That is a good book which is opened with expectation and closed with profit.

Alcott defines a “good book” not by reputation or style but by the reader’s experience across time: it should invite eager attention at the outset and leave the reader measurably better at the end. “Expectation” suggests intellectual appetite—curiosity, hope of discovery—while “profit” frames reading as a moral or mental gain rather than mere entertainment. The line reflects a Transcendentalist-inflected view of literature as a tool for self-culture: books are companions in personal growth, and their worth is tested by the transformation they produce. It also implies a standard for discernment, urging readers to choose works that repay attention with insight, wisdom, or strengthened character.