The essays in this book originally appeared, in slightly different form, in Civilization magazine.
Published in 1998 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York. First paperback edition, 2000. 162 pages.

The blurb:
“Each essay is a model of clarity and lightly worn erudition, and speaks volumes about the author's appreciation for people as well as books.” —The New Yorker
ANNE FADIMAN is-by her own admission-the sort of person who learned about sex from her father's copy of Fanny Hill, whose husband buys her nineteen pounds of dusty books for her birthday, and who once found herself poring over a 1974 Toyota Corolla manual because it was the only written material in her apartment that she had not read at least twice.
Ex Libris recounts a lifelong love affair with books and language. For Fadiman, as for many passionate readers, the books she loves have become chapters in her own life story. Writing with remarkable grace, she revives the tradition of the well-crafted personal essay, moving easily from anecdotes about Coleridge and Orwell to tales of her own pathologically literary family. As someone who played at blocks with her father's twenty-two-volume set of Trollope (“My Ancestral Castles”) and who considered herself truly married only when she and her husband had merged collections (“Marrying Libraries”), she is exquisitely well equipped to expand upon the art of flyleaf inscriptions, the perverse pleasures of compulsive proofreading, the allure of long words, and the satisfactions of reading aloud. Perfectly balanced between humor and erudition, Ex Libris establishes Fadiman as one of our finest contemporary essayists.
“A smart little book that one can happily welcome into the family and allow to start growing old.” —Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times
“A lovely collection of essays on a family's love affair with books and words, a passion passed from her parents to her children.” —Bob Minzesheimer, USA Today

About the author:
Anne Fadiman is the editor of The American Scholar. Recipient of a National Book Critics Circle Award for her first book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (FSG, 1997), she has written for The New Yorker, Civilization, Harper's, Life, and The New York Times, among other publications. She and her family recently moved from New York City to western Massachusetts.

Anne Fadiman at Wikipedia

I knew I'd like Ex Libris and I did. I enjoy the way Anne Fadiman writes. (I'm not sure if I'd really call her a common reader, though. But it doesn't matter.) Ex Libris is really nice piece of work, but I don't think I need to hold on to this book any longer. It's free to travel, and I'm sure it'll find a good new home.

Thanks for putting Ex Libris on you wishlist. I had a reason to read it, finally. :)
Have a wonderful summer! And enjoy the Summer Meet-Up in Tampere.

Gee, thanks, a wishlist book! An added bonus to the weekend full of books.

