Cutting It Out

Samuel George BlytheProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 31K words
Chapters: 4

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Cutting It Out by Samuel G. BlytheAuthor: Blythe, Samuel G. (Samuel George), 1868-1947,Language: English, Class: HV: Social sciences: Social pathology, Social and Public Welfare, Release Date: Apr 22, 2009

Editor's review

This book is a piece of social-issue writing by Samuel G. Blythe, built around the theme of "cutting out" and examining personal habits, dependence, and self-restraint from the perspective of social pathology and social welfare. A former newspaper columnist, Blythe writes in a practical style with close observation, apt to approach serious topics through everyday experience. The book is short and in English; readers can see how early twentieth-century American society understood addiction, willpower, and social responsibility, which still holds reference value for today's readers. It is better suited as an introductory read on social history and public health ideas, or for understanding how popular writing engaged with social issues. Read it in its historical context, appreciating its plain, lucid expression while noting judgments limited by their time.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the evolution of social history and public health ideas
Readers who want to learn about early twentieth-century American popular social writing
People with basic English reading ability hoping to expand their nonfiction reading
General readers concerned with habit formation and self-restraint

Not a good fit for

Professional readers expecting systematic clinical medical or psychotherapeutic guidance
Readers hoping for contemporary addiction research findings and data
Readers who struggle with English and need a Chinese translation

Reading tips

Start with the table of contents and opening to grasp the author's basic stance and scope on "cutting out."
Note judgments bearing the marks of their time as you read, and compare them with contemporary views afterward.
Read one or two sections a day to keep a steady pace, avoiding a single fast read that skips over the details of the argument.
Pair it with a short piece on the social-reform background of the same period to help understand the context.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or social-issue writing?

According to the materials, it is classified under social pathology and social welfare within the social sciences, making it nonfiction writing on social issues rather than a novel. Readers can regard it as the author's observations and arguments on "cutting out" and self-restraint.

Can I read this book if my English is not good?

The original is in English and was written in an early period, with sentence patterns and wording characteristic of its time. If your English reading is not yet proficient, it is advisable to read paragraph by paragraph with a dictionary, or use a bilingual edition for support; readers who rely entirely on Chinese are not well suited to start with it directly.

What background knowledge do I need to read this book?

No specialized knowledge is required, but some familiarity with the general background of early twentieth-century American social reform and public health debates will help. You can grasp the gist without it, though the historical limitations of some of the author's judgments may be harder to notice.

Is it suitable as material for a book club?

It is short and focused on a single topic, making it suitable for small book clubs. Discussion can be organized around "how to draw the line between personal habits and social responsibility," with members comparing contemporary views to form a line of discussion across eras.

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About the author

Samuel George Blythe Author · American · 1868–1947

Samuel G. Blythe (1868–1947) was an American writer and journalist. Born on May 19, 1868, in Geneseeo, New York, and died in 1947 in Monterey, California, he worked successively for newspapers such as the Buffalo Express and the New York World, and served as an editor at Cosmopolitan magazine, remaining active in the press for many years. He wrote the bestsellers The Fun of Getting Thin and Cutting It Out, the former discussing weight loss and the pleasures of life in a lighthearted tone. In 1933, his article "Buy American" in The Saturday Evening Post sparked a nationwide buy-American movement. His work drew on everyday life and public issues, in a plain, reader-friendly style that combined entertainment with practical concern.