Joe

“Books...books are magic. That is the simple answer. And books are traps as well...Books are a form of magic because they span time and distance more surely than any spell or charm. What did so-and-so think about such-and-such two hundred years agone? Can you fly back through the ages and ask him? No-or at least, probably not. But, ah! If he wrote down his thoughts, if somewhere there exists a scroll, or a book of his logical discourses...he speaks to you! Across centuries! And if you wish to visit far Nascadu or lost Khandia, you have also but to open a book...A piece of writing is a trap, and the best kind. A book, you see, is the only kind of trap that keeps its captive-which is knowledge-alive forever. The more books you have, the more traps, then the better chance of capturing some particular, elusive, shining beast-one that might otherwise die unseen.”
― Tad Williams, The Dragonbone Chair