Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old.

Clearly one must read every good book at least once every ten years.

I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once.

No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.

For I need not remind such an audience as this that the neat sorting out of books into age-groups, so dear to publishers, has only a very sketchy relation with the habits of any real readers. Those of us who are blamed when old for reading childish books were blamed when children for reading books too old for us. No reader worth his salt trots along in obedience to a time-table.

It is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between.