Sometimes he spent hours together in the great libraries of Paris, those catacombs of departed authors, rummaging among their hoards of dusty and obsolete works in quest of food for his unhealthy appetite. He was, in a manner, a literary ghoul, feeding in the charnel-house of decayed literature.

Washington Irving
About This Quote

This quote by Mark Twain describes the search for books that interested him. He loved reading and spent hours in libraries, searching for books on various subjects. He loved books so much that he was willing to search all over the world for the best ones. This had a negative effect on his health, however.

After many years of reading, he began to develop an unhealthy appetite. He would stay up late at night, reading in bed, with his lamp on--just lying there with his nose in a book, or with his nose buried in a book that he was reading in bed.

Source: Tales Of A Traveller

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