Before the Algorithm: How the Book Society Taught Britain What to Read - Explaining History Podcast

Before the Algorithm: How the Book Society Taught Britain What to Read

Author and Literary Critic Hugh Walpole

In an age of Amazon recommendations and #BookTok, it is hard to imagine a time when discovering a new book was a curated, communal experience guided by a panel of experts. Yet, for much of the mid-20th century, that is exactly what the Book Society provided for thousands of readers across Britain and its empire.

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