A Velocity of Being: Letters to A Young Reader

A New York Times Bestseller! ? An expansive collection of love letters to books, libraries, and reading, from a wonderfully eclectic array of thinkers and creators.An embarrassment of riches. The New York TimesIn these pages, some of todays most wonderful culturemakerswriters, artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and philosophersreflect on the joys of reading, how books broaden and deepen human experience, and the ways in which the written word has formed their own character. On the page facing each letter, an illustration by a celebrated illustrator or graphic artist presents that artists visual response.Among the diverse contributions are letters from Jane Goodall, Jerome Bruner, Shonda Rhimes, Ursula K. Le Guin, YoYo Ma, Judy Blume, Lena Dunham, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Jacqueline Woodson, as well as a ninetyeightyearold Holocaust survivor, a pioneering oceanographer, and Italys first woman in space. Some of the illustrators, cartoonists, and graphic designers involved are Marianne Dubuc, Sean Qualls, Oliver Jeffers, Maira Kalman, Mo Willems, Isabelle Arsenault, Chris Ware, Liniers, Shaun Tan, Tomi Ungerer, and Art Spiegelman.This project is woven entirely of goodwill, generosity of spirit, and a shared love of books. Everyone involved has donated their time, and all profits will go to the New York Public Library systems. This stunning 272page hardcover volume features a layflat binding to allow for greater ease of reading.