The Pleasures of Academe: A Celebration & Defense of Higher Education

This is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in some time. James Axtell is a highly accomplished professor of history, having taught initially at Yale but for most of his career at William and Mary. This book, in a delightfully personal way, provides keen insights into the life of a university professor as well as a number of issues about higher education. As one myself who has always held university faculty in high regard, I have always been interested in exactly what they do and how they do it. This book explains what that life consists of -- the research, the scholarship, the writing, the speaking and other extracurricular activities, administrative duties, student counseling, and of course teaching. It is a perfect opportunity to live vicariously the experience of being a university professor in the humanities. The book also has fascinating insights into higher education generally, which in my view remain very timely. Finally, there are some personal elements of the book that are very interesting. The author earned his doctorate at Cambridge, where graduate students are permitted to compete in athletics. He was an accomplished long jumper, triple jumper, and basketball player, and his conversational recount of being a scholar-athlete is very engaging. The book conveys a warmth, humility,and thoughtfulness on the part of the author that make him a delightful companion as one reads this wonderful book. I highly recommend it.