Protectors of the Written Word

by Vincent Phan

Discover 25 amazing stories.

If you follow the news, you’ll find that our world may very well seem like the preface of a bad 1950s dystopian novel.

Protectors of the Written Word helps us rediscover that our world is also filled with kind souls, showing humanity at its best. These wonderful human-beings aren’t just protecting books but humanity as a whole. In essence, this book shows evidence that we are in charge of our future. That we’re able to rise through incredible challenges, and foster a sense of unity helping us rise above our differences to provide the best possible opportunities for future generations.

Genres: Nonfiction

340 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2025

Reviews

[Dessa Song · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Protectors of the Written Word" by Vincent Phan is a heartfelt and inspiring tribute to the people around the world who work—often quietly and against the odds—to promote literacy and expand access to books. The stories in this collection are genuinely wonderful. I loved reading about teachers, librarians, activists, and everyday individuals who devote themselves to ensuring that others can read, learn, and grow. Their passion is contagious, and the book left me feeling uplifted and grateful for the real-world heroes who champion the written word.

What holds the book back from a full five stars is the editing. The content is strong, but the execution could have benefited from a more careful editorial hand. There are noticeable issues: repeated sentences and paragraphs, incomplete sentences, and occasional grammatical errors that pull you out of the narrative. None of these flaws ruin the reading experience, but they do distract from what could have been a truly polished and powerful collection.

Still, the heart of the book shines. If you’re interested in literacy, global education, or stories of people making a difference, this is absolutely worth reading.

[Chr*s Browning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look, the idea behind this book is solid - the promotion of literacy and the preservation of historical/cultural continuity via libraries will always be important - and many of these stories are interesting (although I’d be interested in the selection criteria - there’s several clear themes (booksellers, free community libraries either traveling or centrally located, book clubs, archivists - the only one that really stands out as forced is the Kickstarter employee who helped the book’s campaign - possibly the most aggravatingly written nothing-burger of any of these chapters) but no clear organization, either by theme or region, so it often feels like reading disconnected and repetitive press releases, no more so than when there’s 4 European booksellers in a row, with all more or less the same in challenges and approach), but the book as it exists is awful, probably the worst thing my dad has ever gifted me after seeing an ad for on Facebook. Clearly work was put into the presentation of book as object - gilded edges, faux leather cover, slipcover, bold lettering with “First Edition” on the spine (my personal preferences mean I think all of these are stupid at best and ugly at worst - why does a book about literacy promotion have a bunch of animals on the cover and why is there an ugly pull quote from the nominal author on the back (I mean, it’s because he’s a post-corporate narcissist but why from a design perspective)) - but apparently no work was put into the editing of this book as a text. 125k in Kickstarter funding (allegedly) and they couldn’t get a single beta reader? Not one? Typos abound, but it’s often worse than that - entire clauses are repeated in the space of a few pages, lines from one chapter are somehow copied and dropped randomly into sentences in another chapter (how does that happen?), other clauses are dropped entirely, italicization is inconsistent throughout, quotes are butchered or given incorrect (or non-existent) pronouns? transitions never seem to proceed logically, in at least one place an entire page’s worth of paragraphs are repeated - it’s messy and it feels tacky. Even beyond that, if there wasn’t constant errors in formatting and copy/paste problems, the language is the sort of mush-mouthed corporate copy that alludes at themes but never really means anything - it’s easy to read, but it leaves you with the barest summary, and a bad taste at that when the summary is repeated 3-4 times with very different language over the course of a 15 page chapter. Speaker tags and modifiers are the worst culprits - I don’t need a restatement with an “Emphasizing the x of y” every time a person is quoted - but there’s also just a paucity of real examples here - everything is just touched with the barest gloss and we are expected to think it means anything. If I took a shot every time “transformative potential” or “resilience” were mentioned, I would have developed late stage alcoholism by the 200th page. You can’t expect me to think you value literacy as something meaning more than “fancy book on shelf” if your actual text is this shoddy. All flash no bang, avoid at all cost unless compelled to read because it was gifted to you. Even then read it as fast as you can and throw it on the donate pile.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why go to all the trouble of producing a nice hardback book with a ribbon bookmark and slipcase and then fail to proofread it properly? There are places where the text is practically duplicated and some half sentences. The photographs are okay but the illustrations are unnecessary padding and I don't like the style. The style of the endpapers does not match the style of the book cover. The work of the people featured is laudable but as there is an essential sameness to what they are doing it is all gets a bit repetitive.

[Duane Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, but apparently unedited. The idea and apparent research were super, but there are many typos, errors, repetitions, etc. There is an outstanding array of characters, people that are special at keeping real books available, sometimes in places where they are unlikely to be otherwise found.

With editing, this would have been an outstanding addition to any reader's library!

[Teri Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were some really weird editing errors, with phrases, sentences and sometimes even whole paragraphs being repeated. However, if you can push past that, it's still a really great read. I own a LFL myself so I really felt connected to the individuals in the stories. It gives me hope for the future.

[Wcarter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book with fascinating stories and characters, but this self-published books has appalling editing with duplicated paragraphs, missed sentences and nonsensical text in some places.
Well laid-out, but cannot give five stars due to the editing.

[Abeer Arain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. However, the editing mistakes are shocking!

[Cheryl Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures and inspiring stories.

[Aimée]

DNF due to too many sentences appearing twice. Contacted publisher and will adjust review when answered.

[Matthew Harwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of stories covering the work of special people who have devoted their lives to ensuring that books are available for everyone.