We are delighted to announce the open-access publication of a new book by our advisor colleague Nicholas Tate

Seven Books That Everyone Once Read and No One Now Does. This insightful work explores seven texts that, for centuries, were among the most widely read books across Europe — from Cicero’s On Duties in the first century BCE to Walter Scott’s Waverley in the early nineteenth century — yet today are largely forgotten outside specialist circles. 

The volume is a historical and cultural excavation of European reading habits. It explains not only the content and background of each of these texts, but also traces how they were received over time and across borders, who read them, in what formats, and how changes in media — from papyrus to printed paper — influenced their circulation and impact. In doing so, the author illuminates the central role that reading and books have played in shaping shared European traditions and ideas. 

The book also blends scholarship with personal reflection, as the author shares his own encounters with these works and reflects on the joy and significance of reading. By reviving interest in these once-important books, this publication invites readers to reconsider how cultural memory and literary heritage shape our understanding of European civilization. 

? You can access the full open-access edition here:
https://openaccess.ludovika.hu/nke/catalog/book/383

Nicholas Tate is a distinguished historian of education and the author of The Conservative Case for Education. With extensive international experience in educational leadership and scholarship, he currently serves as an advisor to Mathias Corvinus Collegium.