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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Great Books Foundation?

The Great Books Foundation is a nonprofit educational organization whose mission is to empower readers of all ages to become more reflective and responsible thinkers. To accomplish this, we teach the art of civil discourse through the Shared Inquiry™ method and publish enduring works across the disciplines. Our readings are chosen for their ability to sustain discussion of important ideas.

Robert Maynard Hutchins, former president of the University of Chicago, and Mortimer J. Adler, a respected educational philosopher, helped establish the Great Books Foundation in 1947. Hutchins and Adler were champions of the Great Books idea, first in a seminar format for University of Chicago undergraduates, and later as a means of continuing liberal education for all adults.

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What kind of books does the Great Books Foundation publish?

The Great Books Foundation publishes anthologies of outstanding literature for K-12 students, book discussion groups, and college and continuing education programs. We publish and recommend literature that is especially suited for discussion.

  • The Junior Great Books Program consists of student anthologies for K-12 students for the language arts curriculum. Materials for social studies, science and religious studies are also available for high school students.
  • The Great Books Reading and Discussion Program consists of five sets of books with 15 readings per set. Each set includes substantial works of Western literature and philosophy by such authors as Dostoevsky, Freud, Kafka, Plato, and Shakespeare.
  • The 50th Anniversary Series consists of nine titles, each with six or seven readings. This series is an international collection of literature, philosophy, and poetry that brings together works by classic and modern authors on universally significant themes.

Our books include questions for interpretive discussion, and groups using our books will like having the same translation and common pagination for their discussions. Our books also have generous margins for taking notes.

See Foundation Publications for a complete list of Foundation titles.

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Does the Great Books Foundation publish Great Books of the Western World?

No. Great Books of the Western World is a 60-volume set of hardbound books published by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., a for-profit corporation. Encyclopaedia Britannica's phone number is +1 312 347 7000.

The Great Books Foundation publishes anthologies that include many of the same authors who appear in Great Books of the Western World, but our books are low-cost paperback editions designed specifically for use with book discussion groups.

Robert Maynard Hutchins, former president of the University of Chicago, and Mortimer J. Adler, a respected educational philosopher, helped launch both the Great Books Foundation and the Encyclopaedia Britannica series. 

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Does the Great Books Foundation publish only the classics?

The Great Books Foundation does not prescribe or promote a canon. We select readings of high literary merit that are rich in discussible ideas. These readings raise questions and prompt us to reflect on ourselves and our world.

Our Great Books Reading and Discussion Program focuses mainly on established classics in Western literature and philosophy, while our 50th Anniversary Series includes many new voices of important contemporary authors, such as James Baldwin, Annie Dillard, Jamaica Kincaid, Yukio Mishima, and Adrienne Rich. Works from India, China, Japan, the Middle East, Africa, Mexico, and the Caribbean are included.

"There is no List with a capital L. The great books are simply the books which deal most incisively, most eloquently, most universally, and most timelessly with man and his world."
Milton Mayer, one of the early proponents of the Great Books movement

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What does it mean to have a "Great Books discussion"?

Great Books Foundation Shared Inquiry discussions are characterized by three qualities: a text that is rich in language and meaning, a focus on interpretation, and a discussion leader who only asks questions that help participants explore their ideas together.

In Shared Inquiry, participants learn to give full consideration to the ideas of others, to weigh the merits of opposing arguments, and to modify their initial opinions as the evidence demands. They gain experience in communicating complex ideas and in supporting, testing, and expanding their own thoughts. In this way, Shared Inquiry promotes thoughtful dialogue and open debate, preparing its participants to become able, responsible citizens and enthusiastic, lifelong readers.

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What happens in a Shared Inquiry discussion?

In a Shared Inquiry discussion, the leader starts with a basic question that addresses a central problem of meaning in the reading selection. Everyone listens carefully to the responses of the group members to the leader's basic question.

The leader asks follow-up questions to help participants think through and share their ideas about the reading. This in-depth questioning and responding sustains interest in the discussion as participants recognize that interpretations other than their own are also substantiated by the text.

As a leader, you can ask group members questions to:

  • Clarify their comments. Ask them to explain what they mean by what they say.
  • Elicit evidence for their opinion from the selection. Interpretations need to be tested against the text to see if they are valid.
  • Solicit additional opinions that agree or disagree with a participant's idea.
  •  Build relationships between the new ideas of a participant and the ideas already offered by other group members.

Stay with a basic question until the group has fully explored it through thoughtful follow-up questions. You are not necessarily trying to reach consensus but to see, as a group, that the leader's question has been thoroughly examined. Only then go on to another question.

The Great Books Foundation offers workshops to help you learn what kind of questions sustain in-depth discussions and to give you practice asking good follow-up questions. See the next question for more information on workshops.

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Do I have to attend a Great Books training workshop to start a group?

Anyone can organize a Great Books group. Training is not required, but we strongly recommend it. Good discussions are no accident. Groups that have strong discussions are more likely to succeed. While new Great Books groups form all the time, many have lasted for 30 or 40 years. Four groups have been going for 50 years!

Many book groups falter because they don't know how to generate good discussion. Great Books Foundation workshops will show you how to both prepare for and conduct discussions. You will learn to use the Shared Inquiry method, which involves all your group members in a focused, lively discussion of complex ideas.

When group members take turns leading discussion, the quality of discussion improves and members develop a greater sense of commitment and ownership. Your group has a better chance for a long life if more than one member of your group attends a Shared Inquiry Leader Workshop.

Adult group participants may also attend one of the hundreds of scheduled courses that train leaders for the Junior Great Books program. The course content is similar but reading selections are from the Junior program.

We can provide materials and advice to help you start a new group. Call the Great Books Foundation office at 800-222-5870 to register for a workshop or to arrange for a workshop in your area.

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Can I read the Great Books Foundation Financial Report?

Copies of the annual financial report, the IRS 990 form, and other relevant public documents are available from the Foundation upon request.

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