It’s always fun getting a used book that’s been written in, it’s almost like you’re reading the previous owner’s mind and figuring out their first impressions as you read along
That's what I think about. I'd love to see a book from my parents or from my grandparents that has been written on. It's like part of their mind is in there, you can actually see that they put effort and thought into that. A blank book can convey many things, but a book that has notes in it has something more, has intention.
One of my neighors was a Philosophy professor at Johns Hopkins and an author. He taught me something about books I've never forgotten. He said that reading a book should be done actively. We should think of reading as a dialog. He was an advocate of writing in your books. Great video! 👍
Reading is the one of the most powerful tools a human can have. I had a history professor tell me something that blew my mind when I was 18. “It’s the quickest way to the 1% of something. If you read a good book about something like dolphins, then you’d be in the top 1% of people in existence on knowledge about dolphins”. I never forgot those words.
Many years ago, a famous scholar gifted most of his library to me. This collection of more than 1,000 books included first editions dating back to the 1850s. The handwritten notes in the margins had become something like a dialogue among several generations scholars.
If you really want to write in books but still feel stuck or just want your book to stay pretty, consider taking baby steps with small Post-It note tabs that you can write a symbol or word on and just use a commonplace book if you're really eager to retain the information.
This is great advice! I used to do this actually. Then I moved and a bunch of my stickies got knocked off and I had a fit haha. But definitely a great firat step and maybe someone can do it permanently if they can avoid what I did
So happy to have your video recommended! I can't not write when I'm reading. I make pen holder/boards as giant bookmarks. I use highlighters and then different pens (Pilot Precise V5s). I write the date I start a book on the inside, and do that each time in a different colour. Then when I go thru, I'll know which reading it was when I made those notes. I also use page flags; blue is for quotes, yellow is for concepts, etc. I mark tables, foot notes, resources, etc. on the top of the page, and then other page flags go on the side. Each time I go back to a book, reading is faster because I see all my notes, etc. I also have post-it notes that I use. I don't write in rare or "keepsake" editions, but for regular books, they're more like an interactive journal to me. It's very much a "second brain" so that I can access the book for information & key concepts quickly. As Tiago Forte says, it really is a gift to your future self!
100% on the gift for future self bit. I don't write in my rare old books either. I like the idea of the book as an interactive journal ha that's such a good phrase for the concept. I have done the stickys back in highschool (I think they made us) but I remember them coming off and that would drive me so insane. Maybe I need to give it another try.
English isn't my first language so growing up I had to learn and memorize the words, my grandfather taught me and would translate the words into our native language. So if you were a classmate of mine you would probably see the text book full of underlines and scribbles where once was an empty place. Of course my teachers highly discouraged me taking notes in the books rather than the notebook but it was me who set the trend in my entire class so making margin notes was a cool thing now
I’ve found that writing in a separate book like a common place book is better than writing directly on the book. At least from a fictional book. Self help books almost invite you to write on them. That being said, for fictional books I think the distraction of my notes would take away from the book. I used to highlight all my books & now I can’t read them without getting my eyes drawn to the shit I highlighted. I would rather be absorbed in the story. I simply write anything that sticks out to me in a separate book so I don’t disrupt the book.
This makes a ton of sense. I usually only mark wise statements in my fiction books for the same reason. I collect wise sayings in a commonplace book so I have to mark them but sometimes that's just a dog-eared page. I'm 100% with you
Hi Parker, Your video made me wonder why I don't write in my books. And I think the reason is because here in Chile, books are expensive, especially the ones that are on the academic line (my alma mater is philosophy, and I'm an anthropologist). I do marginalia and highlight my photocopied books and my ebooks with different colors, but never the actual books; they are kind of a luxury for me. But you are totally right; the learning of the content is better if you "put your hands on" the text, and the experience is totally different, and that's why I love my photocopied books more than the other ones. Now, I will follow your advice. Thank you for your amazing content!
I usually read non-fiction and have started to highlight more. Never wanted to write in books, but your video changed my mind. Ready to create some marginalia! Thanks.
I made notes in my political philosophy books 20+ years ago and I still love opening them and seeing my scribbles all down the side. They remind me of my passion from when I studying at university. I just recently aquired a well-loved, used and written-in book on Kabbalah and adore seeing someone else's notes in the margins, underlined, etc. I am currently sitting here with a book on Ceremonial Magick and the ruler and pencils, pens are out... I think I need to create a compendium to go with this particular work, so I will look at your video. Thank you for sharing your tips 📖
I tend to buy second hand books where I can, and honestly there's almost nothing more delightful than unexpectedly coming across a stranger's marginalia. You might be years and miles apart from that other reader, and have no idea who they are, but not only are you connected by this physical object you are holding, you also have a window into some private thought they had, one that they maybe never thought they'd share with another person. Do they agree with you? Is it a mundane reminder, or did they have some profound insight into the text that you missed, that they have unexpectedly and unwittingly gifted to you?
I just discovered your channel - thanks for making this! If I'm studying a book I also heavily annotate so it's fun to see others' systems. One symbol I use a lot that might be interesting is a three-bar equal sign (instead of the normal 2 bars). Mathematically it means "by definition" or a mathematical identity, so I use it to indicate a definition (even when the book is not about math!). I look forward to watching more of your videos!
