Writing

Why We Read

Why We Read

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  • Create Date：2022-07-08 06:52:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Josephine Greywoode
  • ISBN：1802060952
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Summary

Why read non-fiction？ Is it just to find things out？ Or is it for pleasure， challenge， adventure， meaning？ Here， in seventy new pieces， some of the most original writers and thinkers of our time give their answers。

From Hilton Als on reading as writing's dearest companion to Nicci Gerrard on reading for her life; from Malcolm Gladwell on entering the minds of others to Michael Lewis on books as secret discoveries; and from Lea Ypi on the search for freedom to Slavoj Žižek on violent readings， each offers their own surprising perspective on the simple act of turning a page。 The result is a celebration of seeing the world in new ways - and of having our minds changed。

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Reviews

MarmottanReads ，

I liked the premise but with 70 views it sort of never really gets going。 There's a few gems in here， but I guess there's really only so many reasons we read， and so some points repeat。 I think fewer authors and more depth on differing perspectives would have been a better read。 I liked the premise but with 70 views it sort of never really gets going。 There's a few gems in here， but I guess there's really only so many reasons we read， and so some points repeat。 I think fewer authors and more depth on differing perspectives would have been a better read。 。。。more

Lauren pavey ，

Well I haven’t had a DNF on here for a long time ， I always try to persevere with a book to see where it’s going but with this one I can sadly see where it’s going and I think it’s going to be much of the same。 I was provided this through @netgalley and it sounded like a great concept。 70 authors each delving into a straight forward question ‘why do we read？’ But it did not end up to be what I expected。 Maybe I should have heard warning bells at my main issue 70 authors。 Whilst I still think the Well I haven’t had a DNF on here for a long time ， I always try to persevere with a book to see where it’s going but with this one I can sadly see where it’s going and I think it’s going to be much of the same。 I was provided this through @netgalley and it sounded like a great concept。 70 authors each delving into a straight forward question ‘why do we read？’ But it did not end up to be what I expected。 Maybe I should have heard warning bells at my main issue 70 authors。 Whilst I still think the concept behind this book is great I just think it has been poorly executed 。 Firstly i think 70 is too many contributors， when I started this book I was full of intrigue and was highlighting quotes and tabbing like crazy then I started to realise just as some authors had proposed interesting theories that I wanted to explore more， the next authors essay would begin 。 The main problem can be fixed in a very simple way 。 It needs streamlining ， less authors and more from the authors in the book 。 Instead I found that a lot of what I was reading was repetitive and I began to feel a bit frustrated with the book。 Lots of promise but sadly not for me 。。。more

Lorraine Douglas ，

Why We Read is a compilation of short essays from seventy writers on their experiences of and reasons for reading non-fiction。 The essays range from a few paragraphs to a few pages in length， so this is a good book for dipping into when you have a couple of minutes， and it would appeal to anyone who likes hearing authors talk about their reading and writing habits at book events。 Some of the essays cover ground which could apply to reading either fiction or non-fiction， while some are grounded i Why We Read is a compilation of short essays from seventy writers on their experiences of and reasons for reading non-fiction。 The essays range from a few paragraphs to a few pages in length， so this is a good book for dipping into when you have a couple of minutes， and it would appeal to anyone who likes hearing authors talk about their reading and writing habits at book events。 Some of the essays cover ground which could apply to reading either fiction or non-fiction， while some are grounded in specific non-fiction topics of interest to the writer。 Some tackle the importance of the written word itself and its reliability in a sea of more ephemeral content， or the notion of reading as a key to understanding the experiences and thoughts of others。 。。。more

Sara Piesse ，

I read this book this morning 。 I started it and I had no idea what to expect but I carried on with the book and enjoyed it， I felt I learned something which is why I read books。 So thank you I had an informative few hours and I will be recommending this book to others。 5 stars I loved the cover and also the book。 Thank you to Josephine Greywoode for writing this wonderful book and Netgalley for allowing me to review it。

Karl Wardlaw ，

I really enjoyed this book。 It was remarkable that there seem to be as many different reasons to read nonfiction as there are to read fiction。 Some read nonfiction mainly for work whereas others read it with a sense of wonder at discovering new information。 Fascinating to read the reasons why。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC。

Ellen ，

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 This is a handy little book of essays on reading non-fiction penned by just about every bestselling non-fic author of the last decade you can think of。 A good primer， or perhaps even a coffee table book， this book has a lot more breadth than depth， taking in disciplines ranging from religious studies to the sciences。 This book is probably best read by dipping into it to seek out your favourite th Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 This is a handy little book of essays on reading non-fiction penned by just about every bestselling non-fic author of the last decade you can think of。 A good primer， or perhaps even a coffee table book， this book has a lot more breadth than depth， taking in disciplines ranging from religious studies to the sciences。 This book is probably best read by dipping into it to seek out your favourite thinkers， or maybe to find something new to read elsewhere - university staff might also find it useful to set a few of these as required reading for students in any discipline to really drive home the importance of reading alongside study。 This book is， at its strongest， a manifesto for the enfranchising power of reading。 At it's weakest， it's a lot of writers driving home the same points over and over。 It seems that there has been no differentiation between authors with the prompt given - why do you read？ So， really， many of them have had the same ideas。 The best ones are the essays that have taken the time and space to really consider the importance of reading - Priya Satia and Sofi Thanhauser's pieces stand out in this regard。 It seems that what this has come down to is sheer quantity over quality。 I think ultimately 10-15 writers going in depth might have worked better for me。 Ultimately， a fun one to dip into， or a good starting off point for wider reading。 。。。more

B。S。 Casey ，

⁠ Why We Read is a book about books - a vast collection of essays from writers all trying to explain and analyse why we read non-fiction and what we gain from it。 The definition of a mixed-bag， we hear the most clear-cut answers about the scientific reasons， about the knowledge we obtain， to musings and ponderings about why we as humans feel compelled to read and write and the cerebral， emotional desires to surround ourselves with words。Of course， nobody is going to like every submission， especi ⁠ Why We Read is a book about books - a vast collection of essays from writers all trying to explain and analyse why we read non-fiction and what we gain from it。 The definition of a mixed-bag， we hear the most clear-cut answers about the scientific reasons， about the knowledge we obtain， to musings and ponderings about why we as humans feel compelled to read and write and the cerebral， emotional desires to surround ourselves with words。Of course， nobody is going to like every submission， especially one with 70 contributors - and I definitely found some of these a bit impassionate and mildly pretentious but I would still definitely recommend any book lover to pick this up and think about why you read。 。。。more

Val Robson ，

I struggled to enjoy this book as I found much of it dull。 Around 70 authors write a short piece on ' Why We Read'。 Some take it very literally and talk about brain functions and connecting neurons， others refer to books they have enjoyed a lot。 Many felt pretentious as though instead of simply saying something like 'because it gives me great joy and I learn a lot from reading' they feel they have to come up with some cerebral response which is often just dull and can feel like an academic treat I struggled to enjoy this book as I found much of it dull。 Around 70 authors write a short piece on ' Why We Read'。 Some take it very literally and talk about brain functions and connecting neurons， others refer to books they have enjoyed a lot。 Many felt pretentious as though instead of simply saying something like 'because it gives me great joy and I learn a lot from reading' they feel they have to come up with some cerebral response which is often just dull and can feel like an academic treatise。I received this galley from NetGalley。 。。。more

Amanda Rosso ，

Interesting and it reads easily。 Some contributions are amazing， but mostly it's quite repetitive， probably due to the combination of the topic and the huge amount of contributors， I'd prefer fewer contributions but longer， but that's my opinion。 Interesting and it reads easily。 Some contributions are amazing， but mostly it's quite repetitive， probably due to the combination of the topic and the huge amount of contributors， I'd prefer fewer contributions but longer， but that's my opinion。 。。。more

