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The Delights of Reading: Quotes, Notes, & Anecdotes
A reader's miscellany.
139 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
34 people want to read
About the author
Otto L. Bettmann
16 booksOtto Ludwig Bettmann, known as "The Picture Man," was the founder of the Bettmann Archive. Bettmann is considered to have "virtually invented the image resource business."
In 1921, he enrolled in the University of Leipzig and studied history, German literature, and philosophy. At that time a university education consisted of spending time at a number of schools. Otto went to Freiburg for two years then returned to Leipzig to complete his dissertation. His title, "The Emergence of Professional Ethics in the German Book Trade of the Eighteenth Century" addressed the issue of copyright legislation. In retrospect this thesis became the raison d'être of his life and his claim to posterity.
In 1935, he immigrated to the United States from Nazi-controlled Germany, "arriving with a few personal effects and two steamer trunks bursting with photographs, line drawings, engravings, and art reproductions."
He spent the next five decades adding to his collection of images and meeting some of the cultural icons of the times such as Alfred Kinsey, Peter Max, and Stanley Marcus, a diverse collection of people. Artists, musicians, writers and people from all over the world would write to him, often sending little gifts.
In 1921, he enrolled in the University of Leipzig and studied history, German literature, and philosophy. At that time a university education consisted of spending time at a number of schools. Otto went to Freiburg for two years then returned to Leipzig to complete his dissertation. His title, "The Emergence of Professional Ethics in the German Book Trade of the Eighteenth Century" addressed the issue of copyright legislation. In retrospect this thesis became the raison d'être of his life and his claim to posterity.
In 1935, he immigrated to the United States from Nazi-controlled Germany, "arriving with a few personal effects and two steamer trunks bursting with photographs, line drawings, engravings, and art reproductions."
He spent the next five decades adding to his collection of images and meeting some of the cultural icons of the times such as Alfred Kinsey, Peter Max, and Stanley Marcus, a diverse collection of people. Artists, musicians, writers and people from all over the world would write to him, often sending little gifts.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 6, 2020
A slim and banal collection of quotes about literature, enlivened by a few of its better inclusions, like Hemingway:
"The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in shock-proof shit-detector."
"The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in shock-proof shit-detector."
June 23, 2019
Absolutely delightful. :-)
September 11, 2007
A collection of sometimes very fun and insightful quotes about reading. The book’s out of print, I guess. I found it on a bargain table and passed it on to a friend already, but I’ll be posting some of the quotes I copied into my notebook, over on “Share Quotes.”
November 16, 2009
Quotes and anecdotes about reading. I thoroughly enjoyed indulging in comments on my favorite pasttime.
November 6, 2016
For those of us who love to read, this is great. For those who do not -- you would not even be on this site.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews