Nicholas Davies, a respected Atlanta internist, was in the habit of
taking two weeks off every summer to read, play golf and relax. "I
spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about what I shall read
during my summer vacation. " he wrote. "It is a major concern... I must
be some sort of reading nut; a bibliomaniac of sorts...
One evening I was having dinner with Stephen Lock, the BMJ's editor.
We were talking about reading for pleasure and I said that I usually
stayed with the classics. He agreed with this plan and said, "Yes
Nicholas, you might have 500 more books that you can read in your
lifetime. Stick with the best.. I have followed that disquieting
pragmatic advice ever since."
Sadly, in 1993 Davies was killed in a plane crash while on official business for the American College of Physicians. Hopefully, his last years were enriched by spending time with the Immortals.
His essay, Readin Binges, which appeared in the British Medical Journal, is one of the most memorable pieces I have encountered. Download Reading Binges . Please peruseit a your leisure.
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