Becks ，

It's an interesting collection， hearing the thoughts of many renouned writers on why we read。 I'm always fascinated by the many different reasons people are drawn to writing and telling stories。 That said， this felt quite devoid of heart。 A few passages felt like they hit on the right thing but a lot of it seemed more surface or analytical rather than the depth of the why。 This might be me bringing my own persepctive to it but it meant there was little of the joy I was hoping from the initial qu It's an interesting collection， hearing the thoughts of many renouned writers on why we read。 I'm always fascinated by the many different reasons people are drawn to writing and telling stories。 That said， this felt quite devoid of heart。 A few passages felt like they hit on the right thing but a lot of it seemed more surface or analytical rather than the depth of the why。 This might be me bringing my own persepctive to it but it meant there was little of the joy I was hoping from the initial question。 The pieces that hit home are well worth reading but I didn't find enough that engaged me。 。。。more

Cherry （cherryreadsbooks） ，

3。5/5Why We Read is an interesting collection of thoughts on non-fiction offered by various writers。 Some of them encapsulated pretty well why I like reading， and the reasons I like reading non-fiction。 I also recognise some of these writers， such as Daniel Susskind， and I found it nice that we were given a window into their musings on subjects other than their expertise。 Some of them write with elegant and smart turn of phrases that I enjoyed。Overall， it was a pretty quick and easy read， though 3。5/5Why We Read is an interesting collection of thoughts on non-fiction offered by various writers。 Some of them encapsulated pretty well why I like reading， and the reasons I like reading non-fiction。 I also recognise some of these writers， such as Daniel Susskind， and I found it nice that we were given a window into their musings on subjects other than their expertise。 Some of them write with elegant and smart turn of phrases that I enjoyed。Overall， it was a pretty quick and easy read， though I must say there was not much in particular that stood out， in terms of original thought。 The idea to have a collection of short essays on non-fiction specifically， as opposed to just reading， also seems pretty random。Thanks NetGalley and Penguin UK for the e-arc！ 。。。more

Sid Nuncius ，

I found Why We Read to be a real mixed bag。 It consists of essays by prominent people （several of whom I had actually heard of and， in some cases， read） about why they read non-fiction and sometimes about why everyone else should read non-fiction。 They vary from the concise， pithy and thoughtful to the insufferably pompous and pretentious。The good essays are really good。 George Monbiot makes an excellent case for the written word as solid， checkable information in a world where much is denied or I found Why We Read to be a real mixed bag。 It consists of essays by prominent people （several of whom I had actually heard of and， in some cases， read） about why they read non-fiction and sometimes about why everyone else should read non-fiction。 They vary from the concise， pithy and thoughtful to the insufferably pompous and pretentious。The good essays are really good。 George Monbiot makes an excellent case for the written word as solid， checkable information in a world where much is denied or obfuscated。 Richard Dawkins thankfully avoids religion and writes beautifully about how wonderful reading about science can be。 Esme Weijun Wang （whom I don’t know） talks personally and affectingly about how reading may allow one at least a glimpse of the paths one has not taken oneself。 Niall Ferguson is great on the importance of the exercise of the imagination when reading， Alison Bashford’s excitement on browsing Malthus’s library is delightfully infectious。。。and so on。 However。。。There are 70 essays here and I found many to be rather hard going for one reason or another。 There is an awful lot of self-conscious style on show here; many – although thankfully not all – of the writers here seem to have made a massive effort to write eye-catching prose， which is by no means always a pleasure to read。 Abhjit Bannerjee （also a new name to me）， for example gives us this。 “I read to step inside the game and play: to spot the rhythms， the very special way the consonants knock into each other， to hear the echoes， internal and external， make connections and guess the ones the author wanted us to find。” Oh， really？ Well， knock yourself out， Abhjit。 Gerd Gigerenzer （not heard of him either） takes a very long time indeed to say that reading extensively may bring greater understanding of and empathy with other people and cultures， finishing with “In this sense， extensive reading is an obligation， even a moral duty。” But in another， probably more accurate sense， it’s something to be encouraged rather than a duty to be imposed。There’s plenty more of this kind of stuff elsewhere – often with a generous sprinkling of oh-so-casual lists of the high-powered books they just happen to have read。 Even the opening essay by Anthony Aguirre （nor him） makes the good but fairly simple point that the huge volume of verbiage now churned out everywhere is not necessarily adding to human knowledge and that we need to be careful about picking out substance from waffle – and ironically almost submerges the point in a load of pretentious waffle of his own。 （And， my word， does that point apply to this book！）An overall rating is rather difficult。 The good essays are well worth reading， and there are a good many more of those that I haven’t cited here。 There is also a lot of pompous， self-regarding stuff， too。 You’ll have to decide for yourself whether finding the former will make wading through the latter worthwhile。 。。。more

