“A great book begins with an idea, a great life, with a determination.” – Louis L’Amour
For celebrated western writer Louis L’Amour, that determination was, from a young age, to give himself a strong education.
After leaving school at 15 to work odd jobs and explore the American West, the young wanderer made a commitment to reading and learning that would last through the rest of his life.
“Of the value of books I am myself the best example. If it were not for books, I should never have been more than a laborer, perhaps killed in a mine disaster, as some of my friends were.”
Over those early “knockabout years”, he’d go on to read hundreds of books, including many of what we call the classics, giving himself a foundational education upon which he could build for the rest of his life — one that would enable him to launch off in whatever direction he pleased.
Often, that direction was the history of the American frontier, a subject which helped him write realistic novels grounded in truths about how the pioneers had lived and thought.
Today, I’d like to tell you a bit about why L’Amour’s life is so inspiring for autodidacts and serious readers. I’ll also share seven key takeaways I had about self-education while reading his autobiography.
These tips should help you enhance your own self-study programs, and maybe even one day become as well-read as Louis.
Education of a Wandering Man: A window into a writer’s reading Life
Education of a Wandering Man is unique as far as autobiographies go.
Louis L’Amour describes it as “an adventure in education, pursued not under the best conditions.”
While Louis does write about his travels in the American West and his trials becoming a professional writer, his main focus is detailing his self-education and reading habits while sharing his thoughts on education in general.
To me, this was like striking oil.
Often, I can find writers, thinkers, and autodidacts talking about the importance of education, but it’s rare I find one who also shares their journey in self-education in such intimate detail.
In this book, Louis does both. This approach makes it not only informative for building your philosophy of education, but also inspiring.
It’s even prescriptive if you’re looking for book recommendations from one of history’s most celebrated authors. In almost every chapter, you’ll find mentions of several books Louis read during that period of his life. In the back of the book there’s even a list of each book he read from 1930-1937 (over 100 per year, and very few of them beach reads…).
The book struck me as such a wise, original, and inspiring account that, after finishing it, I placed it on my desk rather than my bookshelf. And since then, I’ve consulted it regularly — especially in those moments when I feel unmotivated to read.
Ever since reading it I’ve been brimming with excitement about all there is out there to discover and explore. It feels like I’ve found another role model autodidact, someone worth emulating, someone to pat me firmly on the shoulder during a late night study session and say “keep at it good man!”
Or perhaps more accurately, stare me down and say “grab a book!” when I’m mindlessly scrolling YouTube.
While I highly recommend reading the book yourself, below are some of the major takeaways about education that will inspire and help you to learn deeply, read widely, and reach your learning goals.
1. Wear your learning like a pocket watch
No one likes a know-it-all.
Even I, who have a bit of a soft spot for the human search engine, tire quickly of the unsolicited lecture.
Lord Chesterfield, 18th century English diplomat and statesman, felt the same, writing the following to his illegitimate son in his famous collection of letters.
“Wear your learning, like your watch, in a private pocket. Do not pull it out merely to show that you have one. If asked what o’clock it is, tell it; but do not proclaim it hourly and unasked, like the watchman.”
Louis L’Amour had read the classics, hundreds of books on American Western history, and plenty more on esoteric subjects. For much of his life, he averaged over a hundred books per year. He was an intelligent man by all accounts, not to mention a highly successful novelist.
And yet, he remained intellectually humble:
“Anyone who visited Louis in his private study with its sixteen foot high ceiling with walls of specially designed bookshelves will not be surprised. For the bookshelves that Louis designed were much like the man himself. Each tall row of shelves made a kind of book-covered door that could be swung open to reveal another sixteen-foot set of book-filled shelves fixed to the wall behind. Louis was a modest man, slow to reveal what he really knew.” — Daniel Boorstein, Introduction to Education of a Wandering Man
Even in his novels, where he tried to teach people about history and frontier life, he never slammed you over the head with facts. Instead, he embedded this knowledge into compelling stories that were entertaining first, educational second.
