Reasons to read old books:
1) They’re often very pretty
2) Because they’re second-hand, they’re a lot cheaper than new books (this one cost £4)
3) Old books are 100% AI proof. When you see that something was printed in 1926 (for example) you know AI had nothing to do with it, and that it’s also insulated against the internet in general; they're time-machines
4) Not all books printed in the past were good quality, but the ones that have survived are: thicker (and nicer) paper than we use today, plus tougher bindings. These quality materials also mean they’re nicer just to hold in your hands.
5) If you read what everybody else is reading, the odds are you’ll end up thinking what everybody else is thinking. History is very long, and just reading books from the year 2026, or the 2020s, or even the 21st century, will warp your perspective. Reading old books (not even the greats, just random old books) teaches you more, because it acts as a foil to the present and helps you see it more clearly by comparison.
6) You often get old inscriptions in the endpapers: names, dates, awards, gifts. Sometimes you even get annotations. It’s a small thing, but knowing somebody one hundred years ago owned and loved a book you’re now reading is… well, it’s something.
7) Time is the best possible filter for quality. Many great books weren’t considered great in their own time; most books considered great in their own time have been forgotten. The same will happen to the best-selling books of the 21st century.
8) They generally look nicer on shelves
9) Unlike most modern paperbacks or hardbacks, older books were often printed in actual pocket-sized editions, so you can take them around easily
This letter from 60 Minutes’ new EP, Nick Bilton, is so telling and transparent.
It’ll be hilarious to listen to anyone defend Pelley after reading this. And when they do, they will do so dishonestly.
Letter from Bilton to Pelley below.
“Oh, cool, y’all are planning a big get-together for the President’s birthday?”
“No, it’s a protest.”
“So, large crowds will gather in his name across the nation on the day of his birth?”
“Don’t say it like that.”
“And there will be a cool concert?”
“A protest concert!”
“And people will have watch parties for the birthday concert? Kinda like a reality show dedicated to him?”
“No!”
“Will there be cake?”
“I hate you.”
Last night, I made a simple request on X. I asked if anybody visiting Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day would stop by Alan’s grave and leave a photo for our family.
What happened next honestly caught me off guard.
By this afternoon, dozens of Americans from all walks of life had made the walk to Section 60 to visit SSG Alan W. Shaw. Veterans. Families. Complete strangers. People who had never met Alan, but chose to honor him anyway.
For one day on social media, people put aside the constant noise and negativity and came together for something bigger than themselves. My notifications filled with photos, kind messages, prayers, and stories from people honoring not just Alan, but so many of our fallen heroes.
I don’t think people fully understand what moments like this mean to Gold Star families. The fear is never just losing them. It’s losing them slowly over time as the world moves on and fewer people remember their name.
But today showed me that Alan will never be forgotten.
After years of watching social media reward some of the worst parts of humanity, today gave me a reminder that the good is still out there too.
Thank you to every single person who stopped by to visit Alan today, said his name, shared his story, or took a moment to honor the fallen.
This right here is the America Alan knew and loved enough to fight and die for.
And today, y’all showed us all that it’s still here and it’s still worth fighting for. 🇺🇸
UPDATE: Todd Heldt (the guy who stole money from a 12-year-old girl's medical charity) has threatened me for posting a publicly available picture of him, claiming it violates DMCA
So I have added a clown nose to his face and commentary to the image to make it a derivative work