This very short book has some real gems in it. Some quite famous authors and historians explain not only why they read but also why they buy books, and why they write. And while so many books about reading and writing focus on fiction, this one takes a slightly different path. One of the authors even takes on that distinction itself, between fiction and non-fiction. Why not, for example, books about gardening and books not about gardening? An uneven work, inevitably, as writers were clearly given considerable leverage regarding what they could write. But on the whole, an enjoyable way to spend an hour or two.