--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great is bookishness and the charm of…" description: "\"Great is bookishness and the charm of books.\" — Augustine Birrell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/augustine-birrell-22545_book_great-is-bookishness-and-the-charm-of-bo_2518541.png" --- # Great is bookishness and the charm of books. ![“Great is bookishness and the charm of books.” quote by Augustine Birrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/augustine-birrell-22545_book_great-is-bookishness-and-the-charm-of-bo_2518541.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/augustine-birrell-22545_book_great-is-bookishness-and-the-charm-of-bo_2518541.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/augustine-birrell-22545_book_great-is-bookishness-and-the-charm-of-bo_2518541.png) > “Great is bookishness and the charm of books.” [Augustine Birrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-birrell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books possess a unique charm and intellectual appeal. **In simple terms:** Books are charming and appealing. Key Takeaway Read more. Themes literature charm intellect Mood nostalgic enthusiastic Type literary reflective When to use this quote - personal development - academic study Key Concepts reading culture education Questions to Reflect On - Why do books captivate us? - How does reading shape thought? A Different Perspective May overlook digital media's role. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Bookishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookishness/) [Bookishness Charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookishness-charm-1228128/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm/) [Charm Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm-books-1228129/) [Great Bookishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-bookishness-1228127/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Before every elementary school classroom had a 'Drop Everything and Read' period, before parents and educators agonized more about children being glued to Call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-paul/before-every-elementary-school-classroom-had-a-drop-everything-and/) [Pamela Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-paul/) > [“Books gnaw at me from around the edges of my life, demanding more time and attention. I am always left hungry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-paul/books-gnaw-at-me-from-around-the-edges-of-my-life-demanding-more-time/) [Pamela Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-paul/) > [“Reading books again? Books will ruin your sword eye, boy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/reading-books-again-books-will-ruin-your-sword-eye-boy/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“The book was thick and red. It was almost thicker than it was wide, a thickness that somehow enhanced its bookishness. 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You cannot charm, or interest, or please By harping in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/talk-health-the-dreary-never-changing-tale-of-mortal-maladies-is-worn/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [Modesty is the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-herford/modesty-is-the-gentle-art-of-enhancing-your-charm-by-pretending-not/) [Oliver Herford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-herford/) > [Every woman thinks herself attractive; even the plainest is satisfied with the charms she deems that she possesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/every-woman-thinks-herself-attractive-even-the-plainest-is-satisfied/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Charm is a cunning self-forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/charm-is-a-cunning-self-forgetfulness/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) ## More by Augustine Birrell > [Poetry should be vital--either stirring our blood by its divine movements or snatching our breath by its divine perfection. To do both is supreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/poetry-should-be-vital-either-stirring-our-blood-by-its-divine/) [Augustine Birrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-birrell/) > [It can never be wrong to give pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/it-can-never-be-wrong-to-give-pleasure/) [Augustine Birrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-birrell/) > [A poet's soul must contain the perfect shape of all things good, wise and just. His body must be spotless and without blemish, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/a-poet-s-soul-must-contain-the-perfect-shape-of-all-things-good-wise/) [Augustine Birrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-birrell/) > [A conventional good read is usually a bad read, a relaxing bath in what we know already. 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Great is bookishness and the charm of books.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Augustine Birrell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/great-is-bookishness-and-the-charm-of-books/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/great-is-bookishness-and-the-charm-of-books/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/augustine-birrell-22545_book_great-is-bookishness-and-the-charm-of-bo_2518541.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/augustine-birrell-22545_book_great-is-bookishness-and-the-charm-of-bo_2518541.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/augustine-birrell-22545_book_great-is-bookishness-and-the-charm-of-bo_2518541.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Great is bookishness and the charm of books.” — Augustine Birrell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Augustine Birrell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-birrell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Great is bookishness and the charm...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/great-is-bookishness-and-the-charm-of-books/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/great-is-bookishness-and-the-charm-of-books/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```