Using Claude Code for Syntopic Reading Across 100 Non-Fiction Books
By
gmays
Crisp on the outside, thoughtful on the inside. A keeper.
Summary
The article describes an experimental approach to using LLMs (specifically Claude Code) for deeper reading and analysis across multiple books, rather than just summarization. The author set up Claude Code with tools to analyze a library of 100 non-fiction books from Hacker News favorites, enabling it to find thematic connections and 'trails' between different works. The system identifies sequences of excerpts connected by interesting ideas, such as linking deception in startups to the social psychology of mass movements. The article explains the technical setup and demonstrates how this approach enables 'syntopic reading' - reading across multiple books to discover connections and patterns that wouldn't be apparent when reading individual works in isolation.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledLLMs are overused to summarise and underused to help us read deeper.
To explore how they can enrich rather than reduce, I set Claude Code up with tools to mine a library of 100 non-fiction books.
It found sequences of excerpts connected by an interesting idea, or trails.
Here's a part of one such trail, linking deception in the startup world to the social psychology of mass movements.
In which we teach an agent to read syntopically.
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