How-to writers are to other writers as frogs are to mammals," wrote the critic Dwight MacDonald in a 1954 survey of "Howtoism." "Their books are not born, they are spawned."
MacDonald began his story by citing a list of 3,500 instructional books. Today, there are at least 45,000 specimens in print of the optimize-everything cult we now call "self-help," but few of them look anything like those classic step-by-step "howtos," which MacDonald and his Establishment brethren handled only with bemused disdain.
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Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
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