Beecher, Henry Ward -- “The Duty of Owning Books” (1859), Eyes and Ears (1862)

Dave — Thu, 24 Mar 2016 13:35:32 +0000

Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.

Henry Ward Beecher (1813–1887) American clergyman and orator
“The Duty of Owning Books” (1859), Eyes and Ears (1862)

The collection of essays is from articles originally printed in the New York Ledger or Independent. This essay was reprinted in several other newspapers in the spring and summer of 1859.

See Sydney Smith.

Quindlen, Anna -- Article (1991-08-07), “Public & Private: Enough Bookshelves,” New York Times

Dave — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:01:35 +0000

If being a parent consists often of passing along chunks of ourselves to unwitting — often unwilling — recipients, then books are, for me, one of the simplest and most sure-fire ways of doing that. I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.

Anna Quindlen (b. 1953) American journalist, novelist
Article (1991-08-07), “Public & Private: Enough Bookshelves,” New York Times

Reprinted in her essay collection Thinking Out Loud (1993).

WIST Quotations

Beecher, Henry Ward -- “The Duty of Owning Books” (1859), Eyes and Ears (1862)

Quindlen, Anna -- Article (1991-08-07), “Public & Private: Enough Bookshelves,” New York Times