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tokisuno's review against another edition
2.0
the actual zettelkasten websites describes this better and for free. sonke's writing just rubs me the wrong way. nothing against him or zettelkasten. i think both are great. just felt like there was unnecessary details and praise towards Luhmann EVERYWHERE throughout this.
traingirl24's review against another edition
5.0
The philosophy behind this system is fantastic. It's not about storing as much information as possible, it's about making as many connections as possible between your notes.
severine_aurelia's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
2.75
This book presents some interesting ideas about how to organize one's reading, notetaking, and academic/knowledge work. I will almost certainly adopt a few elements of the suggested approach, at least on a trial basis. In addition, there were some worthwhile reflections on the structure of knowledge systems and how they shape our work.
That being said, for a book purporting to give advice on how to read and write more effectively, it was surprisingly poorly organized and full of grammatical errors.
Regarding the errors: I'm not talking about stylistic quirks - I mean basic grammar errors such as subject/verb agreement, incorrect use of conditionals, etc. I found it distracting. I try not to let writing quality interfere with my assessment of the underlying ideas, but I admit that I would be hesitant to recommend this book to others because of this issue.
The disorganization of the book was a more damning fault, since the book was no doubt written using the approach it recommends and thus didn't serve as an effective endorsement. I found that there was a lot of (unnecessary and unfruitful) repetition of ideas between sections, as well as a lack of logical flow of argumentation. It read very much like a casual collection of tips, reflections, and anecdotes rather than a coherent and rigorous argument for the merits of the recommended system.
Overall, worth a read if you're interested in the zettelkasten notetaking system and its underlying ideas, but be prepared for a slightly shambolic experience.
That being said, for a book purporting to give advice on how to read and write more effectively, it was surprisingly poorly organized and full of grammatical errors.
Regarding the errors: I'm not talking about stylistic quirks - I mean basic grammar errors such as subject/verb agreement, incorrect use of conditionals, etc. I found it distracting. I try not to let writing quality interfere with my assessment of the underlying ideas, but I admit that I would be hesitant to recommend this book to others because of this issue.
The disorganization of the book was a more damning fault, since the book was no doubt written using the approach it recommends and thus didn't serve as an effective endorsement. I found that there was a lot of (unnecessary and unfruitful) repetition of ideas between sections, as well as a lack of logical flow of argumentation. It read very much like a casual collection of tips, reflections, and anecdotes rather than a coherent and rigorous argument for the merits of the recommended system.
Overall, worth a read if you're interested in the zettelkasten notetaking system and its underlying ideas, but be prepared for a slightly shambolic experience.
miq33l's review
5.0
Nice, short and practical book. It describes in detail the approach Niklas Luhman took in order to become one of the most prolific writers in Sociology. It is concise, provides a useful set of practical advice and reads very well.
Worth the time.
Worth the time.
courtneyr_dev's review
5.0
Clarity in how I read and later access information
I’ve long read books full of highlights, but when faced with an article to write, come up blank. I am excited to turn these thoughts into meaningful writing and form a new mindset during my research phase.
I’ve long read books full of highlights, but when faced with an article to write, come up blank. I am excited to turn these thoughts into meaningful writing and form a new mindset during my research phase.