Meaning of the word "a great book is a great evil" in English

What does "a great book is a great evil" mean in English? Explore the meaning, pronunciation, and specific usage of this word with Lingoland.

a great book is a great evil

US /ə ɡreɪt bʊk ɪz ə ɡreɪt ˈiːvəl/
UK /ə ɡreɪt bʊk ɪz ə ɡreɪt ˈiːvəl/
"a great book is a great evil" picture

Idiom

A proverb suggesting that a very long or large book is a major inconvenience or burden to the reader.

Example:
I tried to read that thousand-page history tome, but as they say, a great book is a great evil.
Callimachus famously stated that a great book is a great evil because of the difficulty in handling and reading massive scrolls.