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A review of Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader

by Anne Fadiman

A Celebration of Books Shared in an Engrossing Collection of Essays

Reviewed by: Linda A. Smith
About Linda A. Smith

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader Fadiman, daughter of the eminent Clifton Fadiman, renowned editor, steps out to the masses in this slim, conveniently portable volume. It is difficult to put into words the awe and reverence that I feel for the subject of this collection. These essays were originally written as a column for the magazine of The Library of Congress, Civilization. The column, The Common Reader, was to be an intimate portrayal of Fadiman's home life and life with books. In these essays, we suffer the pains of culling libraries, the bliss of toting home shopping bags of old books, the thrill in the search for words.

It's hard to pick up this book without delving into it. It's hard to delve into it without continuing. It flows the reader from essay to essay, one to the next, on every topic related to books, the love of books (their physical aspect as well as their contents) and the love of language.

Fadiman grew up in a decidedly literate household. If you have ever needed an activity to pass the time, perhaps you could take a page from her family history. The ever-entertaining proofreading of menus. The weekly addiction to the quiz show College Bowl, with their genealogical alma mater, Fadiman U. Stacking of books to make castles. Yes, this book is full of wonderful words and musings on them, but it is also ripe with new activities to try!

It is not enough to simply read this book. You will find it a wonderful resource, full of titles of books that now you simply must read! It is a running bibliography of all the books a literate person should be familiar with, and if you are anything like me, you will find that you are woefully short and that your Books to Read list has just doubled in size. It could also send a person straight to the AWAD mailing list (A Word A Day e-mailed straight to your inbox). If you are anything like the author, you will find yourself chagrined not to know many of the words the author promotes.

But the aim here is not to make you feel cowed, not to maintain a high and mighty academic snootiness. The aim, apparently, is simply to revel in the world of books and words, and to share that joy in a way that is not at all musty and dry, but fresh and new. This is one to own, to keep close by and revisit every so often. If you are even a charter member of the world of bibliophiles, this is one of the obligatory club manuals.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader

Copyright © by Linda A. Smith, 2002

Reviewed by Linda A. Smith:
-- Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader - by Anne Fadiman
-- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - byJ. K. Rowling









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