One trouble with skimming book flaps (as I am doing every day for a whole year as a titillating gimmick) is that occasionally you will be tempted to read part of a book. This is a real danger! And it can cut into time better spent gathering book flaps to skim. But I must say that my most recent book flap certainly got me curious about what Jackie Gleason might have to say about Plato. So I violated every principle I hold dear and opened a book. All I had to do was look in the index of TV GUIDE: THE FIRST 25 YEARS under "Plato," and guess what? There was only one entry. Page 108. Says Gleason of Plato, "He completely forgot human desires in building his system. It was the stupidest thing he could do." Gleason also calls Plato "one of the stupidest men in the world." I didn't see that coming! Thanks for nothing, books.
