And how could anyone consent to give up the smell of open books, old or new?

As you know, human history is full of evil deeds, and maybe we ought to think of them with tears, not fascination.

As a historian, I have learned that, in fact, not everyone who reaches back into history can survive it. And it is not only reaching back that endangers us; sometimes history itself reaches inexorably forward for us with its shadowy claws.

I love to cook and I've cooked a lot of Bulgarian food over the years.

You are a total stranger and you want to take my library book.

The heart does not go backward. Only the mind.

No book that is written for an external purpose is going to be a passionately felt book for the writer or the reader. I don't see the point in doing that.