Das Bücherhaus

This book can change your life!, Wall Street Journal. When young philosophy professor John Kaag discovers the forgotten library of William Ernest Hocking, one of the last great American thinkers, in the backcountry of New Hampshire, he can hardly believe his eyes. Among the half-decayed and rotting volumes, he finds numerous treasures: handwritten notes by Walt Whitman, annotated books from the collection of Robert Frost, countless letters from Pearl S. Buck – and even dozens of first editions of works by European intellectual giants. He decides to restore the books and embarks on an intellectual journey through the history of thought in America and its European foundations. Soon, he realizes that the great, life-affirming ideas in these books can also be practically used as tools for transforming his own life. This becomes especially true when a brilliant colleague joins him and helps with the work on the library. This fascinating book contains both a profound history of ideas in North America and the gripping true story behind the discovery of a lost library. It is a highly readable autobiography that revolves around the big questions of life: love, freedom, and the role that thinking can play when one seeks to reinvent oneself.