Americans have always loved to read. The first pilgrims brought their Bibles with them, and the Good Book was well-thumbed. The Founding Fathers were avid readers of philosophy and history, and their arguments for freedom were informed and sharpened by knowledge in the books by British and European thinkers.

The Declaration of Independence was grounded in the poetic cadences drawn from Thomas Jefferson's knowledge of the language, which grew from his extensive library. The first books ...

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