How To Write A Thesis

In 1977, Eco published a little book for his students, How to Write a Thesis, in which he offered useful advice on all the steps involved in researching and writing a thesis - from choosing a topic to organizing a work schedule to writing the final draft.

Now in its twenty-third edition in Italy.

"How to Write a Thesis" has become a classic. Remarkably, this is its first, long overdue publication in English.

Eco's approach is anything but dry and academic. He not only offers practical advice but also considers larger questions about the value of the thesis-writing exercise. "How to Write a Thesis" is unlike any other writing manual. It reads like a novel. It is opinionated.

It is frequently irreverent, sometimes polemical, and often hilarious. Eco advises students how to avoid "thesis neurosis" and he answers the important question "Must You Read Books?"

He reminds students "You are not Proust" and "Write everything that comes into your head, but only in the first draft."

Of course, there was no Internet in 1977, but Eco's index card research system offers important lessons about critical thinking and information curating for students of today who may be burdened by Big Data.

"How to Write a Thesis" belongs on the bookshelves of students, teachers, writers, and Eco fans everywhere.