Look Closer: How to Get More Out of Reading

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst

Nov 2025 · Random House

Ebook

352

Pages

Eligible

About this ebook

A TIMES and SPECTATOR Book of the Year

'A love letter to the energising thrill of literature' SUNDAY TIMES

'A lively book that seeks to enthuse us to read more deeply, more thoughtfully' THE TIMES

'The best book about reading I have read for a very long time' STEPHEN FRY

A joyful and enlightening masterclass in how reading attentively can change our lives

For thirty years, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst has shared his passion for reading with students. In Look Closer, he brings fresh life to beloved books, from Wuthering Heights to Normal People, alongside poetry, plays and more.

With warmth, wit and clarity, he shows us how to slow down, notice more and enjoy reading on a deeper level. Engaging, illuminating and full of delight, this is a celebration of the simple pleasure of books – and a reminder of how reading can open doors, spark joy and transform the way we see the world.

'A glittering gem of a book' NATALIE HAYNES

'Look Closer is akin to wandering through an art gallery with an expert on painterly detail by your side' FINANCIAL TIMES

'A delightful and much-needed paean, in our attention-deficit era, to the pleasures of close and slow reading' SPECTATOR

A TIMES and SPECTATOR Book of the Year 'A love letter to the energising thrill of literature' SUNDAY TIMES 'A lively book that seeks to enthuse us to read more deeply, more thoughtfully' THE TIMES 'The best book about reading I have read for a very long time' STEPHEN FRY A joyful and enlightening...

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About the author

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst is a Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Magdalen College. His books include Becoming Dickens, which won the Duff Cooper Prize, The Story of Alice, which was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award, and Metamorphosis. He writes regularly for publications including The Times, the Literary Review and the Spectator. Radio and television appearances include Start the Week and The Culture Show and he has also acted as the historical consultant on TV adaptations of Jane Eyre, Emma, Great Expectations, the BBC drama series Dickensian and both of the Enola Holmes feature films for Netflix. He has judged the Booker Prize and the Baillie Gifford Prize, and in 2015 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst is a Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Magdalen College. His books include Becoming Dickens, which won the Duff Cooper Prize, The Story of Alice, which was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award, and Metamorphosis. He writes re...

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