Excellent video! As a college English/Classics professor, I definitely support real engagement with a text, even a fluffy novel. I love borrowing a book and learning from (or arguing with!) previous annotations. My only caveat is that I'm passing middle age, so I already have a lot of arthritis in my hands; this means I do sometimes take notes digitally, because typing hurts less than writing with a pen at times. But at least that's something, which is better than nothing.
thank you so much Parker, you really changed my life with this one. You really convinced me to ditch my note-taking digitally to going back to using my pen and paper, infact, I took key points from this video in my notebook for the first time in god knows how many days. Thank you once again
Excellent education. Keep it up. Very helpful to me for sure. You are changing my life & approach to my reading. I want to read - but easily distracted. But I am goal oriented. So your recommendation is right on the money for me. Thanks
I recently reread J.S. Mill’s Utilitarianism, and I’d written in the margins my first time through 15 years ago. It was weird actually reflecting on that version of myself based on my marginalia.
Thank you for this. When I was working at a bookstore one of my coworkers was a retired school principal. We had several discussions about underlining and writing in books and he convinced me to use a pencil if I was going to do it. I have been writing in books for years and I appreciated several ideas I pulled from this discussion. I have one quibble with your history, however. Gutenberg's significant contribution was introducing movable type in the west. The Chinese had movable ceramic type as early as the 11th century and movable metal type in the mid 16th century, roughly the same time as Gutenberg released his. The Koreans, however, were using movable metal type by the mid 14th century. There is no doubt that Gutenberg's invention changed the history of Western civilization.
Thank you for sharing your experience! This is very useful! Before watching your video, I never used to take notes, so I would often forget most of the content I read. I will definitely try your method.
I like to write with pencils because I have progressed in my knowledge so much. What I wanted to highlight at one-time I know focusing on another thought. I underline or draw a line through it or circle sentences I want to never forget. I will highlight with my pencil words. I also use symbols ... D ... for definition. I also use colored pencils for highlighting subjects I want to group together throughout the book. For example green for earth ... yellow for fear ... pink for historical thoughts.
I've always done this! All of my non-fiction books are marked up like yours. Didn't know though about some of your cool symbols...going to add a few...great content!
I have been debating whether to go with paper or ebooks for a long time. Now I have settled on paper books precisely because I want to interact with the content. I heard Cal Newport make similar arguments as you on his podcast in favor of taking notes in the books directly.
Great info Parker. I need do more with writing notes in the margin. I do create my own index of quotes I want to explore. My Uncle was a pastor, and i have several of his books with his margin notes
Liking your chanel so far. Studying for mri i like to use a lot of high lighter colors. Just realized its a way to keep track or block out blocks of info, or que a corilation too a sentence from earlier in the paragraph. Really useful when the text book is dense with complicated concepts and, to keep a mental track if the book bounces around a bit.
I only started actively marking up my books about three years ago. Since then, I have read more books, more complex books, and enjoyed them more than in the previous 32 years of my life.
I just recognized those books behind you are John Owen's (Banner of Truth) collection. Also, Jonathan Edward's collection. Not to mention Calvin's works and The Great Books of the Western World
At 14 my pastor challenged us to read the New Testament once a month every month and the Old Testament once a year, a discipline I've followed for 40+ years. My general reading is time based, an hour both am and pm.
The idea of writing and taking notes in books has always felt, kind of out of bounds, in a way. Growing up there were always rules at schools etc to never write in books. But who knows, maybe I'll give it a try sometime.
Totally had that same exact feeling for a while. Also, once I got over that feeling there was the feeling that I'd mess up and make the notes look gross or foolish. But if you can get over it, it can be helpful. You could also try a tablet and an apple pen
I agree, it felt really weird when classes started asking me to write in my books. I’ve found it much easier to use a pencil or a digital pdf of a text with my ipad to annotate, since I’ve definitely loosened up about writing in books but I’m still not cool with using pen. I also wont write in especially old or valuable books/books that family members have already written in in the past, usually I’ll stick to post-its or keep a seperate log of notes on my computer in a document.
I think of my notes as my conversations with my books - my current thoughts/perspectives + additional research that I do and add in there. That's why I love to use sticky notes in my books too, so I can always revisit these notes and update any changes in my views or new research in those pages, relevant to those notes.
I've been highlighting and writing in books since the 70s. I can corroborate everything you say. I've read that Harry Truman was big on writing in books. He was our last president not to have a college degree, but is usually regarded as being in the top ten of presidents. I see his manner of reading books as his way of self educating himself.
Thanks for showing your examples. Very interesting about handwriting vs. keyboard. I have a crude version of writing in my books but it is sort of disjointed…. And that my handwriting/printing is inconsistent and messy doesn’t help. I have been trying to come up with symbols like that for a long time and yours are a lot richer than mine. I use a editor’s “delete” symbol for a phrase, etc. that stands out or stands on its own and/or is especially well said. I try to distinguish between phrases, paragraphs, etc. that are material to the argument or point of the chapter, etc and what is good or interesting in its own right “universally” as it were. Anyway really interesting and helpful. All 16 volumes of John Owen…. I would be surprised if you, sir, had not read through them all!
The way I do it is I highlight more than I need to and simply number the highlights through the whole book. Then I import it into a notes app with hashtags with key ideas in that highlight for easier searching later on. It's like a digital notes library. However I do like the idea to write more context for myself so I will start that! My philosophy is the more notes and information intelligently categorized, and the more ideas with their context I have, the easier it will be to write a book. I just take all the pieces and arrange them and write it in my own words.
I am an advocate for writing in books. I refrain from writing in my “old” books. But everything else is fair game. I have many of the same reasons as you, especially leaving my notes for future readers. It’s a valuable insight to my thoughts and influences at the time of reading.
