Learning How to Learn
Worth buying if: You follow Doris Lessing's essays and want her take on learning habits.
Skip it if: You expect a step-by-step modern learning method or neuroscience primer.
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780140072471. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.
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Summary
In this 1985 collection, Doris Lessing blends essays, lectures, and reflections on reading, thought, and intellectual habits across 312 pages, showing how writers and readers train attention, judgment, and practical learning.
Why this book now
Lessing's long-standing voice on education and self-directed study feels urgent in a moment of distraction and DIY online learning.
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Best for readers who...
Good fit if you want...
- You follow Doris Lessing's essays and want her take on learning habits.
- You enjoy nonfiction that mixes literary memoir with practical study advice.
- You expect a step-by-step modern learning method or neuroscience primer.
- You want a tightly structured textbook rather than exploratory essays.
- You only want something with very current references and examples.
Decided it fits?
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780140072471
Worth buying if: You follow Doris Lessing's essays and want her take on learning habits.
Skip it if: You expect a step-by-step modern learning method or neuroscience primer.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
Reader guide
Cues to help you decide faster.
Reading commitment
Balanced Moderate time
At 312 pages, this essay collection asks for steady, contemplative reading—ideal for dipping into individual pieces or reading straight through over several evenings.
What stands out here
Penguin Books Ltd's edition preserves Lessing's original 1985 voice, emphasizing essays and lectures rather than revised retrospectives or classroom manuals.
Best way to approach it
Approach the book as a series of linked essays: pause to reflect after each piece, note memorable examples, and let Lessing's anecdotes reshape your reading habits.
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Exact edition: ISBN-13 9780140072471
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.