FAQs: Your Questions Answered.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is LookyBooks?

> LookyBooks provides original, condensed summaries of influential non-fiction books. Our summaries focus on key ideas to help you grasp essential insights quickly and decide whether a book is worth a deeper read.

'Brief on Purpose'?

> The word “Brief” has a dual meaning: “short in duration” and, in a legal context, “a summary of key facts.” Our goal is to brief you, briefly, tailored to your purpose.

Does it really work, can I learn from summaries?

> Yes, for most books, summaries are a highly effective way to grasp the core ideas and begin applying them. Think of reading a full book as drinking a large glass of orange squash — it contains the essence (the squash) and a lot of water (like case studies, repetition, or filler). Reading a summary is like drinking only the concentrate. It’s not something to skim — it's best savored slowly, with reflection, because it contains a highly distilled dose of insight and understanding.

Do you cover fiction books?

> No, LookyBooks is focused entirely on non-fiction content. We concentrate on areas like leadership, productivity, innovation, strategy, and digital transformation.

Are these summaries affiliated with the original authors or publishers?

> No. LookyBooks is an independent site. Our summaries are original interpretations designed to promote the full works, not to replace them.

How often are new summaries published?

> New summaries and curated pathways are added regularly. We’re constantly updating the site to reflect current trends and thought leadership.

What are Insight Pathways?

> Insight Pathways are structured learning journeys that group five related summaries around a central topic to help deepen understanding over time.

How can I find books in a specific category?

> You can browse books by category on the Categories page or search for specific keywords using the search bar on the homepage.

Is my data safe when I visit LookyBooks?

> Yes. We comply with UK GDPR regulations, respect cookie preferences, and do not share or sell your data. See our Privacy Policy for more details.

How do I contact you?

> You can reach out via email on the Contact page. We typically respond within a few working days.

Who are Ada, Frances, Grace, Hedy, Jean, Karen, Nnenna, Noriko, Radia, and Sabeen?

> These are the names of pioneering women in computing and technology. We use them as author pseudonyms for our original meta-analyst works on our site to honor their legacy and contributions:

• Ada – Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer.
• Frances – Frances Allen, the first woman to win the Turing Award for her work in compiler optimization.
• Grace – Grace Hopper, U.S. Navy rear admiral who coined "debugging" and helped lead the development of COBOL.
• Hedy – Hedy Lamarr, inventor of frequency-hopping technology, a precursor to modern Wi-Fi.
• Jean – Jean Bartik, one of the original ENIAC programmers.
• Karen – Karen Sparck Jones, a pioneer in natural language processing and information retrieval.
• Nnenna – Nnenna Nwakanma, a digital rights advocate and co-founder of FOSSFA, working to expand internet access and open-source adoption across Africa.
• Noriko – Noriko Arai, an AI researcher known for the Todai Robot project, which explores the potential of AI in education and standardized testing.
• Radia – Radia Perlman, known as the “Mother of the Internet” for creating the Spanning Tree Protocol.
• Sabeen – Sabeen Mahmud, a computer scientist and activist who promoted open tech access and civic hacking through her community space, The Second Floor (T2F).