“There was something beautiful and timeless to her about a hardback without its jacket, a book that could be known in no way except by reading it.”

“And [Asimov]'ll sign anything, hardbacks, softbacks, other people's books, scraps of paper. Inevitably someone handed him a blank check on the occasion when I was there, and he signed that without as much as a waver to his smile — except that he signed: 'Harlan Ellison.”

“He was like a book that you could feel good holding, that you could talk about without ever having read, that could you recommend.”

“Something about the beauty of the library and how many books there were made me feel really eager to read, and I couldn't wait to get some free time so I could go back there and explore.”

“CUSTOMER: Hi.BOOKSELLER: Hi there, how can I help?CUSTOMER: Could you please explain Kindle to me.BOOKSELLER: Sure. It’s an e-reader, which means you download books and read them on a small hand-held computer.CUSTOMER: Oh OK, I see. So . . . this Kindle. Are the books on that paperback or hardback?”

“He says he knows someone isn't from the same race as he when that person looks at his library and asks, 'Have you read all of these?' A true book lover knows that, no, he hasn't read them all. It's about the process, it's about when the right reference comes up, you have the right book to go to; it's about never being without something to occupy your eyes and mind.”