Before there was Oprah’s Book Club, there was the Book Society

These days it seems every celebrity wants to put their name to a book club: among the rich and famous, they are as common as private jets, non-disclosure agreements and Ozempic. Reese Witherspoon, an actor, wants women to read—or, to be more precise, she wants them to embrace the power of “book joy”. Oprah Winfrey, a media personality, hopes her recommendations will “spark enlightenment”. Dua Lipa, a pop star, wants people to “read the world differently”. Kaia Gerber, a model, strives to create “rage readers”. (She does not explain what those are, nor why they would be desirable.)