January 7th, 2010 / 11:24 am
Snippets

Introductions to books are akin to the inflatable dartboard. Get rid of them all.

30 Comments

  1. Ryan Call

      i like introductions. it depends on my mood. sometimes i will read them before, sometimes afte,r sometimes i will skip them. if youdont read them, then there is no well poissoning.

  2. Ryan Call

      i like introductions. it depends on my mood. sometimes i will read them before, sometimes afte,r sometimes i will skip them. if youdont read them, then there is no well poissoning.

  3. stephen

      I think introductions, while certainly very much at the publisher’s behest in the interest of promoting and “explaining” the book you are about to read, are just another thing that can make a book “bookish,” like dedication pages, footnotes, preludes, prologues, copyright pages, frontispieces, all that stuff. And while I can understand the ideal of an unexplained work of art, alone, on its own terms, simply beginning with no explanation, that’s an idea borrowed from other artforms like painting and movies and the like, and even there it’s an illusion, because movies have posters and trailers, paintings have little cards on the wall explaining what the painting’s about—any artform you can think of tends to have a little introduction built in for the sake of those poor individuals who don’t want their art to be “entirely” mysterious.

  4. stephen

      I think introductions, while certainly very much at the publisher’s behest in the interest of promoting and “explaining” the book you are about to read, are just another thing that can make a book “bookish,” like dedication pages, footnotes, preludes, prologues, copyright pages, frontispieces, all that stuff. And while I can understand the ideal of an unexplained work of art, alone, on its own terms, simply beginning with no explanation, that’s an idea borrowed from other artforms like painting and movies and the like, and even there it’s an illusion, because movies have posters and trailers, paintings have little cards on the wall explaining what the painting’s about—any artform you can think of tends to have a little introduction built in for the sake of those poor individuals who don’t want their art to be “entirely” mysterious.

  5. christopher higgs

      I’m with Ryan: I like introductions. For works of theory/philosophy I tend to read them first. For works of fiction I tend to read them last.

      There have even been books that I have read in which the introduction was as good or even better than the book itself. The one that comes to mind (for some unknown reason) is Kazantzakis’s Last Temptation of Christ. It’s been years, but I remember liking the introduction more than the book itself.

  6. christopher higgs

      I’m with Ryan: I like introductions. For works of theory/philosophy I tend to read them first. For works of fiction I tend to read them last.

      There have even been books that I have read in which the introduction was as good or even better than the book itself. The one that comes to mind (for some unknown reason) is Kazantzakis’s Last Temptation of Christ. It’s been years, but I remember liking the introduction more than the book itself.

  7. davidpeak

      i’m not sure i would’ve gotten half as much out of babyfucker if i hadn’t first read the book, then read the introduction, then re-read the book.

      what’s wrong with that?

  8. davidpeak

      i’m not sure i would’ve gotten half as much out of babyfucker if i hadn’t first read the book, then read the introduction, then re-read the book.

      what’s wrong with that?

  9. Sean

      The introduction gets in my way. Even when I try to skip it, my eye falls on the page and I see the words “fresh voice” or some shit and then it’s like I swallowed a cockroach before I read and I’d like books to just begin. With google I can find anything out I want to know after.

      Having said this, I do of course just skip them. But, for discussion…

      (also I know a lot of writers get paid to write them, so that’s cool)

  10. Sean

      The introduction gets in my way. Even when I try to skip it, my eye falls on the page and I see the words “fresh voice” or some shit and then it’s like I swallowed a cockroach before I read and I’d like books to just begin. With google I can find anything out I want to know after.

      Having said this, I do of course just skip them. But, for discussion…

      (also I know a lot of writers get paid to write them, so that’s cool)

  11. brandi

      sometimes i read them during or after the book. rarely before the book. i’m fucking reading the book because i want to read the book.

  12. brandi

      sometimes i read them during or after the book. rarely before the book. i’m fucking reading the book because i want to read the book.

  13. shaun

      I pretty much only read introductions when written by authors I like. For example, the introduction to Barthelme’s Forty Stories written by Eggers. If it’s an intro by someone I don’t like, I give it about five lines to see if it’s worth reading. Otherwise, it gets read after the book, or never at all.

      If it’s an introduction by the author of the book, I always read it because I enjoy that kind of behind-the-scenes business. I’ve wanted poet intros to collected works for a long time now (I’m not certain if they would work for single books of poetry, but I have a feeling they shouldn’t be done). gimme dat insight

  14. shaun

      I pretty much only read introductions when written by authors I like. For example, the introduction to Barthelme’s Forty Stories written by Eggers. If it’s an intro by someone I don’t like, I give it about five lines to see if it’s worth reading. Otherwise, it gets read after the book, or never at all.

      If it’s an introduction by the author of the book, I always read it because I enjoy that kind of behind-the-scenes business. I’ve wanted poet intros to collected works for a long time now (I’m not certain if they would work for single books of poetry, but I have a feeling they shouldn’t be done). gimme dat insight

  15. Craig Snyder

      I also like introductions.

      They often have an unexpected effect. Sometimes not though.

  16. Craig Snyder

      I also like introductions.

      They often have an unexpected effect. Sometimes not though.

  17. Dale

      Slaughterhouse 5 wouldn’t be the same without the intro.

  18. Dale

      Slaughterhouse 5 wouldn’t be the same without the intro.

  19. RR

      Agreed. The intro is the best part of Slaughterhouse 5, inspired stuff.

  20. RR

      Agreed. The intro is the best part of Slaughterhouse 5, inspired stuff.

  21. Kyle Minor

      I like the NYRB intros, or a lot of them, which tell something about the book’s history, and the context into which it was received, how it was received, and why the introducer thinks the book is valuable enough to bring it back into print.

  22. Kyle Minor

      I like the NYRB intros, or a lot of them, which tell something about the book’s history, and the context into which it was received, how it was received, and why the introducer thinks the book is valuable enough to bring it back into print.

  23. Amber

      Yes! I was just going to say this but you beat me to it. I wouldn’t have the historical context without those intros: for example Christopher Hitchens’ intro to Handbook on Hanging.

  24. Amber

      Yes! I was just going to say this but you beat me to it. I wouldn’t have the historical context without those intros: for example Christopher Hitchens’ intro to Handbook on Hanging.

  25. Amber

      The NYRB intros, I mean. Whoops.

  26. Amber

      The NYRB intros, I mean. Whoops.

  27. Sean

      I don’t want the historical context. I don’t want context period.

  28. Sean

      I don’t want the historical context. I don’t want context period.

  29. Ken Baumann

      online would be a nice receptacle for after book curious consult.

      ‘what is the historical context?’

      i’m more apt to do that than read the actual introduction. although some are good… still, even with my favorite afterword/intro, i wish it had just existed outside the book’s bounds (marcus in unguentine)

  30. Ken Baumann

      online would be a nice receptacle for after book curious consult.

      ‘what is the historical context?’

      i’m more apt to do that than read the actual introduction. although some are good… still, even with my favorite afterword/intro, i wish it had just existed outside the book’s bounds (marcus in unguentine)