I have to be honest, I only read maybe 1/2 of the book, skimming through the rest. I only wanted to read the essays on the books/authors I was familiar with, and not having read some of them - I felt I couldn't appreciate the essays as much as someone who has. I appreciate Calvino's passion for the classics but I think this book would have been a 2 star for me had it not been for the introductory essay. That one was a really good read. Maybe years from now, having increased the breadth of my reading of classics, I can return to this.