At nearly 500 pages, the Everyman’s Pocket Classics edition of Stories of Books and Libraries is no small read, but it is chock full of some of the most endearing and brilliant stories–chosen by editor Jane Holloway– and will surely be at home in any bibliophile’s home.
The stories range in length–from two pages to twenty-five–and span the globe. American writers Ray Bradbury and Lorrie Moore appear alongside Russian Maxim Gorky, Argentinian Jorge Luis Borges, and a host of others, and each story probes and celebrates the world of books and libraries. One favorite piece from the collection, “My Mother and the Books” comes from a longer work titled My Mother’s House by Colette. In this excerpted piece, the author recalls her mother Sido, a lover of books with a stunning library that she encouraged Colette to read as she was ready–some works deemed too mature for her in her younger years.
If you’ve ever found yourself nostalgically recalling your days curled up under the covers with a flashlight or hunting through the library for that one book that made you feel less alone, this collection of Stories of Books and Libraries is absolutely for you.