Self-proclaimed bibliophile, culture nut and nerdfighter. English lit. and linguistics geek. Future career in publishing.
We had been married in this loft, in full view of our mutually quarantined Melvilles. Promising to love each other for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health -- even promising to forsake all others -- had been no problem, but it was a good thing the Book of Common Prayer didn't say anything about marrying our libraries and throwing out the duplicates. That would have been a far more solemn vow, one that would probably have caused the wedding to grind to a mortifying halt.
- Excerpt from "Marrying Libraries"
p. 3-4
Note: The review below was taken directly from my Goodreads account.
Ex Libris is a book about books and book lovers. Fadiman details her life with books in a collection of short essays.
As enjoyable as this little read was, I have to say that I disagree with Fadiman in some ways: I don't think readers are so clear-cut in the way they love books (carnal vs. courtly); and, as a budding linguist, her essay on grammar "The His'er Problem" (not "r/ Inseʌt a Carrot /e", because that one is fantastic) is infuriating to read. I have enough trouble dealing with my own feelings on grammar (descriptive vs. prescriptive), I don't need to suffer through hers as well.