Hey!!!! Thank you for putting some structure around this problem I've had since I can remember. I understand the need for taking notes but do it differently every time and so have never had any success in reusing them. "Why are you reading this?" and how you answer that question makes all the difference in how you take notes and what your expectations are from those notes and whether you should be reading that book at all. Then some shorthand suggestions to boot. Thanks!!! Looking forward to getting into this channel.
My first read is typically a library book unless I know I'm going to like it or it's an essential. If it resonates with me I'll get a copy that I'm free to markup. I just read The Abolition of Man and Mere Christianity with a highlighter at the ready.
For me it depends on the book if I would be ok writing in it. Mostly I don't write in my books. I do use dog ears though. I think I'd rather opt for sticking in an extra page with notes. More room and doesn't distract from the actual writing as much. I don't study books that much anyway lol. But these videos are encouraging me to start doing that. I did read one book on Stoicism and instead of writing notes, which I noticed disrupted my ability to read too much (I have reading comprehension troubles, so reading is a challenge!). So I opted to just dog ear all pages I wanted to lift info from later. What I noticed is that when later I sat down to make those notes, I would have to reread sections and that really helped take in the information better and better decide what to lift to my own notes. (Instead of the entire book lol)
Bit late to this party but I stumbled upon your video's while looking for inspiration on better remembering what I read. Fun thing is that I'm reading the book by Melanie Mitchell as we speak and It would be great to see how you transcribe or bring over your notes from the actual book into the commonplace book on AI.
Tear that book up! Write draw scribble. You mentioned symbols and I like to use a box or type [ ] to make a 'check box' for the tasks. Things to do or harvest for a common place collection. When journaling, I will put a small box at the end of a word when I run out of room on a line to tell the reader to figure the full word out for themselves. The Portuguese poet Fernando Paseo wrote in the margins and the backs of envelopes...writers write, remember that.
A commonplace would be a more meaningful gift or window of the mind, i think. The books are there, and when they independently search for it, they can read it with a clean slate while having your commonplace as reference to what you may have taken from it (at least what i think since im not the type to hold on books for long nor am i the type to own the book for myself)
Yeah, I have 2 videos on commonplace books as well where I second this point! You're right about them being better even if you're wrong about giving them a clean slate 😉
Thank you for this video ! I am one of those who are afraid writing in the books and destroy them 🙈🙈 I am inspired now to change that 😊 PS: love the biblical Hebrew tattoo
I also put in symbols of feeling impressed: like damn good idea! Nice! Wow! Or if they have a very funny statement, I use smiley face to marked that as well. The emotional impact help me digest the book better
Per why mark books. There is value in having your record of reactions right next to the thing you're reacting to. "Why did I write this? Oh ya, it's right there."
do not forget transparent sticky notes! they come in all shapes, sizes and colors now, and i feel much more comfortable writing on them rather than in the actual body of the book without losing any of the complexities of advanced annotating
Excellent ideas, I'll be sure to implement some! If there is anything I want to return to in a book I'm reading, I put a sticky note on the page. This might help you find the passages in books that you mark for quote harvesting 14:04
Hi Parker, I've always hated the idea of marking up a book with highlights and notes. But after watching your video I can definitely see the benefits. Moving forward I might try lightly bracketing in pencil quotes I want to harvest and go from there. I am curious, how many times do you typically read a book? Also, do you have a process for reading books for understanding vs reading for entertainment? Such as reading a book on philosophy or AI vs reading Dune? Thanks! Van
You literally read aloud the conclusion of the study authors which was that it is not the format (long hand vs laptop) but the technique (rephrasing vs transcription) which they believe changed the efficacy of note taking.
Right, and in the paper they go over the stats on long-hand vs. keyboard tendencies to transcribe vs. rephrase and conclude that it's more beneficial to write note long-hand to avoid the tendency to transcribe. If someone can avoid that tendency and use a keyboard effectively then that's cool, I still gave more reasons for why I think marginal notes are worth while though. Someone could be convinced of to use long-hand note taking instead of keyboard and actively take notes along side their book in a notebook but I've given some reasons for why I think marginalia are helpful.
On to your first point, my literature teacher always encouraged writing in our books for this reason, quoting 1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober minded and alert." I enjoyed reading so much more when I started doing this. Also, you might not be famous ever but your physical books with notes in them might survive and people in the future will have books with the thoughts of random people in the past. that's kinda cool, isn't it.
Hi sir, about the topic: "Handwriting is better than typing on a keyboard", do you know if it still valid also for a tablet and a pen? I was struggling about this, because I can't find official studies... The demonstration of this axiom would carry on significat advantages: handwriting + portability Thank you😊
I have always written in my books and I love seeing other people write in theirs. I don’t use symbols beyond very simple things like question marks - I just don’t find them personally helpful. I prefer full thought out and explained ideas so I know exactly what I’m marking and why - but I know everyone’s system has to be personalized for them. Great vid 💜 #thiscommentwillneverbeseenbutimgladiwroteit
I write on a journal, i do highlight on books though. But i don't write in books because what I write in a moment, i can completely disagree with in 2 year, months, weeks, daya or even minutes😂 i like journals cuz then you jump on a fresh page and evaluate what I read and stuff
Im sure you have, I havent scowered the videos or commments to verfy, but have you read Out Of Control by Kevin Kelly? About the advancement of AI and computer systems becoming indistinguishable from living things. Its great! Huge contributing premise for the Matrix films.
