“Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.” — Francis Bacon

I first came across this quotation not through reading Francis Bacon (indeed, where I encountered it did not cite him at all), but in the book Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke. It is etched on a brass plaque on the workshop door of Mortimer Folchart, the book binder, known in the book also by name Silvertongue. For Mo (as he is called by his daughter), the quotation is not merely an expression of his love of books, but also a riddle and a warning, for Mo has the ability to give actual life to the characters in the books he reads should he read them aloud. He can even draw those figures out from the pages and into the real world or send them (and others) back. This was how he lost his wife, how he drew a villain who has been hunting him ever since, and how he drew out a rogue whose allegiance is doubtful, but who is trying to connive his own way back into his story.