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

The literary man must needs be a thinking one, and every day he lives he becomes wiser—if wiser, then better—if better, then happier. – Charles Lanman, “Thoughts on Literature,” 1840