Who said: "A book is one of the most patient of all man's inventions."

"A book is one of the most patient of all man's inventions. Centuries mean nothing to a well-made book. It awaits its destined reader, come when he may, with eager hand and seeing eye. Then occurs one of the great examples of union, that of a man with a book, pleasurable, sometimes fruitful, potentially world-changing, simple; and in a public library...without cost to the reader."
- Lawrence Clark Powell


Librarian, writer and critic, Lawrence Clark Powell (1906-2001) was born in Washington, DC, USA, and raised in California where his father managed Sunkist Growers. He worked as a library administrator at the University of California, Los Angeles until 1971 when he moved to the University of Arizona to teach English and write about the American South West. During his life he wrote hundreds of articles and reviews and about a dozen books, including The Alchemy of Books (1954) and Books In My Baggage (1960). A more complete biography, including photos and a bibliography of some of his works, is available at the University of California, Los Angeles website.

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This quote & biography originally ran in an issue of BookBrowse's membership magazine. Full Membership Features & Benefits.