What an interesting video. Now I don't feel bad for writing in my books. Lol.. I do it less often though. may be I should do it for all my books and readings. I like using an asterick " * " for important. " =>" for definition. " ? " for = I din't understand , research more. Roman Numbers , for postulating reasons, examples etc. "//" for my comments. It is from software learning, where we write comments in a code with two slants at the beginning (I am not a coder , just retained these from my Eng. degree days. Eye symbol for quotes. Although my system is more intuitive than objectively defined. May be I can create an objective system for the ease of my biographer(s) .... lol...
I know im late to when this was uploaded so you probably will not answer, but on the off case that you do, what are your thoughts on writing in commentaries or volume sets of a persons works. I understand writing in books that say are anywhere from $10-$50 because one could easily get a new copy if need be. But what about volume sets that are either 1)old and expensive or 2) just straight-up expensive. Because I have all of John Calvin's commentaries and those are upwards to $1000 and im expecting to get Aquina's whole summa which couldn't be easily replaced. So I'm curious to what your thoughts are on these scenarios
I feel like writing in your books hurts me in my very soul, I can honestly say that I would never be able to do it (I can't even make notes of my favorite e-books). But I don't judge people who annotate or make notes in their books. Reading is very personal and subject to change based on multiple factors. If writing in your books helps with your processing of the material, more power to you.
I agree with this in the sense that I wouldn't want to write or highlight in my copy of, say, The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. Because that's a night-time read that I read for fun. But my penguin classics copy of Epictetus's Discourses? Looks like a bag of skittles hit it, flags all over the place, highlighted passages for putting in my commonplace book when I compile quotes/passages to write my own thoughts about it etc. It depends on what the book is for. I generally tend to buy used versions of books for these purposes or books from library book sales.
What are your thoughts on writing notes in a digital tablet with a stylus? You can annotate pdf versions of books that way. But it lacks certain features of regular pen and paper contact such as pressure and the resistance from paper. Do you think that will have the same effect on learning and comprehension as writing in a paper book?
My grandma left them to me. I had no idea what a great gift it was when she passed but I think about her everytime I see them and when I'm reading them
@@ParkerNotes That's a real treasure. I found that series while I was working on library on a theology school I did and since that time i am trying to find it online and to buy it.
Thanks! New to the channel and subscribed. Couple quick questions… on a second or more read through do you read the book in entirety or turn straight to your notes and study that area? Also , would you recommend this method for technical books? Think network engineering/architecture , DevOps. Thanks again! You’re doing great work.
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If you like this video, you'll love my substack: parknotes.substack.com
It’s always fun getting a used book that’s been written in, it’s almost like you’re reading the previous owner’s mind and figuring out their first impressions as you read along
YES!!! I thought I was the only one who felt this way. ✍️ 🤓
That's what I think about. I'd love to see a book from my parents or from my grandparents that has been written on. It's like part of their mind is in there, you can actually see that they put effort and thought into that.
A blank book can convey many things, but a book that has notes in it has something more, has intention.
I feel bad for whoever receives my books 😂. My handwriting is almost cryptic, that bad
One of my neighors was a Philosophy professor at Johns Hopkins and an author. He taught me something about books I've never forgotten. He said that reading a book should be done actively. We should think of reading as a dialog. He was an advocate of writing in your books.
Great video! 👍
Wise man! I totally agree for that same reason! Thanks for sharing!
Reminds me of a quote by St Gerome: "To read without writing is to sleep"
Reading is the one of the most powerful tools a human can have. I had a history professor tell me something that blew my mind when I was 18. “It’s the quickest way to the 1% of something. If you read a good book about something like dolphins, then you’d be in the top 1% of people in existence on knowledge about dolphins”. I never forgot those words.
Many years ago, a famous scholar gifted most of his library to me. This collection of more than 1,000 books included first editions dating back to the 1850s. The handwritten notes in the margins had become something like a dialogue among several generations scholars.
@@LifeAndFaithTogether wow that's so fantastic!
I will forever write in all of my books because of you! I can’t remember anything I read unless I do!
Zettlekasten?
If you really want to write in books but still feel stuck or just want your book to stay pretty, consider taking baby steps with small Post-It note tabs that you can write a symbol or word on and just use a commonplace book if you're really eager to retain the information.
This is great advice! I used to do this actually. Then I moved and a bunch of my stickies got knocked off and I had a fit haha. But definitely a great firat step and maybe someone can do it permanently if they can avoid what I did
@@ParkerNotes Oh noo! That would be awful, lol! I would move to more permanent measures like yourself if that incident happened to me, too! :p
So happy to have your video recommended! I can't not write when I'm reading. I make pen holder/boards as giant bookmarks. I use highlighters and then different pens (Pilot Precise V5s). I write the date I start a book on the inside, and do that each time in a different colour. Then when I go thru, I'll know which reading it was when I made those notes. I also use page flags; blue is for quotes, yellow is for concepts, etc. I mark tables, foot notes, resources, etc. on the top of the page, and then other page flags go on the side. Each time I go back to a book, reading is faster because I see all my notes, etc. I also have post-it notes that I use.
I don't write in rare or "keepsake" editions, but for regular books, they're more like an interactive journal to me. It's very much a "second brain" so that I can access the book for information & key concepts quickly. As Tiago Forte says, it really is a gift to your future self!
100% on the gift for future self bit. I don't write in my rare old books either. I like the idea of the book as an interactive journal ha that's such a good phrase for the concept. I have done the stickys back in highschool (I think they made us) but I remember them coming off and that would drive me so insane. Maybe I need to give it another try.
