Michael Ledger-Lomas

Our struggle to concentrate is nothing new

The buzz of modernity has plagued us since the Industrial Revolution – but even Thoreau tired of practising his ‘habit of attention’ at Walden Pond

Henry David Thoreau. [Getty Images] 
issue 01 April 2023
  • Comments

  • Thoreau’s Axe: Distraction and Discipline in American Culture

    Caleb Smith

    Princeton University Press, pp. 256, £28

GIF Image

Disagree with half of it, enjoy reading all of it

TRY 3 MONTHS FOR $5
Our magazine articles are for subscribers only. Start your 3-month trial today for just $5 and subscribe to more than one view

Read next

Trending

Lloyd Evans

Is Starmer more afraid of Badenoch or Farage?

We have two leaders of the opposition. Labour can’t decide which is the larger threat. Prime Minister’s Questions opened with a botched query from Labour backbencher Dan Tomlinson. He asked Sir Keir Starmer to comment on a possible pact between the Tories and Reform. An amazing spectacle. An MP so clueless that he can’t ask a

Also in Book Reviews

Also by Michael Ledger-Lomas

Latest

Comments

Join the debate for just £1 a month

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.

Already a subscriber? Log in