I think historically footnotes have been of lower value to the reader than links I must have OCFD (obsessive-compulsive footnote disorder). I feel compelled to

I think historically footnotes have been of lower value to the reader than links I must have OCFD (obsessive-compulsive footnote disorder). I feel compelled to read every footnote. Years ago I read the first ~100 pages of The Sound and the Fury, then stopped. It still bugs me that I never finished it. Unread footnotes are like that.