The Anti-Library: The books you haven't read are the most valuable

Umberto Eco, Nassim Taleb and the wisdom of the unread

🏷️ Categories: Literature, Learning.

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We live in an era where reading has become more quantifiable than ever.

How many books did you read this month? How many did you highlight? How many did you finish? But among all those metrics, there's one that rarely gets mentioned—and yet it’s one of the most powerful I’ve ever heard…

How many books have you not read?

Here’s where a provocative concept that changed my mindset comes in: the antilibrary.

You’ll see why you should think more about the unread than the already read…

The Antilibrary

Nassim Taleb wrote that Umberto Eco had a personal library of over 30,000 books, most of them unread, which he kept as a reminder of how much he still had to learn. Taleb concluded: “Read books are far less valuable than unread ones.”

The former are your past. The latter are your potential to grow in the future.

The antilibrary is exactly that: the set of books you haven’t read.

It may seem impossible and contradictory: how can you know how many books you still have to read when there are nearly infinite? Why even try to count them? But that's exactly the point: there’s a method to help navigate this forest of endless options. This theoretical idea can be applied.

Here’s the simple and effective method I created to effortlessly apply the concept of the antilibrary.

The Literary Compass

Every book you read should give you at least four new books to read.

This is the heart of the method. Every book you finish should serve as a guide. Ask yourself: What topics did it touch on? Which authors did it quote? What ideas did it support? Which did it oppose? And thus the literary compass is born, where each book points you in four directions:

The 4 cardinal points:

• North: Books that contain or encompass the one you read—foundational or general works.

• South: Books that go deeper into a specific aspect of the one you read.

• East: Books that are aligned with and support the same ideas.

• West: Books with opposing views or alternative ideas.

Example: You read Writing Fiction by Gotham Writers’ Workshop.

• North: On Writing by Stephen King – a broader take on the craft.

• South: Story by Robert McKee – a deeper dive into narrative structure.

• East: The Right to Write by Julia Cameron – an inspirational, creative approach.

• West: On Writing Well by William Zinsser – fundamentals of nonfiction writing.

Each reading becomes a root that grows four new branches, and with each branch, a new direction for your development. The compass guides you through the infinite universe of your antilibrary. You’ll never again ask, “What should I read now?”

Your compass will point the way.

How to Build a Good Antilibrary

1. Prioritize quality over quantity

The antilibrary isn’t an excuse to hoard books compulsively.

Each book you add should be there for a reason: it provokes you, challenges you, intrigues you. It doesn’t have to be your next read, but it should be one you want to return to when you’re ready for that question. Use the compass and limit yourself to a maximum of 4 unread books per completed read.

If you’re torn between two books, choose the classic.

Millions of books are published every year, most of which will soon be forgotten. According to the Lindy Effect: the longer something has existed, the more likely it is to endure. Therefore, a classic book that has survived centuries is more likely to be valuable today and tomorrow. It’s the best investment you can make.

2. Diversify

Let your antilibrary be an open map of possibilities, not a tunnel.

Read widely, then expand in all 4 directions. Philosophy, science, economics, poetry, anthropology… Don’t be prejudiced— you never know where inspiration will strike, and it will likely come from looking where you haven’t looked before.

That’s the essence of the creative process.

So next time someone looks at your bookshelf and asks, “Have you read all those books?”, just smile and answer as Umberto Eco would:

"They’re there to remind me of what I still have to learn."

✍️ Your turn: How do you find your next reads?

💭 Quote of the day: "Our library should contain as much of what we do not know as our financial means allow us to put there." — Nassim Taleb, The Black Swan

See you soon, take care! 👋

References 📚

1. Taleb, N. N. (2014). The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.