greatest people.
Although I would take isue with riot as an idlers pastime and echo other criticisms about smoking, what caught me was the exposure of the myth of those, such as Edison who claimed to do with very little sleep.
Enjoy the 24 fine chapters in this, have a doze and live.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not life-changing, but definitely worth reading
It's not going to change my life, but I did enjoy reading this book. I don't agree with everything that Tom says (eg I actually enjoy getting up early in the morning; also I prefer... Read more
Published 2 months ago by S. FREEMAN
Agreeable, just
Hodgkinson overstates his case, wilfully I suspect, and lulls the reader into a pleasant fantasy. But his basic thesis is agreeable; we are all miserably materialistic and we... Read more
Published 6 months ago by oldschoolstoryhunter.calm
A manifesto for change.
I loved this book. A manifesto for change, individually and culturally. The title says it all.
This is so applicable to business, and to life in general. Read more
This is so applicable to business, and to life in general. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Peter W. Burden
A BRILLIANT MANIFESTO FOR THE WAGE SLAVE!
This book is for anybody who is fed-up with people telling them that they need to work more, this book in fact tells us the very opposite, that it is in fact much more healthier to... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Nathan Strange
A fantastic book
If I had to go to a desert island and take 3 books I would take How to be Idle, How to Be Free and Shout! the true story of the Beatles. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Dolenz66
For the guilt-stricken idler
This is a brilliant little book which I found comforting to read, as a fellow idler. However, don't take it too seriously. Read more
Published 17 months ago by book worm
An idle manifesto
Witty, well-written and intelligent. In a world oppressed by such things as 'hard work', 'salary' and 'work ethic', comes this wonderful book in defense of idle times and... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Js83
Well written challenge to the modern mind set
This is a fantastically enjoyable and sumptuous read that rightly challenges the assumptions which have brought about the kind of miserable state of affairs that we have created... Read more
Published 19 months ago by H Raz
A serious philosophy of life
I loved this book. It's not so much about being idle as it is about being in control of your own life and your own time and doing what you enjoy. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Leanne Martel
What about watching cricket?
I bought this for my wife. hoping she would pick up some tips on cooling it. Predictably, she hasn't had time to read it - but I have. Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2010 by DB
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