Kevin's Watch

What the heck is The Atlas of the Land?

I should say, probably, that it took me 3 months to get through the ABRIDGED edition of Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. I never finished the original.

Most books take me a week or two to read. For example, "Runes" took me 2 weeks, and an 800 page monster Dickens novel (Nicholas Nickleby for example) takes me 2 months.

I read very slowly, creating a movie in my head of all the details the author gives me, looking up words that I dont understand or know the meaning of, and really studying the text as I read it. Too much so at times, I often remind myself when reading Stephen King not to spend more time reading it than he did writing it!

I find that the first 100 pages of a novel are the slowest, and I progressively get faster at reading as I move through a book, as many of the mental images I build are already formed, and as my affinity with the characters grows.

Also, because of my slow reading habits, I have to be very fussy as to what I read, and I rarely re-read books.

Farm Ur-Ted wrote:What the heck is The Atlas of the Land?

Sorry I didn't elaborate. This was a book from 1985 by Karen Wynn Fonstad (in collaboration with Donaldson) that provided comprehensive maps of all the regions and places of the Land, plus those realms beyond the Land visited in the Second Chronicles. But the Atlas is more than just a collection of maps, it's accompanied by text that gives an overall picture of the events of the Chronicles. The Atlas is really the closest thing we'll ever have to a Chronicles encyclopedia. Unfortunately, it sold very poorly (according to SRD in the Gradual Interview on his website), so there will be no reprints. (I bought mine when it came out). It's hard to find any copies of it now. That's a real shame, because the book was a labor of love for Fonstad - her passion for the Land was clear. Sadly, she passed away not that long ago (2005? 2006?).

There are some scans of the Atlas in the KW Album if you want to take a look.

Hmm. . . I just picked up a harcover Atlas of the Land last Friday for less than $8.00. Must have been in the right place at the right time!

And I read well over 100 pages an hour. I haven't timed it in a long time. I shall have to do that next time I read a book. I also have near-perfect comprehension and recall about what I have read. It's my one talent in life.

Glad you got a copy of the Atlas, Wyl! Hope you find it interesting.

I once borrowed a how-to book on speed-reading from the library. I never managed to finish it, and to top it off, the book ended up being overdue.

So I read slowly now almost as an act of defiance.

Heh! Nice!

Uh... I finished "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" in 2 days.

Last time I was tested (about 18 years ago) I read (light reading) 3,300 words per minute with a 76% comprehension. I do not read as much as I did back then so I doubt I read quite as fast as that anymore.

Duke wrote:I often remind myself when reading Stephen King not to spend more time reading it than he did writing it!

ROFL!!!

I can read at 70 miles per hour, but I have to be in a car to do it.

St. Gigolo - cheesy, but I laughed out loud

I laughed out loud twice.

duke wrote:Most books take me a week or two to read. For example, "Runes" took me 2 weeks, and an 800 page monster Dickens novel (Nicholas Nickleby for example) takes me 2 months.

Runes takes me 3-4 months. Minimum.

I do most of my reading in bed, meaning that I usually only get in half an hour or so before I drop the book. Hence it often takes me ages to finish a book. I think runes took me a couple of months too. I agree with Duke, while I CAN read faster, I don't do it because I would only be able to follow the plot-line but miss the nuances.

But I DO love the luxury of sitting down with a book for several hours. That is, however, a luxury I seldom have.