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The Pleasures of Academe: A Celebration and Defense of Higher Education

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The title of James Axtell's work is inviting in spite of the flood of literature on higher education. The academic background and achievements of Axtell also invite one to look at the book as a celebration and defense of higher education.

Axtell's eight-page preface gives brief introductions to each of his chapters. He is honest enough to acknowledge the previous publications of his chapters and the occasions for which he wrote them. The eleven chapters of the book are divided into two major sections; Academic and Pleasures. The first section on Academic has five chapters and the second section on Pleasures has six chapters.

Axtell is a good writer and holds the interest of his readers. The section on Academic is the strength of this book. The first chapter on (Mis)understanding Academic Work is very well thought through and written. This chapter, according to Axtell, is aimed at legislators, editorial writers, and other uninformed critics who feel that professors overall do not work very long or very hard at their calling. It is an excellent defense of the professoriate.

The second chapter on Scholarship Reconsidered seems to be a commentary on the changes that have taken place in higher education. Axtell analyzes the changes in the trends of scholarship primarily from his personal, and some from the historical, perspective. The chapter does not seem to go anywhere other than just pointing out the changes and documenting them.

The third chapter on Twenty-five Reasons to Publish gives a good defense as to why professors need to publish. The chapter puts an undue pressure on the reader. If one wants to be well-known professor, one has to publish a lot. The listing seems to be a bit stretched. A number of points could have been joined together to make the list shorter. The chapter fails to link the teaching and publishing aspect of a professor's work.

The fourth chapter, Encountering the Other, is out of place. It seems that it is included just to fill in the pages to balance the two sections of the book. This chapter will not appeal to readers who are not particularly interested in the different disciplines of humanities. Unfortunately, this chapter does not contribute either to the defense of or to the pleasures of Academe.

Chapter five on What Makes a University Great is an excellent chapter on par with chapter one. Axtell has done a good job in capturing the essence of so-called great universities. Although it is the shortest chapter in his book, it is of the most thought-through. In describing the greatness of a university, he does not give much emphasis to the alumni in terms of their role and impact on the society in which they are serving. His "greatness" criteria will not allow any community college or third-world university to ever come to par or close to the already established great names in higher education institutions.

The second section of the book on the Pleasures is autobiographical. In this section, Axtell primarily takes us through his pleasures with academe. Each of these chapters deals with specific aspects of Axtell's life and experience. Chapters six to eight fail to contribute significantly to the purpose of this book. These chapters were previously published. Chapter six was published ten years ago, and seems to have been added to the book to fill the pages.

Chapter nine, Extracurricular, starts on a good note but fails to accomplish the purpose for which Axtell seems to have included it in this section. Instead of justifying the extracurricular activities and encouraging professors to get involved in them, Axtell puts an undue emphasis on them. Axtell almost undermine the classroom role of professors and gives the critic the needed reasons to justify their complaint that professors are far more interested in extracurricular activities than in giving the best to their students. This is one of the longest chapters in the book and other than listing the accomplishments of the author does not contribute in any way to the purpose of the book.

In Chapter ten, College Towns, Axtell compares and contrasts the university towns. He suggests that small academic villages provide better environments for student life. Axtell also suggests that the complexities of urban settings distract students and take a toll on their concentration and achievement. Axtell fails to take into consideration the opportunities that metropolitan centers provide students for service learning and career choices. One fails to see the purpose of this chapter. One cannot change the location of institutions just because they are no longer in college towns.

Chapter eleven, Academic Vacations, seems to be the anticlimax of the book. It kills the enthusiasm the reader gets by reading chapter one. Again, this chapter is very personal pleasure writing of Axtell. This chapter also does not contribute in any way to the book other than reminding the readers that professors get long summer breaks to enjoy vacations with their families.

The conclusion to The Pleasures of Academe is an outstanding summation of what Axtell has said in his section on Academic. This conclusion should have been at the end of his first section and probably the book could have ended with that. In this conclusion, Axtell identifies the major problems in higher education while defending professors and cautiously admonishing its critics.

Overall, The Pleasures of Academic is a disjointed attempt by the author to put together a book from his previously published work and a couple of new chapters. Individual chapters provide interesting reading but they do not necessarily contribute to the purpose of the book. Axtell's style and vocabulary may be a hindrance for some to enjoy his work; on the other hand, many will expect that from a Cambridge man and enjoy it. This book is recommended reading for anyone interested in understanding the academy and pleasures of it.

This is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in some time. James Axtell is a highly accomplished professor of history, having taught initially at Yale but for most of his career at William and Mary. This book, in a delightfully personal way, provides keen insights into the life of a university professor as well as a number of issues about higher education. As one myself who has always held university faculty in high regard, I have always been interested in exactly what they do and how they do it. This book explains what that life consists of -- the research, the scholarship, the writing, the speaking and other extracurricular activities, administrative duties, student counseling, and of course teaching. It is a perfect opportunity to live vicariously the experience of being a university professor in the humanities. The book also has fascinating insights into higher education generally, which in my view remain very timely. Finally, there are some personal elements of the book that are very interesting. The author earned his doctorate at Cambridge, where graduate students are permitted to compete in athletics. He was an accomplished long jumper, triple jumper, and basketball player, and his conversational recount of being a scholar-athlete is very engaging. The book conveys a warmth, humility,and thoughtfulness on the part of the author that make him a delightful companion as one reads this wonderful book. I highly recommend it.