English isn't my first language so growing up I had to learn and memorize the words, my grandfather taught me and would translate the words into our native language. So if you were a classmate of mine you would probably see the text book full of underlines and scribbles where once was an empty place. Of course my teachers highly discouraged me taking notes in the books rather than the notebook but it was me who set the trend in my entire class so making margin notes was a cool thing now
Best video I’ve seen on this topic. Love that you show examples
Thank you!!
I’ve found that writing in a separate book like a common place book is better than writing directly on the book. At least from a fictional book. Self help books almost invite you to write on them. That being said, for fictional books I think the distraction of my notes would take away from the book. I used to highlight all my books & now I can’t read them without getting my eyes drawn to the shit I highlighted. I would rather be absorbed in the story. I simply write anything that sticks out to me in a separate book so I don’t disrupt the book.
This makes a ton of sense. I usually only mark wise statements in my fiction books for the same reason. I collect wise sayings in a commonplace book so I have to mark them but sometimes that's just a dog-eared page. I'm 100% with you
I don’t like self help books
Hi Parker, Your video made me wonder why I don't write in my books. And I think the reason is because here in Chile, books are expensive, especially the ones that are on the academic line (my alma mater is philosophy, and I'm an anthropologist). I do marginalia and highlight my photocopied books and my ebooks with different colors, but never the actual books; they are kind of a luxury for me. But you are totally right; the learning of the content is better if you "put your hands on" the text, and the experience is totally different, and that's why I love my photocopied books more than the other ones. Now, I will follow your advice. Thank you for your amazing content!
That's for this! Makes sense!
I usually read non-fiction and have started to highlight more. Never wanted to write in books, but your video changed my mind. Ready to create some marginalia! Thanks.
I made notes in my political philosophy books 20+ years ago and I still love opening them and seeing my scribbles all down the side. They remind me of my passion from when I studying at university. I just recently aquired a well-loved, used and written-in book on Kabbalah and adore seeing someone else's notes in the margins, underlined, etc. I am currently sitting here with a book on Ceremonial Magick and the ruler and pencils, pens are out... I think I need to create a compendium to go with this particular work, so I will look at your video. Thank you for sharing your tips 📖
I love that you can still look back at your notes in the margins. It's the best!
Wonderful! I have done this sort of thing, in the black & white composition books primarily, most of my life.
As an avid reader the hardest thing g for me to do is break from the “keep books pristine” mindset
I feel this
I tend to buy second hand books where I can, and honestly there's almost nothing more delightful than unexpectedly coming across a stranger's marginalia.
You might be years and miles apart from that other reader, and have no idea who they are, but not only are you connected by this physical object you are holding, you also have a window into some private thought they had, one that they maybe never thought they'd share with another person.
Do they agree with you? Is it a mundane reminder, or did they have some profound insight into the text that you missed, that they have unexpectedly and unwittingly gifted to you?
I just discovered your channel - thanks for making this! If I'm studying a book I also heavily annotate so it's fun to see others' systems. One symbol I use a lot that might be interesting is a three-bar equal sign (instead of the normal 2 bars). Mathematically it means "by definition" or a mathematical identity, so I use it to indicate a definition (even when the book is not about math!). I look forward to watching more of your videos!
Oooo the triple bar is a good one!! I know about it from logic which is as close to math as I go haha. Thanks I may add that to my repertoire
Excellent video! As a college English/Classics professor, I definitely support real engagement with a text, even a fluffy novel. I love borrowing a book and learning from (or arguing with!) previous annotations. My only caveat is that I'm passing middle age, so I already have a lot of arthritis in my hands; this means I do sometimes take notes digitally, because typing hurts less than writing with a pen at times. But at least that's something, which is better than nothing.
I am always looking for a good "citation needed" abbreviation/symbol, by the way, if you have suggestions--something better than "CN."
thank you so much Parker, you really changed my life with this one. You really convinced me to ditch my note-taking digitally to going back to using my pen and paper, infact, I took key points from this video in my notebook for the first time in god knows how many days. Thank you once again
These are such great videos! I am 68 and enjoy your great info Parker! Thank you! Kim
Thanks, Kim!! I really appreciate this
Danke!
Thank you!!
Excellent education. Keep it up. Very helpful to me for sure. You are changing my life & approach to my reading. I want to read - but easily distracted. But I am goal oriented. So your recommendation is right on the money for me. Thanks
Perfect! So glad to have you here!
Great Video man👏 I personally loved how deep you went on why we should take notes
Thanks bro!!
It's been years since I cared about any youtube channel. Great stuff, we will follow closely! Keep up the good work mate!
This is an amazing compliment! Thank you. Lots more coming.
I recently reread J.S. Mill’s Utilitarianism, and I’d written in the margins my first time through 15 years ago. It was weird actually reflecting on that version of myself based on my marginalia.
Thank you for this. When I was working at a bookstore one of my coworkers was a retired school principal. We had several discussions about underlining and writing in books and he convinced me to use a pencil if I was going to do it. I have been writing in books for years and I appreciated several ideas I pulled from this discussion.
I have one quibble with your history, however. Gutenberg's significant contribution was introducing movable type in the west. The Chinese had movable ceramic type as early as the 11th century and movable metal type in the mid 16th century, roughly the same time as Gutenberg released his. The Koreans, however, were using movable metal type by the mid 14th century.
There is no doubt that Gutenberg's invention changed the history of Western civilization.
Thanks for this info!!
