American Diary

Melvil Dewey: After All These Years, Still a Force for Order. On his 80th birthday on December 10, 1931, Melvil Dewey wrote a letter stating that he was “not a watch to be discarded but lyk a sun dial wher no wheels get rusti or slip a cog or get tired & long for rest.” It was a great statement and while he died sixteen days later, invalidating the sentiment in its corporal interpretation, the words deserve to live on as a testament to his still perversely lasting contribution to bibliographic order and coherence.