There's certainly not much joy here, other than Eric Burns' brief dalliance with Peter Pan as a child you would think that he didn't really love them all that much. This is a history of the book from ancient times to the twentieth century focusing primarily on censorship and the nasty politicians and religious zealots who tried to control or destroy books. The peevish and opinionated Mr. Burns sucks the joy out of this one. He has a literary axe to grind. ( )

This is a delightful and very personal commentary on books and reading shared by a passionate lifelong reader. All who love books can identify with Eric Burns, who has been associated with broadcast networks as a journalist, and most recently as a writer on the history of the media. He discusses both the reader and the writer in his short book and catalogs some of his reading over the years. He includes a suggested reading list of fiction and no-fiction books that is likely to inspire most readers to add to their own list of favorites. This is a very personal book that demonstrates the author's love of reading on every page, yet like other similar books I found an interest in the connection with this reader and his personal story. ( )