Kate Potapenko ，

It is very hard to rate this book。。Felt like it had no beginning and had no end， just the notes that were stuck in the middle。。。 Some mini essays were interesting， some of them seemed repetitive。。。Overall it lacked some kind of unity and structure。 It felt like I got into someone's drawer and read random notes from there。I had an answer for myself as to why I read before I read this collection of thoughts， but it was entertaining in a way when I would agree or disagree with the authors as I read It is very hard to rate this book。。Felt like it had no beginning and had no end， just the notes that were stuck in the middle。。。 Some mini essays were interesting， some of them seemed repetitive。。。Overall it lacked some kind of unity and structure。 It felt like I got into someone's drawer and read random notes from there。I had an answer for myself as to why I read before I read this collection of thoughts， but it was entertaining in a way when I would agree or disagree with the authors as I read through it。。Thank you #NetGalley for my free copy in return for a review 。。。more

Des ，

There are many brilliant answers to the question why we read in this short book。 It contains seventy diverse takes from renowned writers on the pleasures and joys of reading。 All are very personal takes。 Some are simple， short and sweet， some long and intricately woven。 Some beautifully written in themselves， while others， perhaps less well written， but sharp and insightful nonetheless。 We read I've learned for satisfaction， growth， therapy， guidance， inspiration， agency， pleasure， adventure， di There are many brilliant answers to the question why we read in this short book。 It contains seventy diverse takes from renowned writers on the pleasures and joys of reading。 All are very personal takes。 Some are simple， short and sweet， some long and intricately woven。 Some beautifully written in themselves， while others， perhaps less well written， but sharp and insightful nonetheless。 We read I've learned for satisfaction， growth， therapy， guidance， inspiration， agency， pleasure， adventure， discovery， rediscovery， improvement， knowledge， education， challenge， meaning， habit， addiction， compulsion， affliction， necessity， solace。。。。this books contains an endless and beautiful array of perspectives on why we humans read。 Why wouldn't you read it？ 。。。more

