Every Book Its Reader: The Power of the Printed Word to Stir the World

Nothing engenders reading more effectively than reading books about books. In books like Gentle Madness and Patience & Fortitude, Nicholas Basbanes has paid tribute to the good works of bibliophiles, booksellers, and librarians in preserving the legacy of writing. In Every Book Its Reader, he describes the influence of the printed word on writers, thinkers, and world-beaters. His subjects cover the from John Locke and Sir Isaac Newton to John Adams and Abraham Lincoln to the Marquis de Sade and Adolf Hitler. Basbanes’ far-ranging explorations include sensitive assessments of writers’ thinking habits and creative methods, along with perceptive interviews with contemporary writers including David McCullough, Elaine Pagels, Harold Bloom, Helen Vendler, and Christopher Ricks.