Pubs are a slightly different case in that they're generally social gathering places, yet reading a book is a solitary activity. I have never had anyone come over and give hassle when a bunch of us have been down the pub discussing the finer points of operating system design. (Possibly because they wouldn't have been able to get a word in edgeways.)

Up to a point, Lord Copper. It's fair enough to think I'm a bit weird, but wyhy go out of your way to make sarcastic comments, or give me hassle about it?

"Lord Copper?" I feel like some kind of B-grade superhero of conductivity.

Anyway, yes, hassling people about it is just being a jerk. I'm just pointing out that reading a book in a pub is not just thinky, it's also solitary, which is counter to the general purpose of a public house.

I just said this the other day, so this is going to amuse several people, but no fair :) Whenever I say "Up to a point Lord Copper", someone always looks at me oddly, and then I try to explain, and then I add "...and it's really funny!" and they look at me.

The relevant excerpt, for anyone who might actually be curious, is:

Mr. Salter's side of the conversation was limited to expressions of assent. When Lord Copper was right he said, 'Definitely, Lord Copper'; when he was wrong, 'Up to a point'.

'Let me see, what's the name of the place I mean? Capital of Japan? Yokohama, isn't it?'

'Up to a point, Lord Copper.'

'And Hong Kong belongs to us, doesn't it?'

'Definitely, Lord Copper.'

I quite often read in pubs, particularly if I'm waiting for friends to show up. As a woman, sitting alone in a pub is usually an invitation for random men to approach and harass, so a book provides a shield to that behaviour, as it gives an obvious 'busy, do not disturb' signal.

It's also good for social anxiety issues - if I'm feeling 'alone in a crowd' I can drag out a book and read for a bit until I feel calm and confident enough again to dive back into the fray, which is much better than sitting there like a bunny in the headlights wondering why nobody wants to talk to me!

Right—both of these are, as you say, solitary; the first specifically intended so.

I'm not saying that reading books in pubs is bad. I'm just saying that, as an example of anti-intellectualism, it also entangles solitary behaviour in a social context. And thus isn't a great example.