A Book for All Readers by Ainsworth Rand Spofford

One neat thing about library school is finding out about a number of great books. Librarians do a number of fantastic things. They review and select books for the libraries - shopping! They provide reader's advisory services, which means they can help recommend your next book to read. This is by far the coolest thing because you're expected to learn about a number of different genre's and expected to help connect people to books they may enjoy. Also, they learn about the world of books and are an excellent resource for anything reading or nerdy.

I plan on posting a bunch on reader's advisory stuff for future blogs. Today I have an item to add to my wish list. It's called A Book for All Readers by Ainsworth Rand Spofford. I had to study him and do a biography paper about him for one of my classes. In my research I came across his book on the Project Gutenberg website with a full online version of A Book for All Readers. I started reading it, and absolutely love it. It's basically a guide about what to read, who to read, as well as library collection development, book business stuff and other things.

The book was written in the 1900s and although it has some older classical stuffy Victorian views on it, he writes really well and has really intelligent insights into reading and books. I enjoyed reading it online, so I want a print version to keep and have for always. He's a very good writer and somewhat funny in his musings and anger about certain books. He writes very passionately, for example, he wrote:

"We are told, indeed (and some librarians even have said it) that for unformed readers to read a bad book is better than to read none at all. I do not believe it. You might as well say that it is better for one to swallow poison than not to swallow any thing at all. I hold that library providers are as much bound to furnish wholesome food for the minds of the young who resort to them for guidance, as their parents are to provide wholesome food for their bodies." (Spofford).

His introduction is even better. I'll post it here too.

"When we survey the really illimitable field of human knowledge, the vast accumulation of works already printed, and the ever-increasing flood of new books poured out by the modern press, the first feeling which is apt to arise in the mind is one of dismay, if not of despair. We ask—who is sufficient for these things? What life is long enough—what intellect strong enough, to master even a tithe of the learning which all these books contain? But the reflection comes to our aid that, after all, the really important books bear but a small proportion to the mass. Most books are but repetitions, in a different form, of what has already been many times written and printed. The rarest of literary qualities is originality. Most writers are mere echoes, and the greater part of literature is the pouring out of one bottle into another. If you can get hold of the few really best books, you can well afford to be ignorant of all the rest." (Spofford).

This is all due to Project Gutenberg. Although this was written in the 1900s I truly enjoyed it. Haven't read through the whole thing though and want a print copy so, either I get an exact reprint which may have typos, errors and other old-timey stuff in it. Or I get a translated clean copy? Should I get a Kindle version? Also you can't just go to Barnes and Noble, you have to buy it online somewhere. Anyway just adding this to my wish list and sharing my fondness for this.

The reason I did my bibliography on this guy and enjoyed reading and writing about him, is he basically turned a room of reference books for Congress into the national Library of Congress. He advocated for the copyright act so that the library had copies of all new publications. He helped get funding for the Jefferson building for the library. He did a lot of neat things that stood the test of time and created the Library of Congress. I have a lot of respect for him and his work, and well so far am liking his writing too. He used to be a writer, book publisher and book seller. Did I mention he didn't have a formal college education. He just had a love and respect for books and knowledge. So, rather than reiterate my biography essay, which I may post one day, I'll just add his book to my wish list. Cheers!

Some resources below, if you're nerdy like me.

Nix, Larry T. "A Postal Card from Melvil Dewey to Ainsworth Spofford." The Library History Buff. N.p., 12-01-2009 . Web. 24 Apr 2011. <http://www.libraryhistorybuff.org/postalcards-dewey2spofford.htm>.

Rapp, David. "America's Librarian." History Channel Club Articles. The History Channel Club, Web. 20 Apr 2011. <http://www.thehistorychannelclub.com/articles/articletype/articleview/articleid/1222/americas-librarian>.

Spofford, Ainsworth Rand. "A Book for All Readers." Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg, 15-09-2007. Web. 20 Apr 2011. <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22608/22608-h/22608-h.htm>.

United States. Jefferson's Legacy, A Brief History of the Library of Congress. Washington D.C.: Library of Congress, 2006. Web. 20 Apr 2011. <http://www.loc.gov/loc/legacy/loc.html>.