How a volume of the Oxford English Dictionary lit the path…

The first time I visited Oliver Sacks on Wards Island northeast of Manhattan, I had mislaid the house number but knew the name of the street. It was evening, wintertime; the slightly sloping street was icy. I parked and tiptoed along the icy pavement looking into every lit-up home. None of the windows had curtains. Through one window I saw a man sprawled on a sofa with one of the hefty volumes of the OED propped on his chest. I knew that had to be him, and so it was. Our first subject was the dictionary; for him as well, it was the books of books.

– Werner Herzog

This passage alone is worth the hardback price of Herzog’s newest book; Every man for himself and God against all.

From: Herzog, Werner. Every Man for Himself and God Against All. New York: Penguin Press, 2023.