In the StacksMichael Cart Libraries are created worlds. Row upon row of shelves holding miles and miles of books arranged meticulously down to the last decimal point, they combine the glories of a tale out of the Arabian Nights with the hidden terrors of an ordered, card-filed bureaucracy from Kafka. That the books within libraries contain terrors and pleasures aplenty has been a source of delight since before the Great Library of Alexandria, and for many budding writers and bookworms the public library off Main Street was the magic portal to new worlds. In In the Stacks, noted librarian Michael Cart has assembled the cream of twentieth century short fiction about libraries and librarians. They range from such classics as Isaac Babel's "The Public Library" to Jorge Luis Borges's tale about a library stretching into infinity ("The Library of Babel"), to such contemporary masters as Ray Bradbury ("Exchange"), Alice Munro ("Hard Luck Stories"), Francine Prose ("Rubber Life"), Nikki Giovanni ("The Library"), and others. Lunacy, love, obsession and the joy of reading are all gathered together in a volume most readers-and librarians of course-would agree is long overdue. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION BY MICHAEL CART | 7 |
LISA KOGER | 9 |
A General in the Library | 13 |
Copyright | |
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Alice Munro Anthony Boucher arette asked began called cards cobweb dark Delphine Delphine's desk Dillway door Eldred everything eyes face feel felt floor Garrett girl glanced hair hand head hear Isaac Babel Joann Greenberg Jorge Luis Borges Kate Katowice knew laughed leave librarian Lieutenant light Lissa listening live looked Lorrie Moore M.R. James MacDonald Marcie Maria Miss Lucy Miss Sigsbee Miss Vincent mother moved Myra Natalie Natalie's never Nick Noble night Olena paper Perera Pope reading room Roswell seemed sheriff Shirley silence smile soldiers someone sorry spider stairs staring stood stopped story supposed talk tell there's thing thought told Tom Swifties took town trying turned Ursula K Vespaluus voice waiting walked wanted watched window woman wondered Worsham