“Young Man Reading By Candle Light” – Matthias Stom (1600-1650)
Despite the advancements of technology and the easy-access of media provided by that Internet thing, books readers refuse to concede their literary consumption to flickering screens. Despite pessimistic projections about the declining state of print publishing, books are sustaining their place in our culture. They are nowhere near the point of irrevocable extinction.
Reading involves a much more urgent connection that cannot be found in the passivity of watching television. Reading demands a commitment to self-analysis as much as it requires the evaluation of the characters. The matter of whether a character is “likable” is irrelevant. The books that stick with me are the ones that not only reveal larger truths about the world but also challenge my perspective. I find someone who reads much more attractive and alluring than someone who doesn’t, because it indicates that they are exploring their emotional and social intelligence.
According to the National Reading Campaign: “readers have better physical health, empathy, and mental health.”
As John Waters wrote:
We need to make books cool again. If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t fuck them.
“Portrait Of The Physician Ludwig Adler”, 1914. by Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980)
The Reader, 1861 by Edouard Manet (1832-1883)
“Tintin Reading”, 1993, by Roy Lichtenstien (1923-1997)
“Man Reading A Newspaper”, 1941, by Russell Drysdale (1912-1981)
Red Wall, 1910 by Karoly Ferenczy (1862-1917)
“St. Jerome In His Study”, c. 1475, by Antonello da Messina (c.1430 – 1479)
“To Escape The Insidious Commercial Excesses Of Christmas”, Glen Baxter (b. 1944)
“Lingam”, 1991, Claudio Bravo (1936-2011)
“Library”, 1936, Franz Sedlacek ((1891–1945)
If, like me, you find men reading to be sexy, check out @HotDudesReading on Instagram. The creators of the account, who chose to remain anonymous, explained:
We’ve always chatted about constantly falling in love on our subway commutes and organically began sending these pictures to one another. The Instagram account was started on a lark as something to do on a snowy day.
Well, now they have over one million followers who appreciate men with good looks and good books.
The creators of @HotGuysReading, say:
Reading is fundamentally hot, and who doesn’t like to fantasize a little bit about the sexy stranger we spot sitting across from us?
I can’t argue with that.