Great video, Parker. I've recently just started taking extensive notes within my books. This was helpful
Awesome!!
Thank you for sharing your experience! This is very useful! Before watching your video, I never used to take notes, so I would often forget most of the content I read. I will definitely try your method.
I was the same way! I hope it can help!
I’ve just watched this, and made notes along the way. This is really helpful and I’m going to start doing this, thank you!
Oh I'm so glad!!
I like to write with pencils because I have progressed in my knowledge so much. What I wanted to highlight at one-time I know focusing on another thought. I underline or draw a line through it or circle sentences I want to never forget. I will highlight with my pencil words.
I also use symbols ... D ... for definition.
I also use colored pencils for highlighting subjects I want to group together throughout the book. For example green for earth ... yellow for fear ... pink for historical thoughts.
Ooo I never really mess with colors but that's interesting. I may have to give that more thought!
I've always done this! All of my non-fiction books are marked up like yours. Didn't know though about some of your cool symbols...going to add a few...great content!
So glad to have more people on my side. Some people out here can't stand it lol. I reluctantly adopted the symbols but am definitely open to new ones
I have been debating whether to go with paper or ebooks for a long time. Now I have settled on paper books precisely because I want to interact with the content. I heard Cal Newport make similar arguments as you on his podcast in favor of taking notes in the books directly.
Great info Parker. I need do more with writing notes in the margin. I do create my own index of quotes I want to explore. My Uncle was a pastor, and i have several of his books with his margin notes
Marginal notes + a commonplace book of quotes/reflections on said quotes is an amazing combo!
Liking your chanel so far.
Studying for mri i like to use a lot of high lighter colors. Just realized its a way to keep track or block out blocks of info, or que a corilation too a sentence from earlier in the paragraph. Really useful when the text book is dense with complicated concepts and, to keep a mental track if the book bounces around a bit.
I only started actively marking up my books about three years ago. Since then, I have read more books, more complex books, and enjoyed them more than in the previous 32 years of my life.
Wow, you are incredibly smart. Thank you for creating a RUclips video on this, this is a game changer!
I like using the delta symbol/triangle for highlighting difference.
Very helpful video. Really appreciate the tips. Also awesome mustache
🙌🙌🙌 thank you on all accounts
I just recognized those books behind you are John Owen's (Banner of Truth) collection. Also, Jonathan Edward's collection.
Not to mention Calvin's works and The Great Books of the Western World
Lol you're the first to recognize those
At 14 my pastor challenged us to read the New Testament once a month every month and the Old Testament once a year, a discipline I've followed for 40+ years. My general reading is time based, an hour both am and pm.
Wow! Seeing Lewis’ marginalia in person would definitely be an experience. I got to visit Wheaton once and see his desk. Very cool
Thaks for the knowledge. You have great ideas, I definitely will make practice of taking notes.
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The idea of writing and taking notes in books has always felt, kind of out of bounds, in a way. Growing up there were always rules at schools etc to never write in books. But who knows, maybe I'll give it a try sometime.
Totally had that same exact feeling for a while. Also, once I got over that feeling there was the feeling that I'd mess up and make the notes look gross or foolish. But if you can get over it, it can be helpful. You could also try a tablet and an apple pen
I'm trying right now. Honestly, it's great!
@@yrkmurochkina How did it feel in the beginning?
@@sydneybales Firstly I realized that the book was created for use, not for being on the shelf. Than I felt relieved and joyful.
I agree, it felt really weird when classes started asking me to write in my books. I’ve found it much easier to use a pencil or a digital pdf of a text with my ipad to annotate, since I’ve definitely loosened up about writing in books but I’m still not cool with using pen. I also wont write in especially old or valuable books/books that family members have already written in in the past, usually I’ll stick to post-its or keep a seperate log of notes on my computer in a document.
Thanks I hadn’t heard of this definitely will be checking it out and subscribing
I think of my notes as my conversations with my books - my current thoughts/perspectives + additional research that I do and add in there. That's why I love to use sticky notes in my books too, so I can always revisit these notes and update any changes in my views or new research in those pages, relevant to those notes.
Great stuff, just fabulous and well done. Thank you for your hard work. 😊
Thank you!!
Just wanted to say that your moustache is majestic. I wish one day I will be worthy of carrying a similar one.
Good content by the way. Keep it up!
Thank you!!
I've been highlighting and writing in books since the 70s. I can corroborate everything you say.
I've read that Harry Truman was big on writing in books. He was our last president not to have a college degree, but is usually regarded as being in the top ten of presidents. I see his manner of reading books as his way of self educating himself.
I love this. Thanks for the corroboration!
Great video! It has changed my way of reading books. 😊
Wow let's go! 🙌
I use the N.B (Nota Bene, make note) symbol a lot in my bullet journal when I have a thought or an important observation in my own thinking)
I started doing this today with pencil. This is crazy how this video showed up for me!
Thw algorithm knows lol
Obsessed with this channel! Great work.
Let's goo!! Lots of similar content coming soon. Glad to have kindred spirits here!
Thanks for showing your examples. Very interesting about handwriting vs. keyboard. I have a crude version of writing in my books but it is sort of disjointed…. And that my handwriting/printing is inconsistent and messy doesn’t help. I have been trying to come up with symbols like that for a long time and yours are a lot richer than mine. I use a editor’s “delete” symbol for a phrase, etc. that stands out or stands on its own and/or is especially well said. I try to distinguish between phrases, paragraphs, etc. that are material to the argument or point of the chapter, etc and what is good or interesting in its own right “universally” as it were. Anyway really interesting and helpful.
