I don't know why but I got stuck on the detail about his reading speed:
> With a nearly photographic memory and a reading speed of 1,000 pages per hour
The first couple sources I could find that had such estimates both listed ~250-300 as the estimate range for words-per-page in a novel.
That means he could read 250,000 words per hour on the low end, or ~4166 words per minute.
I had to convert to words per minute because that's the only metric I have reference for. From what I recall of a brief foray into speed-reading, most people rarely or never read over 300 wpm.
Did anyone ever test his reading speed? More broadly, is this actually possible? Are there other known individuals with 'photographic' (or closest equivalent) memory who can read that quickly?
Edit: Wikipedia[0], citing "The Manual.."[1] says that anything "faster than 900 wpm is not feasible given the limits set by the anatomy of the eye". But I'm still curious about whether there are exceptions.
I wouldn't get too caught up in the numbers if that hinders an appreciation for the mind and work of Harold Bloom. However it might be quantified, you can hear him quote extensively from his extremely wide reading in interviews and conversations, and recite long poems from memory, but what he talks about and the way he talks about it is much more than that.
My kid, under than 10, can read at a sustain level of 200-300wpm, I can imagine someone reading at double the speed, but higher, that would be really crazy without skimming/for a first read.
> With a nearly photographic memory and a reading speed of 1,000 pages per hour
The first couple sources I could find that had such estimates both listed ~250-300 as the estimate range for words-per-page in a novel.
That means he could read 250,000 words per hour on the low end, or ~4166 words per minute.
I had to convert to words per minute because that's the only metric I have reference for. From what I recall of a brief foray into speed-reading, most people rarely or never read over 300 wpm.
Did anyone ever test his reading speed? More broadly, is this actually possible? Are there other known individuals with 'photographic' (or closest equivalent) memory who can read that quickly?
Edit: Wikipedia[0], citing "The Manual.."[1] says that anything "faster than 900 wpm is not feasible given the limits set by the anatomy of the eye". But I'm still curious about whether there are exceptions.
[0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Words_per_minute#Reading_and_c... (second from last paragraph of linked section)
[1]https://books.google.com/books?id=cEFKjwEACAAJ&q=ultimate+st...