2M Notes and No Dictionary: Learning from Semyon Vengerov's Cautionary Tale

18 hours ago

Semyon Vengerov (1855-1920) accumulated two million filing cards but died before completing his ambitious dictionaries and bibliographies.
His projects, like the 25-volume account of Russian books and a biographical dictionary of Russian writers, remained largely unfinished.
Critics view Vengerov's story as a cautionary tale about being overwhelmed by material and ambition.
Vengerov found joy in the scholarly process itself, valuing meticulous work over tangible results.
The article raises questions about the purpose of note-taking: whether it's for thinking, producing public work, or something else.
Lessons from Vengerov's story include under-promising and over-delivering, breaking projects into smaller parts, and working collaboratively.
Vengerov's legacy includes influencing a generation of scholars, showing that imperfect contributions can still be valuable.
The article concludes that smaller, focused works are better than unrealized grand projects.

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