Hannah Voss ，

On Reddit there is a phenomenon known as the circlejerk subreddit: an offshoot of a main subreddit that exists to make jokes about the excesses of the sub’s culture。 On r/scacirclejerk， women laugh about r/skincareaddiction’s tendency to post flawless selfies and then complain about their wrinkles and blemishes， or how 15-year-olds are deathly afraid of aging。 My favourite circlejerk subreddit is r/bookscirclejerk， which pokes fun at the members of r/books （known on the sub as ‘arrrbooks’）， who On Reddit there is a phenomenon known as the circlejerk subreddit: an offshoot of a main subreddit that exists to make jokes about the excesses of the sub’s culture。 On r/scacirclejerk， women laugh about r/skincareaddiction’s tendency to post flawless selfies and then complain about their wrinkles and blemishes， or how 15-year-olds are deathly afraid of aging。 My favourite circlejerk subreddit is r/bookscirclejerk， which pokes fun at the members of r/books （known on the sub as ‘arrrbooks’）， who seem to have exclusively read 1984 and the Harry Potter series and insist on comparing every real-life situation to one of the two。 The best post on r/bookscirclejerk is a link to a real post on BookRiot entitled ‘Keeping Up a Bookish Lifestyle without Actually Reading’， an idea which would beggar belief if reading in this particular internet circle hadn’t been co-opted into a personal brand rather than a hobby。In the absence of an introduction justifying its purpose or arrangement， I can only assume that these self-professed bookish non-readers are the audience for Why We Read， a collection of 70 micro-essays on – according to the subtitle – why we read nonfiction， though a number of the contributing authors seem to have missed this prompt and write on reading more generally。The resulting book， edited by Josephine Greywoode， feels like a barrage of reflections that on the whole adopt a self-congratulatory attitude for simply being a Reader， an Enlightened One， especially in this era of fake news and the lesser distractions of social media and trashy TV。 Many of the essays repeat the idea that reading is especially crucial to critical thinking， especially given how much we read almost passively and how that often unthinking absorption of material shapes how we exist and interact with the world。 This point is an important one; I only wish it weren’t presented over and over again without subtlety or challenge， an implicit whisper of ‘but that’s not you， because you are a reader’。 One of the best essays in the collection， by Richard J。 Evans， is the exception that proves the rule: while his essay does end with a clichéd refrain on fake news and critical thinking， he eviscerates the idea that simply reading is enough to make a person wise or good。 The main problem with Why We Read is that I couldn’t figure out who or what the book is for。 Is it a coffee table book， or a bedside reader for people who only have a few minutes at a time to read？ The effect of reading it is one of wandering through a bookstore， remembering all the books you have at home and wanting to go home and pick them up; my primary instinct throughout Why We Read was to put it down and do some ‘real’ reading。 For someone who wants to feel that they are among peers， or ‘understood’ as a member of the reading public， the book might scratch that itch， but it’s hard – as a ‘Reader’ myself ¬– not to feel put off by its undercurrent of condescension。 The answer to ‘why I read’ oughtn’t be ‘because I’m special’， and while I doubt that any of the books contributors set out to say so， the message certainly comes across。The standout essays in the collection are those that overcome the larger problems of the book， offering specific arguments for certain types of nonfiction， such as Richard Dawkins’ essay about science writing， Rosemary Hill on reading the correspondence of historical figures， and Clare Jackson on biography。 Others do not limit themselves to a literal interpretation of ‘why we read’ but transform the prompt into something more， as in the excellent essays of Milo Beckman， Clare Chambers， Christopher de Hamel， Jennifer Jacquet， Emma Jane Kirby， Timothy Morton， and Priya Satia。 The best essay in the collection is its last， by Slavoj Zizek， which is more a dense philosophical treatise on how we interpret – though I will admit my biases as a PhD student who spends a lot of time reading literary theory。At its best， this collection forces you away from the question ‘why am I reading this？’ to ‘why do I read？’ None of the essays on their own are sufficient， but the best of them suggest alternative modes of reading， writing and thinking， as well as questions of methodology and genre， that readers can reckon with and situate themselves against。 The essays I mention above would be well-suited to a high school English class， in which students are assigned them and ask to write their own justification for reading （or not reading， which would be useful， too）。 On reflection， it seems that Why We Read was probably dreamt up to act as an easy gift for your ‘bookish’ friends。 As an alternative， I’d suggest any of the books written by the contributors to Why We Read – as they are all genuinely talented writers， when given the space to fully explore their ideas， and a coherent centre to organise them around。[Why We Read is out on May 5th， 2022。 Thank you very much to NetGalley and Penguin for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an unbiased review。] 。。。more

Carlton ，

Fun， thought provoking and affirming， I paused having read without break about a quarter of these delightful short essays by writers about reading （mainly about reading in book form），and read the whole in about two days。It’s not a book that is going to make someone who doesn’t read， want to read， because that type of person （generalising） is unlikely to pick up this book， and it relies upon the person reading the book already knowing the pleasure of reading。 However， this book is a pleasure for Fun， thought provoking and affirming， I paused having read without break about a quarter of these delightful short essays by writers about reading （mainly about reading in book form），and read the whole in about two days。It’s not a book that is going to make someone who doesn’t read， want to read， because that type of person （generalising） is unlikely to pick up this book， and it relies upon the person reading the book already knowing the pleasure of reading。 However， this book is a pleasure for those of us who do read。Spoiler alert: Don’t read Richard J Evans essay if you want to read Berhard Schlink’s The Reader without spoiler。A couple of quotes from writers I have read about this question:”We read books to find out who we are。”— Ursule Le Guin， The Language of the Night， 1979”There’s a pleasure in knowing the names of things。 It’s not about a need to categorise the world， sectioning it into little boxes。 And clearly you don’t have to know the names of rocks – or trees or plants or birds – in order to enjoy a landscape。 But if you do have this information， something changes about the way you exist in that space。 A named landscape thickens。 It’s to do with history and context but also， I think， with the quality of attention。 To assign something its name， you need to take the time to pick out identifying features。 You look for longer。 And the more you know， the more things stop being a backdrop – blurred， indistinguishable， hurried over – and become somehow more present in the view， more insistently themselves， the way a familiar face stands out in a crowd。”— Helen Gordon， Notes from Deep Time， 2021 。。。more

