CliffsNotes, founded by Cliff Hillegass in 1958, publishes study guides for literature and other academic subjects. The guides provide chapter summaries, character insights, and historical context. Students can use them alongside reading the actual work or as a standalone resource.
CliffsNotes is a study guide publisher that has been around since 1958. These study guides can be read in pamphlet format or online. The common misspelling of study guides is “Cliff Notes”. Some opponents of study guides believe that the guides encourage students to avoid reading the actual literary work, instead relying on the study guide to provide them with all the information they need.
The CliffsNotes company was founded by Cliff Hillegass, a man born in Rising City, Nebraska. Hillegass loved literature from an early age, and that love of reading led him into a career helping students develop a stronger understanding of literature. When Hillegass became a graduate student at the University of Nebraska, he worked full-time as a university bookstore representative at Long’s College Bookstore.
While working there, he made important contacts that would serve him well in later years. A Toronto contact named Jack Cole was instrumental in encouraging Hillegass to start his company Cliffs Notes. Cole was the owner of Coles, The Book People. The Canadian company wrote study guides called Cole’s Notes. Cole told Hillegass that American students might also want to buy study guides.
In response to this suggestion, Hillegass started CliffsNotes in August 1958. Initially, the company published 16 study guides based on Shakespeare’s literature. The guides were designed to help students understand the literature they were assigned to read in school. The yellow and black branded study guides have rapidly grown in popularity around the world.
The company recommends that students use the study guides in two ways. The first method is to read the designated chapter of the book or act of the play. Then, students should read the section of CliffsNotes that corresponds to the chapter or act. Students can also decide to read the entire book or play first and then refer to CliffsNotes for more information.
CliffsNotes provides information about the literary work’s author, chapter summaries, insights into the characters, social and historical background in which the work was written, a glossary of terms, and a bibliography to help students gain more information about the literary work. Today, CliffsNotes study guides exist for non-literary subjects as well. Students can find CliffsNotes which discusses topics such as algebra, basic math, science, history, foreign languages, writing, test prep, and other academic subjects. The site, under resources, offers free study guides that students can download and use to enhance their knowledge of a particular school subject.
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