Umberto Eco's wise and witty guide to researching and writing a thesis published in English
for the first time. By the time Umberto Eco published his best-selling novel The Name of the
Rose he was one of Italy's most celebrated intellectuals a distinguished academic and the
author of influential works on semiotics. Some years before that 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 and
translated into seventeen languages 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. Already a classic it would fit nicely between two other classics: Strunk and White
and The Name of the Rose. Contents The Definition and Purpose of a Thesis • Choosing the Topic
• Conducting Research • The Work Plan and the Index Cards • Writing the Thesis • The Final
Draft
