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What We See When We Read Paperback – August 5, 2014

by
Peter Mendelsund (Author)
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Peter Mendelsund (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars 50 customer reviews
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Big Ideas Simply Explained
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The Literature Book (Big Ideas Simply Explained)
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage (August 5, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0804171637
  • ISBN-13: 978-0804171632
  • Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.9 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsDeep and witty philosophical exploration of the experience of reading and the nature of the imagination
By Jessica Weissman on July 28, 2014
Format: Paperback Vine Customer Review of Free Product ( What's this? )
This book is one of a kind, combining illustrations and text to explore how readers visualize fictional worlds. Do you know what Anna Karenina looks like? How about Buck Mulligan? Fiction just doesn't do the kind of complete and boring description it would take for you to recognize Anna or Buck on the street. Instead, hints and isolated bits are used. But we think we see the characters, and the settings, and the action. And how does the experience of watching movies or the experience of controlling a first person video game infect how we perceive fictional worlds? How do we use our imagination when reading?

Mendelsund, who as a book and book cover designer is well qualified to talk about picture and words, treats us to a witty exploration of questions you may have thought about, or may think you know the answers to. As in any exploration of ideas, the questions are more important than the answers, which you must furnish for yourself in any case.

If you're interested in the experience of reading, and you have a good acquaintance with the classic works of literature he uses throughout, you'll enjoy this. It is a visual and verbal treat - check out the Moby Dick Game Controller illustrated on page 277.

Don't expect a scientific consideration of the mechanisms of reading - he mentions saccades only once or twice - and make sure you are ready to follow his thoughts and yours. If you are, this is a superb treat that will have you thinking for a while.
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2.0 out of 5 starsWhen I read this book, I don't see anything worthwhile
By K. Bunker VINE VOICE on July 2, 2014
Format: Paperback Vine Customer Review of Free Product ( What's this? )
To rephrase this book's title, what do we "see" when we read? What images flow through our minds, and what is the relationship between those images and the text on the pages? What does Anna Karenina (the one in the novel, not the one in the movie) look like? What does she look like to different readers? How does this appearance correspond to what Tolstoy actually wote to describe her?

These are interesting questions -- or at least they ought to be. But from the whole of this book, I can't remember a single interesting insight, observation, or thought. It seemed to me that Mendelsund had almost nothing to say on his subject that wasn't blandly obvious, despite the often enthusiastic language of his delivery. On the rare occasions when he wasn't stating the obvious I usually disagreed with him, but even that disagreement didn't set any sparks flying in my brain; the notions I disagreed with were uninteresting or undeveloped as well as unconvincing. He says at one point, for example, that "description is not additive." Yes it is, say I; a pink elephant is a very different thing from a tiny pink elephant with bright blue ears standing in a field of flowers. But Mendelsund wanders away from this thought without defending it or devoting any time to it, so... meh.

About 3/4 to 7/8 of this book's 400 pages of content consists of various sorts of illustrations (or just empty space). The illustrations are of course meant to support and add to the text, but it seemed to me that the vast majority of them contributed little or nothing. As for the text, I found Mendelsund's writing style somewhat annoying. He rarely goes more than a paragraph or two without interrupting himself with a footnoted or parenthetical side-comment.Read more ›
2 Comments 56 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
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4.0 out of 5 starsthought-provoking and insightful
By Robert D. Harmon VINE VOICE on July 15, 2014
Format: Paperback Vine Customer Review of Free Product ( What's this? )
This is a quirky but original approach, but perhaps it's the best way to go at it -- how indeed would an author describe what we see when we read? Rather than say it in words, which could very well be dry or convoluted, this author has taken a scrapbook approach, a collage of short text, pictures, sketches and concepts. It works; the result is a lively and thought-provoking look at the process of reading. It's a fast read but worth re-reading later, as the insights are many and often profound. I also recommend this book for the young adult category, not just for adults, as it says much about a thought process, and an important personal skill. Highly recommend.
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4.0 out of 5 starsGlad I'm Not the Only One with Limited Vision: Great Insights
By Ka Riley on October 2, 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Peter Mendelsund's What We See When We Read is an interesting text with delightful illustrations. Once upon a time, I told someone that I do not really pictures in my head when I read, and he was flabbergasted by that comment. In an odd and off-beat way Mendelsund supports my findings. Some people do picture the objects and characters in books, but every picture is different according to him. Because authors do not paint complete images, it is truly impossible for readers to fully concur with how things should actually look from the descriptions that are provided.

As I read this amusing work, I found myself thinking of individual friends who read: Oh, so-and-so would love this insight. Gosh, this reminds of what that friend said about that text. Wouldn't whatshisname love that line and picture. By the time I finished, I thought I should buy a whole case of these books, one for every reading friend I have. And a case certainly would not be enough.

Not only that, but I marked it like someone might test me on the contents. There were so many points that I agreed with, so many I hadn't even considered, and some that simply opened my eyes to what I do see when I read that I fell in love with this book. From the cover to the final line, What We See When We Read charmed me.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsMIND ALTERING!!!!!!!

This is a must...for everyone...and each will have a different response!

Published 6 months ago by Macallister
5.0 out of 5 starsWow

This book is amazing. If you are an avid reader - take a peak.

Published 9 months ago by Teresa Carlisle
5.0 out of 5 starslike the words of a book are more than sentences ...

This is more than a book and more than an essay, like the words of a book are more than sentences on paper. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Gonza
2.0 out of 5 starsThe Reader as Subject

Before reading this I was familiar with and impressed by book jackets Mendelsund had designed but hadn't connected them together with a single person. Read more

Published 9 months ago by L. King
4.0 out of 5 starsInteresting ideas

Reminded me of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next books which describe reading in an unusual way. The first half of this book was much more interesting than the rest.

Published 10 months ago by fussy reader
3.0 out of 5 starsA bit too pedantic. I plan to read it ...

A bit too pedantic.I plan to read it again.

Published 11 months ago by Virginia Burlingame
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Perfect!

Published 11 months ago by Hakan Liljemarker
2.0 out of 5 starsThumbs Down for What We See When We Read

What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund is a uniquely crafted book and uniquely written book. With a large typeface and lots of pictures, 419 page book doesn’t take long to... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Second Run Reviews
5.0 out of 5 starsImportant

A great wayto look critically at how one writes.

Published 13 months ago by Cookie MOnster
2.0 out of 5 starsWhat We Don't Get When we Buy This Book

Graphically it is pretty cool. I had hoped it to was more about perception than vision.

Published 13 months ago by biblio files

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