GONZA ，

This is a collection of reasons why， according to essay authors， you should read essays and more。I read basically fiction I must admit， and when I read essays， I always buy the same authors， so most of the authors of the opinions collected in this text， I did not know， with some famous exceptions。 Nonetheless， I enjoyed reading about different reasons and opinions and the one that stuck in my mind the most， although I don't remember who said it， is that you read it because every book leads to an This is a collection of reasons why， according to essay authors， you should read essays and more。I read basically fiction I must admit， and when I read essays， I always buy the same authors， so most of the authors of the opinions collected in this text， I did not know， with some famous exceptions。 Nonetheless， I enjoyed reading about different reasons and opinions and the one that stuck in my mind the most， although I don't remember who said it， is that you read it because every book leads to another book， which pretty much sums up my philosophy of life。 Questa é una raccolta delle ragioni per cui， secondo degli autori di saggi， bisognerebbe leggere i saggi e non solo。Io leggo fondamentalmente fiction devo ammettere， e quando leggo dei saggi， sono solita comprare sempre i soliti autori， quindi la maggior parte delgli autori delle opinioni raccolte in questo testo， non li conoscevo， tranne alcune famose eccezioni。 Ciononostante， mi é piaciuto leggere di ragioni e pareri diversi e quella che piú mi é rimasta in mente， anche se non mi ricordo chi l'ha detta， é che si legge perché ogni libro porta ad un altro libro， il che riassume praticamente la mia filosofia di vita。 I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review。 。。。more

Siobhain （whatyoutolkienabout） ，

I have been incredibly lucky to grow up in a household and family who value reading。 From fiction to non-fiction I was always encouraged to read， once I could， and question。 I have to admit in my younger years non-fiction was a tad secondary unless it was on one of my obsessions; Ancient Egypt or Dinosaurs！ Both of which I still read about when I have the time。 This love of reading transferred into my degrees where the joy of non-fiction arose again。 From critical theory to philosophy to biograp I have been incredibly lucky to grow up in a household and family who value reading。 From fiction to non-fiction I was always encouraged to read， once I could， and question。 I have to admit in my younger years non-fiction was a tad secondary unless it was on one of my obsessions; Ancient Egypt or Dinosaurs！ Both of which I still read about when I have the time。 This love of reading transferred into my degrees where the joy of non-fiction arose again。 From critical theory to philosophy to biography （although this one can potentially fall into fiction too） I discovered the joy of non-fiction again。 The great feeling of being able to discuss a topic you love in depth， to learn and retain a bit more knowledge。 Needless to say when I saw this collection I was intrigued。 Did others find the same feeling。 Did people do what I do with my family， discuss our own loves and obsessions sharing information and facts to delight and entertain。 I can certainly say I was not disappointed。The premise of the book is simple。 Why do we read non-fiction？ Is it just to find answers to questions be it for school， university or work？ Or is it for pleasure， a challenge or meaning？ The collection of 70 writings include a range of people including Hilton Als to Nicci Gerrard。 The result is a celebration of seeing the world in new ways and for potentially having our minds and points of view changed。I found something to take away in each entry of this collection but I particularly liked Scott Hershovitz entry that likens reading of any kind to a superpower as well as Ananyo Bhattacharya who likens reading to ‘a necessity。 Like drawing breath。’ I would highly recommend this collection to those who want to consider and open discussion about why we read and maybe not just non-fiction。 It gives a fascinating insight into the minds of contemporary writers and thinkers and is a wonderful reminder that the art and joy of reading be it fiction or fact is still very much alive and well。As always thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to an E-ARC of this collection。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Why We Read

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Why We Read&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Why We Read&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0