People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading. – Logan Pearsall Smith, Trivia, 1917

Good as it is to inherit a library, it is better to collect one. – Augustine Birrell, Obiter Dicta, "Book Buying"

Christie loved books… This amusement lightened many heavy hours, peopled the silent house with troops of friends, and, for a time, was the joy of her life. – Louisa May Alcott, “Servant,” Work: A Story of Experience, 1873