Harold Rabinowitz

I imagine that if I had the luxury of pursuing a degree in literature in college that I might have a better appreciation for this book. Or if I was wealthy enough to be able to partake in the rare book collecting world. But I have neither of these qualifications, so I found most of this boring and tedious. There were some small bits that were fun to read, but not enough, unfortunately. So it goes

This enriching collection leads off with science-fiction great Ray Bradbury's Foreword, in which he remembers his penniless days pecking out Fahrenheit 451 on a rented typewriter, conjuring up a society so frightened of art that it burns its books. This struggle--financial and creative--led to his lifelong love of all books, which he hopes will cosset him in his grave, "Shakespeare as a pillow, Pope at one elbow, Yeats at the other, and Shaw to warm my toes. Good company for far-travelling."

This is one of my favorite books. Since it is a collection of essays and other short pieces, I always find it easy to pull off the shelf and read a piece or two here or there. It is a book that I often turn to when in the mood to read something light, and I have probably read it through two or three times already. As the title says, this is a treasury for book lovers. It is a bit heavy on the stuff about book collecting, but it is still enjoyable.