All 16 volumes of John Owen…. I would be surprised if you, sir, had not read through them all!
I just have to say that your mustache is majestic! I think you will enjoy the book Gödel, Escher, Bach. Thank you for your videos!
Haha thanks!!
The way I do it is I highlight more than I need to and simply number the highlights through the whole book. Then I import it into a notes app with hashtags with key ideas in that highlight for easier searching later on. It's like a digital notes library. However I do like the idea to write more context for myself so I will start that!
My philosophy is the more notes and information intelligently categorized, and the more ideas with their context I have, the easier it will be to write a book. I just take all the pieces and arrange them and write it in my own words.
I am an advocate for writing in books. I refrain from writing in my “old” books. But everything else is fair game. I have many of the same reasons as you, especially leaving my notes for future readers. It’s a valuable insight to my thoughts and influences at the time of reading.
I have a few one books that ink shall not touch too haha
Hey!!!! Thank you for putting some structure around this problem I've had since I can remember. I understand the need for taking notes but do it differently every time and so have never had any success in reusing them. "Why are you reading this?" and how you answer that question makes all the difference in how you take notes and what your expectations are from those notes and whether you should be reading that book at all. Then some shorthand suggestions to boot. Thanks!!! Looking forward to getting into this channel.
Man, thanks for the thoughtful comment. So glad you liked the vid. Welcome to thw channel, lots of cool stuff coming!
My first read is typically a library book unless I know I'm going to like it or it's an essential. If it resonates with me I'll get a copy that I'm free to markup. I just read The Abolition of Man and Mere Christianity with a highlighter at the ready.
Great books!
Oh thank god someone validating this practice ! I have been shamed by so many friends for doing that 😂
For me it depends on the book if I would be ok writing in it. Mostly I don't write in my books. I do use dog ears though. I think I'd rather opt for sticking in an extra page with notes. More room and doesn't distract from the actual writing as much. I don't study books that much anyway lol. But these videos are encouraging me to start doing that.
I did read one book on Stoicism and instead of writing notes, which I noticed disrupted my ability to read too much (I have reading comprehension troubles, so reading is a challenge!). So I opted to just dog ear all pages I wanted to lift info from later. What I noticed is that when later I sat down to make those notes, I would have to reread sections and that really helped take in the information better and better decide what to lift to my own notes. (Instead of the entire book lol)
Your content is super interesting keep up the good work
Thank you so much!
Bit late to this party but I stumbled upon your video's while looking for inspiration on better remembering what I read. Fun thing is that I'm reading the book by Melanie Mitchell as we speak and It would be great to see how you transcribe or bring over your notes from the actual book into the commonplace book on AI.
Thank you for sharing your habits, mentor!
🤝
DUDE, you saved my ass from ruthless scrolling for the right ideas! Thanks dude!
Tear that book up! Write draw scribble. You mentioned symbols and I like to use a box or type [ ] to make a 'check box' for the tasks. Things to do or harvest for a common place collection. When journaling, I will put a small box at the end of a word when I run out of room on a line to tell the reader to figure the full word out for themselves. The Portuguese poet Fernando Paseo wrote in the margins and the backs of envelopes...writers write, remember that.
A commonplace would be a more meaningful gift or window of the mind, i think. The books are there, and when they independently search for it, they can read it with a clean slate while having your commonplace as reference to what you may have taken from it (at least what i think since im not the type to hold on books for long nor am i the type to own the book for myself)
Yeah, I have 2 videos on commonplace books as well where I second this point! You're right about them being better even if you're wrong about giving them a clean slate 😉
This channel is amazing! Thanks for all the tips.
Thank you!! 🙌
Thank you for this video ! I am one of those who are afraid writing in the books and destroy them 🙈🙈 I am inspired now to change that 😊 PS: love the biblical Hebrew tattoo
Haha I used to be afraid too! But it's really beneficial for studying. And thanks, it's an easter egg for those who have eyes to see lol
I also put in symbols of feeling impressed: like damn good idea! Nice! Wow! Or if they have a very funny statement, I use smiley face to marked that as well. The emotional impact help me digest the book better
Yes!! I love that.
Per why mark books. There is value in having your record of reactions right next to the thing you're reacting to. "Why did I write this? Oh ya, it's right there."
100% !!
Wtf I just subscribed today! I’ve watched a ton of your videos and already should have been subscribed.
Thanks for the sub!!
do not forget transparent sticky notes! they come in all shapes, sizes and colors now, and i feel much more comfortable writing on them rather than in the actual body of the book without losing any of the complexities of advanced annotating
I like to find little notes on second hand books 😊
Haha that's pretty cool. It usually drives me nuts
Excellent ideas, I'll be sure to implement some! If there is anything I want to return to in a book I'm reading, I put a sticky note on the page. This might help you find the passages in books that you mark for quote harvesting 14:04
Yep!! I used to do that but got frustrated with it after my Master's thesis and stopped but I just ordered some more stickies
@@ParkerNotes
Then the sticky noteing continues :)
At last here s someone who teaches effective reading❤
Hi Parker,
I've always hated the idea of marking up a book with highlights and notes. But after watching your video I can definitely see the benefits. Moving forward I might try lightly bracketing in pencil quotes I want to harvest and go from there.
I am curious, how many times do you typically read a book? Also, do you have a process for reading books for understanding vs reading for entertainment? Such as reading a book on philosophy or AI vs reading Dune?
Thanks!
