There is nothing harder, at moments, than talking to someone who has all the power of silence.

When you handle books all day long, every new one is a friend and a temptation.

He brought his great hand to rest on an early edition of Bram Stoker's novel and smiled, but said nothing. Then he moved quietly away into another section.

I keep telling myself I should try very hard to write a novel of about 210 pages... I don't seem to be capable of it, but I keep hoping it will happen.

...what will we someday do, I always wonder, without the pleasures of turning through books and stumbling on things we never meant to find?

It touched me to be trusted with something terrible.

The thing that most haunted me that day, however...was the fact that these things had - apparently - actually occurred...For all his attention to my historical education, my father had neglected to tell me this: history's terrible moments were real. I understand now, decades later, that he could never have told me. Only history itself can convince you of such a truth. And once you've seen that truth - really seen it - you can't look away.