How meta! A book about books. This gentle non fiction explores books, books as objects, books in their relationship to our sense of self, books as things that build and define relationships with others, books that mark stages of life, books that shape and categorise knowledge... it is surprisingly easy to read, and none of it felt like a Radical New Thought, but it is thoughtful and well structured and a delightful tour of the world of books and how they shape humanity. ( )

Not as interesting as it seems like it would be. I didn't finish it. ( )

Although there exist many books on the subject of the value of books and libraries, this small tome yet manages to contribute a bit of something new. Unlike many of those other authors, Mole builds up from his thoughts about the book, and a book, toward further reflections on books in the aggregate, libraries: "when gathered together in large numbers, books make a kind of argument that's different from the argument you find spelled out in their pages."

There is sui generis value to libraries that is not reducible to the books, so we are not surprised to hear that "Students want to work alongside those endless shelves, even if they can access the texts they need on their laptops." Because "I experience libraries and bookshops as spaces of enormous potential, which invite me to imagine new avenues of intellectual exploration, new pathways of reading pleasure," intellectual labor happens easier and more successfully in libraries, just by being there, amidst the books, even without pulling a single one from the shelf. ( )

Worthy survey of books as a physical objects – a reminder we all need in an age that increasing treats books as digital content in a cardboard or computerised wrapper. But I kept comparing it in my head to Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris and her other book writing, which is a bit more sprightly and assured, and Henry Petroski's The Book on the Bookshelf, which is more detailed and thorough. ( )

‘’Books are part of how we understand ourselves. They shape our identities, even before we can read them. They accompany us throughout our lives. [...] They get tangled up in our relationships with parents, siblings, classmates, teachers, friends, lovers and children. They are part of how groups of people, and even nations, imagine and represent themselves. Books become meaningful objects in all sorts of ways: treasured possessions, talismans, bearers of significance. This book is about how that happens.’’

There are readers who desire their books to look as immaculate as fresh snow. Others, like yours truly, want them to look lived in, with dog-eared pages and scribbles in the margins. We keep them in our bookcases as tokens of our personality, our knowledge, our convictions. We refuse to obey the rule of common sense and we accumulate them by the dozen, ending up with stacks scattered all over because free space is just an illusion. We fall in love with characters and storylines. Our first journey ‘’abroad’’ probably took place through an exciting book.

We meet heroes and villains, people of the past who shaped our present. We find a way to escape from dark times and personal instability and insecurity. We became friends (and lovers…) with someone who shares our passion for the same books, we fight and refuse to ever speak again to the ones who offend our book choices. We marvel when we find a book with uncut pages, a glimpse into a world beyond our reach. We become as inquisitive as it gets when we visit a house with an impressive (or not) bookcase, our eyes and necks straining to browse through the titles.

We are the ones who can’t get enough of bookish gifts. We are tormented by the question ‘’what will happen to my books after I am gone.’’ We are terrified by the prospect that our children may not worship on the altar of Literature. We are the ones who delight in reading the phone book. Literally. We are the ones who smile at the mere thought of the word ‘’book.’’ We are the ones who are granted a second and a third and a fourth life through the written word.

Is this the finest ‘’book-about-books’’ I’ve ever read? The answer is a loud, triumphant YES!

Many thanks to Alison Menzies and Elliott & Thompson for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ ( )