Get Inspired for Summer Reading

Forget looking in the medicine cabinet—we all know that the best way to learn about someone is to peruse his bookshelves! And what better way to find inspiration for your own reading? If you’re looking for a new source of summer reading inspiration—or at least a good laugh--take a peek at what a few literary greats had in their own libraries.



ee cummings



Aside from surprises like Cooking with a French Touch and a poetry anthology that (naturally) included his own work, cummings had an extensive collection of letters from other illustrious authors. Other eccentric standouts from cummings’ collection:
  • Communism with the Mask Off
  • “Dance Index: A New Magazine Devoted to Dancing”
  • The Cultivation of Christmas Trees
  • The Dot and the Line: The Romance of Lower Mathematics


F Scott Fitzgerald

Would you have pegged Fitzgerald for a hopeless romantic? If you saw The Best American Love Stories of the Year and From Ritual to Romance, you might suspect that Fitzgerald would love a Nicholas Sparks novel. Here’s what else you’d find on his shelves:

  • Favorite Recipes of Famous Women
  • Mystery Men of Wall Street: The Power behind the Market
  • History of the United States in Words of One Syllable
  • Cream of the Jug: An Anthology of Humorous Stories



Ian Fleming

When he wasn’t busy crafting 007 novels, Fleming explored a wide variety of interests from science to architecture. Inspiration, perhaps, for all those James Bond gadgets?

  • X-Rays and Electrons: An Outline of Recent X-Ray Theory
  • The Garden of Kama, and Other Love Lyrics from India
  • Birds of the West Indies
  • The Laws of Ping Pong


If you could peruse a famous author’s library, whose would you choose?

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Kristin Masters
Master Content Brain. You think it, she writes it, no good thought remains unposted. Sprinkles pixie dust on Google+, newsletters, blog, facebook, twitter and just about everything else.


 

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How can I identify a first edition? Where do I learn about caring for books? How should I start collecting? Hear from librarians about amazing collections, learn about historic bindings or printing techniques, get to know other collectors. Whether you are just starting or looking for expert advice, chances are, you'll find something of interest on blogis librorum.

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