Harvard Classics VS The Great Books Of The Western World | And... How Much Did I Pay?

The Great Books of the Western World and the Harvard Classics are amazing collections of classical literature. Although there are many differences between the two sets, each provides a unique experience to the reader. In this video, I cover the differences between the Great Books and Harvard Classics, the study ability of each, the purchase price, and where to purchase!

If you would like to support this series please consider purchasing my coffee linked below or checking out some of my favorite books below.

* Use Code "thecause" for 15% off on your first order.

The Resources Mentioned In The Video In Order:

The Best Writing Journals:

PODCAST:

FAVORITE BOOKS:

AUDIBLE LINK
Most of these classic works can be found on Audible and most are in the free catalog. If finding time to read a physical book is not an option this may be something to consider.

FAVORITE COFFEE STUFF:

CAMERA GEAR USED:

LET'S HANG OUT and DRINK COFFEE!
• Clubhouse: @robpirie
• @RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee

Current Subscriber Count as of video: 15,643. Thanks to everyone who has subscribed. I hope to break 20k Soon! I love every one of you!

DISCLAIMER: The links included in this description may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide, I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel and "The Cause". I am beyond grateful for your support.

Cedar Ota Coffee - Denham Springs, Louisiana
We are just running, roasting coffee, and reading books!f

[RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

The shear amount of coffee, gallons upon gallons, that it would take to read through this series is astronomical. But… it is good for business! Read on my dear friend and pour another cup of coffee!

[tompal]

I started reading the Great Books when I was 21. I am 57 now. I was working construction at the time and would get to the job an hour early to read. Probably the best decision I ever made because so many other good decisions I made in my life I attribute to that simple choice to read great works. The Great Books and Harvard Classics go together well because of the overlaps and differences. Many of the works I’ve read two, sometimes three times.

[ransonhall]

For anyone watching this thinking about investing time or money into the Great Books, without a background in this type of reading I highly recommend Mortimer Adler’s book (actually transcripts from a video series) called, “The Great Ideas.” Very accessible. This book got me into philosophy and I plan on reading it with my daughter soon.

[JoseMartinez-wyjb]

"Coffee, tea, maybe something stronger perhaps?" Great video. Proud owner of The Great Books, 1998 version, and I like the organization .

[ButOneThingIsNeedful]

What a great video. I am not familiar with you, sir, but you did a super job introducing these series. Humble, clear, friendly -- excellent!

[shawnstevens]

I collected my Great Books set over a period of four years. I started with a bunch of random volumes from a used bookstore and library sales, scooping up 7-8 at a time for just a few dollars per bunch. From there, I started looking on ebay to fill in the missing volumes and was able to get most of them for $10 or less (I think the most I paid was about $18 for one volume). I now have a complete set, and they all appear to be in very good to new condition. And it was fun just to be on the lookout to build and complete the collection.

[JohnVKaravitis]

I've read all sixty volumes of The Great Books. It took me five years.

[TheBlindamerica]

I have both sets. Bought off eBay. Took a lot of patience to find a complete set. Not cheap but to me, their value far exceeds what I spent. The Great Books had not really been opened. Most of the pages are stuck together like they just came off the press. You are so right about all you said about them. Yes… sad they set for years without being read. Thanks for your video.

[kristadavis]

Thank you for this!
We are using The Robinson Curriculum for our reading list, in a slightly modified way, and these sound perfect. So many books and topics on that list are in these collections.

[mradamnichols]

Wow I feel ignorant to have not been familiar with these volumes. And that $2 kindle deal is incredible! Just snagged that. I feel like that’s the greatest power of the kindle, being able to walk around with hundreds of books in your pocket that you can pick up anytime. Thanks for broadening my horizons!

[Kvell]

I’m a big believer in life long learning. It’s great having the structure of the Harvard Classics and the Great Books., but I’m on a personal journey of learning and reading a variety of subjects that are meaningful to me. This includes great literature, history, languages and religion. Life is only so long. Rob, thank you for another inspiring and informative video.

[sorenpx]

I acquired my set of the Great Books in perhaps an usual way. My local library was selling a set that was around 2/3 complete. I was able to get it for about $20. I have since been buying individual volumes off eBay to complete it. I actually have every volume now but there are a couple that are in rough shape and I'd like to replace them before saying I have a complete set.

[DominikBialy_]

Those are amazing, especially the Great Books but I decided at last to create my own custom collection (based mostly on Adler's recommendation from How to Read a Book) of the editions I really enjoy (mostly Everyman, Landmark and Oxford World Classics). In the end the font and the overall feeling of the book matters quite a lot if you're about to spend so much time reading them.

[devanrohrich]

My wife launched my Great Books of the Western World journey by complete chance. She discovered a nearly complete set at a work book exchange.

She brought them home and my life was drastically changed. Reading ‘The Great Conversation’ made me believe I could actually self-guide my learning.

Wonderful stuff Rob!

[brainwashingdetergent]

I have a set of the GBOTWW still in the original wrapping… I feel like in need to buy an open set so I can read them.

[darrylfriesen]

A really accessible and pragmatic approach to these sets of books, Rob! Well done!

[klosnj]

I have been using individual books from the great works for a while. Because they are separated from sets, I have no qualms about underlining and marginelia. Once I get a full set, it will stay pristine. I think I would prefer the Great Books, but would happily take either I come across in good condition.

My home is already in need of more book shelves. May as well exacerbate the situation!

[redcrossreborn]

Solid advice on getting books from FB Marketplace. I scored my Great Books set (1st edition) for $100 + $100 shipping. (Media mail is great for such heavy books.)

Also, I personally am amazed at the genius that Adler's Syntopicon is. His depth of knowledge of the great books truly shows when you consider he compiled those two volumes without the aid of computers. I honestly only wanted the Great Book set for the Syntopicon as I find other versions of the great books physically easier to read. But Adler's labor of love is a great guide to the great books.

Also, thank you for your wonderful breakdown of these two collections! :)

[jakelm]

I have both. GBWW is the best bang for your buck. Includes more works by each author, and fewer abridged versions of texts. Also has texts for five of the seven classical liberal arts, and many from higher philosophy.

[Durufle]

This was great!!! Your analysis and explanation of these two sets is incredibly well done.