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Comment by Reedx | Hacker News Reader

That's something I've been wondering about. How many non-fiction books could be reduced by 90% and still communicate 90% of the ideas?

I feel like we're losing a lot of time and potential due to filler pages.

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I read a book that could literally be summed up in a sentence (it was called "the asshole rule" or something similar, and the gist was "don't hire assholes"). There was nothing at all in addition to that, except for a bunch of feel-good anecdotes and specious data that misrepresented correlation for causation.

I hated it so much that I made a (now defunct) website where I would post summaries of these books so people wouldn't have to be subjected to all the filler.

Sounds like the book was doing something different though. Why should you believe that one sentence? The author has to sell you on the idea and demonstrate why it is a bad idea to hire assholes. A singular sentence isn't going to be enough to convince you, and it shouldn't be.

I'd want a definition of 'asshole' as well, and a ranking of asshole characteristics to weigh against positive traits, and how to correct them where possible. The topic does warrant more than just a sentence.

Content bloat with needless crap seems to have happened to novels, movies and tv shows. It’s interesting to read penguin classics - maybe they don’t represent their respective eras, but they are usually (very subjectively) quite short.

Don’t forget music, tutorials, HN long winded comments, and every single other form of medium in which someone is selling you something.

A lot of non-fiction is about trying to make a case or prove some thesis. As such, a book may try to show lots of evidence, deal with many potential counter arguments, or demonstrate that different lines of analysis lead to the same conclusion. If you become convinced of the thesis early on a lot of the book can seem redundant.

When I find myself in such a position I usually just stop reading but include the ideas I got out of it in my notes. Later, if I find myself needing the details I skipped, it's easy to go back.

Business books (most good writing actually) are frontloaded. The first paragraph tells you the gist, the first page the important ideas, the first chapter most of what the book has to offer. The rest is there to go into detail and support that first chapter with facts arguments and anecdotes.

But here’s the kicker: you often won’t fully grok the first chapter if you don’t read the rest. (or don’t already know it from other sources)

It’s interesting that you specify non-fiction, presumably since part of the point of reading fiction is the process of reading itself rather than simply the plot that unfolds. But of course, that’s also true of non-fiction books. Many people probably enjoy the process of reading Tim Ferris’ books.

>It’s interesting that you specify non-fiction, presumably since part of the point of reading fiction is the process of reading itself rather than simply the plot that unfolds

there's all sorts of "reduced Shakespeare" - most of it more parody than summary, but there is a tradition of summarizing literature and fiction, and the results are not always devoid of literary merit on their own.

There are "X for busy people" series that provide abbreviated summaries of the core ideas in popular works of nonfiction.

I suppose the gamble is that it's hard to know which nonfiction are mostly fluff in advance though.

That's what Reader's Digest did: summarize.

Yes, in that sense Wikipedia is one of the greatest human achievement. I wish it had been around when I grew up!

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