Van
why doesn't it have more views???? so cool~
That's what I'm saying haha. Thank you!
You literally read aloud the conclusion of the study authors which was that it is not the format (long hand vs laptop) but the technique (rephrasing vs transcription) which they believe changed the efficacy of note taking.
Right, and in the paper they go over the stats on long-hand vs. keyboard tendencies to transcribe vs. rephrase and conclude that it's more beneficial to write note long-hand to avoid the tendency to transcribe. If someone can avoid that tendency and use a keyboard effectively then that's cool, I still gave more reasons for why I think marginal notes are worth while though. Someone could be convinced of to use long-hand note taking instead of keyboard and actively take notes along side their book in a notebook but I've given some reasons for why I think marginalia are helpful.
What is that thing that holds open books. I need that!
A leather book weight: amzn.to/47nTj0n
On to your first point, my literature teacher always encouraged writing in our books for this reason, quoting 1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober minded and alert." I enjoyed reading so much more when I started doing this.
Also, you might not be famous ever but your physical books with notes in them might survive and people in the future will have books with the thoughts of random people in the past. that's kinda cool, isn't it.
That's a good literature teacher!
Hi sir, about the topic: "Handwriting is better than typing on a keyboard", do you know if it still valid also for a tablet and a pen? I was struggling about this, because I can't find official studies... The demonstration of this axiom would carry on significat advantages: handwriting + portability
Thank you😊
again a great video!
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2:58 If I swipe my finger across the phone screen to highlight a quote or write a note, is that different?
What’s the brand of the black flappy book things
📚📚📚 Roger Scruton’s Philosophy: Principles and Problems 🧐🤩
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I have always written in my books and I love seeing other people write in theirs. I don’t use symbols beyond very simple things like question marks - I just don’t find them personally helpful. I prefer full thought out and explained ideas so I know exactly what I’m marking and why - but I know everyone’s system has to be personalized for them. Great vid 💜 #thiscommentwillneverbeseenbutimgladiwroteit
man, how do I check out on that C. S. Lewis marginalia online, it would be awesome
great video. Glad I found your channel. Instant subscribe
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I write on a journal, i do highlight on books though. But i don't write in books because what I write in a moment, i can completely disagree with in 2 year, months, weeks, daya or even minutes😂 i like journals cuz then you jump on a fresh page and evaluate what I read and stuff
Im sure you have, I havent scowered the videos or commments to verfy, but have you read Out Of Control by Kevin Kelly? About the advancement of AI and computer systems becoming indistinguishable from living things. Its great! Huge contributing premise for the Matrix films.
What an interesting video. Now I don't feel bad for writing in my books. Lol.. I do it less often though. may be I should do it for all my books and readings.
I like using an asterick " * " for important.
" =>" for definition.
" ? " for = I din't understand , research more.
Roman Numbers , for postulating reasons, examples etc.
"//" for my comments. It is from software learning, where we write comments in a code with two slants at the beginning (I am not a coder , just retained these from my Eng. degree days.
Eye symbol for quotes.
Although my system is more intuitive than objectively defined. May be I can create an objective system for the ease of my biographer(s) .... lol...
I know im late to when this was uploaded so you probably will not answer, but on the off case that you do, what are your thoughts on writing in commentaries or volume sets of a persons works. I understand writing in books that say are anywhere from $10-$50 because one could easily get a new copy if need be. But what about volume sets that are either 1)old and expensive or 2) just straight-up expensive. Because I have all of John Calvin's commentaries and those are upwards to $1000 and im expecting to get Aquina's whole summa which couldn't be easily replaced. So I'm curious to what your thoughts are on these scenarios
Best wishes from India 🇮🇳 the land of philosophers ❤.
Hi Do you have Amazon list of your items?
I feel like writing in your books hurts me in my very soul, I can honestly say that I would never be able to do it (I can't even make notes of my favorite e-books). But I don't judge people who annotate or make notes in their books. Reading is very personal and subject to change based on multiple factors. If writing in your books helps with your processing of the material, more power to you.
This is the way to disagree!👏👏
I agree with this in the sense that I wouldn't want to write or highlight in my copy of, say, The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. Because that's a night-time read that I read for fun. But my penguin classics copy of Epictetus's Discourses? Looks like a bag of skittles hit it, flags all over the place, highlighted passages for putting in my commonplace book when I compile quotes/passages to write my own thoughts about it etc. It depends on what the book is for. I generally tend to buy used versions of books for these purposes or books from library book sales.
What are your thoughts on writing notes in a digital tablet with a stylus? You can annotate pdf versions of books that way. But it lacks certain features of regular pen and paper contact such as pressure and the resistance from paper. Do you think that will have the same effect on learning and comprehension as writing in a paper book?
I read a book like How to Read a Book,
thank you for creating a video that explains exactly what I wanted to know.
What is the "Q!" mean?
where did you buy the volumes of Great books of western world? I can see on your background.
My grandma left them to me. I had no idea what a great gift it was when she passed but I think about her everytime I see them and when I'm reading them
@@ParkerNotes That's a real treasure. I found that series while I was working on library on a theology school I did and since that time i am trying to find it online and to buy it.
@@ParkerNotes by the way your video is worth watching. Keep it up. 💪🏻
@@roijaho thank you!!
Thanks! New to the channel and subscribed.
Couple quick questions… on a second or more read through do you read the book in entirety or turn straight to your notes and study that area?
Also , would you recommend this method for technical books? Think network engineering/architecture , DevOps. Thanks again! You’re doing great work.