Boredom

As for his engaging new book, Toohey needn't worry: Boredom, with its wise insights, is never boring. -Carmela Ciuraru, Boston Globe -- Carmela Ciuraru Boston Globe Readers who are willing to meander from science to literature to art and other realms will find themselves engaged. -Nina C. Ayoub, The Chronicle Review -- Nina C. Ayoub The Chronicle Review There are plenty of fine things here to keep a receptive mind alert. -Alain de Botton, The Times -- Alain de Botton The Times Few writers on boredom can match Peter Toohey when it comes to finding pleasure, excitement and even a perverse kind of glee in his subject. -Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, The Daily Telegraph -- Robert Douglas-Fairhurst The Daily Telegraph Mr. Toohey presents his case with verve. -Elizabeth Lowry, Wall Street Journal -- Elizabeth Lowry Wall Street Journal 'Peter Toohey is a wonderful scholar, whose work on classical literature both instructs and delights.' - Darian Leader -- Darian Leader 'Forget ennui: Peter Toohey makes the case that the simpler, everyday kind of boredom we all experience is far more important than the pretentious world-weariness of French philosophers. Being bored can be excruciating, but it can also spur people to the heights of creativity. Toohey succeeds in making boredom interesting.' - Dylan Evans, author of Emotion: The Science of Sentiment -- Dylan Evans 'Who would have thought that boredom could be so stimulating?' - Michael Foley, author of The Age of Absurdity -- Michael Foley A thoroughly enjoyable exploration of the history a maligned emotion, which according to the author, may actually be designed to help us flourish. -The Bookseller The Bookseller [Toohey's] crisp conversational prose is untainted by jargon or pretence. His arguments display impressive erudition: history, philosophy, psychology, neuroscience and aesthetics all get a guernsey. If good writing requires authorial boredom, Toohey was undoubtedly tortured by tedium while writing this sharp, humane and funny book. -Damon Young, The Australian -- Damon Young The Australian ...quirky and contentious. -Stuart Kelly, Scotland on Sunday -- Stuart Kelly Scotland on Sunday Toohey has lots of exciting things to say about boredom. -Craig Brown, The Mail on Sunday -- Craig Brown The Mail on Sunday In Boredom: A Lively History Peter Toohey, a professor of classics, makes a strong case for boredom as a universal emotion, experienced by humans throughout history and throughout all cultures, with many practical and emotional benefits. -Ian Sansom, The Guardian -- Ian Sansom The Guardian ... [Toohey] writes breezily and entertainingly about one of the world's most boring subjects: boredom itself. -Tim Heald, The Tablet -- Tim Heald The Tablet [Toohey] makes a persuasive case that there are even benefits to boredom, and at the very least this engaging read proffers a temporary antidote to the noonday demon. -Kelly McMasters, Newsday -- Newsday Kelly McMasters Highly entertaining. -Gordon Pitz, PsycCRITIQUES -- Gordon Pitz PsycCRITIQUES ...a playful but scholarly study. -Sunday Herald Sunday Herald It's a brave author who chooses boredom as the subject for a book. How to describe this least glamorous of emotions, or delve into its essential qualities, without concocting a truly dull tract? Peter Toohey's method is to whip through the history, meaning and artistic representations of boredom at such a jaunty pace that there's no time to be bored at all. -Helen Zaltzman, The Observer -- Helen Zaltzman The Observer A lively, eminently readable book. -S. Halling, Choice -- S. Halling Choice Toohey's book is a veritable boredom bible, plus it's got some funny bits and lots of nice pictures. -Chris Moss, Time Out -- Chris Moss Time Out A fun and illuminating argument for the benefits of boredom. -Angus Clarke, The Times -- Angus Clarke The Times