Where do I begin? This is going to be a long journal, so take a seat.
The writer has a light and easy flow with words which is always enjoyable to read. She is witty and funny. There were many déjavus when reading the stories. BUT I would have enjoyed the book even more if the Fadimans hadn't been so great. So perfect. We Finns are accused of undue modesty. This lady would benefit if she could somehow gain at least a drop of modesty. It wasn't disturbing in every chapter or perhaps it cumulated towards the end.
But back to the bits I particularly did enjoyed. Oh, poor English polar explorers! I've had a book about Scott's journey for almost 30 years, perhaps I ought to read it. Shackleton's book is a bit more recent acquisition, say 15 years? Still unread. Perhaps I dare to read them now that I know that only the beastly Norwegians ate their sled dogs. But poor Scott, he dragged 35 pounds of fossiled rocks for 400 miles - and starved to death eleven miles from a supply camp.
The Danish chambermaid had style writing: "SIR, YOU MUST NEVER DO THAT TO A BOOK" when one was left on its belly. I was taught from early on to use a bookmark. And never to fold a corner to mark the page. And no commentary on the pages except corrections to spelling mistakes and such. With a pencil, so it can be erased. My dad couldn't read a book without making these corrections.
There is also a little proofreader in me as it gives me pleasure to find errors from already printed and supposedly corrected and approved text. I was in Ireland a few weeks ago and the Irish are often described as simpletons. There is even a postcard letter from Mom to Son which begins: "Dear Son, I'm writing this very slowly 'cause I know you can't read very fast..." I was sitting in my hotel loo, staring at a note on the wall saying: "In case you need help with anything, call assisance." I laughed out loud. In the book there was also an Irish misspelling in a tattoo: "Fighing Irish".
I've suggested to a couple of drug companies that I could proofread their labels, instructions and suchlike as that material is really expensive to change. I almost always find something in their texts. Like when a new de-worming tablet came to market and I took the instructuctions out. It read: "Dosage: None." So far they haven't taken up my offer.
Ms Fadiman states that proofreaders are usually tidy?????? Perhaps that is the reason I'm not a real proofreader.
Ms Fadiman gave many examples of spelling mistakes and my favourite was "Prince of Whales".
Reading aloud was something the Fadimans did - and so did we. Mother still remembers how horrible it was when a new translation of Pippi Longstocking came out as each time she read "Mrs Lahtinen" I corrected "Mrs Cettergren". Our Christmas story was not from the Bible, but from "Orm the Red", the Viking story of Frans G. Bengtsson. When my brother was asked to read a bedtime story to me he tested the power of intonation: When he read in monotonious voice I fell asleep immediately, even if it was my favourite book. If he read in an eager voice, using different tones I was alert as boy scout - even if it was his fishing manual he read aloud. And when my dog was depressed in an animal hospital I went there to be with her and read to her in a tender voice - "The Hound of the Baskervilles".
I never found any daring books from my parents' bookshelves. Not that I would have gone looking, either, as the books adults read were boring. I used to get a pile of books every Christmas and many were such that my parents just said:"These are for the time you are a bit older." I never even looked at them, I just placed them behind my own books. Once a friend of mine came to visit and spotted the back row. "What are those?" she asked. "Books I'm supposed to read when I'm older." She was looking them through in no-time and then said dissapointedly: "But they aren't at all racy!" I was so naïve I didn't even know what she meant. It was two summers ago I finally carried all my Paavo Haavikko -books to a sh-bookshop as I decided that I'm never going to be mature enough to read him. Sorry folks, but that's how it is. Classics and so called good literature are boring.
Here comes the next semi-mutual feature: Fadiman says she will remember and hold dear those moment she talked about books with her parents. Well, as said, my taste is not classics or good literature, but I do remember how my parents discussed literature with my elder brothers. I also remember the shame when one of my friends was over and listened to a dry but heated conversation and when we got back to my room she said: "Horrible! I didn't understand a word! They are like from another planet." Unlike Fadiman, I'm not that proud over my alien family.
I'm not sure what to do with the book. Half way through I thought I would want to keep it, but towards the end I started to doubt wheather I want to re-read all that self-praise. I'll keep it for a while and see if it can be read over.
Edit: Now I remembered the Marriage of the Libraries. Forgot to comment: I'm not married, but I'm sure I would not rush into mixing my books with just anybody's! I've done some hen-sitting at a friends' house (they have a chicken-house) and noticed that they have united their libraries but they haven't gotten rid off the spare copies. At least if the marriage fails they still have their own books...

So much for re-reading; this was on VeganMedusa's long, versatile and very interesting mix of wishes and I tagged her with it. Off to New Zealand, Mrs. Fadiman!

Thanks, kirjakko!

I did love a lot of what she was writing about, but I found the author and her entire family came across as a bunch of insufferably pretentious snobs. I wouldn't want to meet any of them (I'm excluding George - he sounds lovely) because they'd just look down on me from their Fadiman U thrones.
So, a mixed bag for me. She really does need a touch of Finnish modesty!
This will be travelling on to another bookcrosser soon.

Posted for the Southern Cross Book Exchange 2013.

Thanks for this wishlist book, VeganMedusa.

I enjoyed these essays. I like her silliness over books.

Sent to sarahmangan for the Book a Month Offer.

Thank you so much - this arrived today. Looks a really interesting read.