In 1515, when gasparo contarini failed in his bid to become an attorney for the Venetian government, he knew just where to go. he retreated to his villa and picked up a book, claiming that “it is better to converse in the study with Plato, with the Bible, or with similar authors, than to study the cases of thieves.” Readers might readily agree. Given the choice between unfettered hours of reading or the rough and tumble world of criminal courts, many of us (at least in theory) would prefer to spend our time alone with books. A corresponding celebration of what writers do is expressed in the following poem by Contarini's friend Vittoria Colonna:

Here is the writer's craft at its most appealing: Colonna wrote because she was inspired, and writing gave full expression to her love.

This palpable sense of satisfaction about reading and writing may be timeless; certainly it was widespread in Contarini and Colonna's day. When their good friend Reginald Pole created daily routines with hours set aside for reading, he fulfilled an ideal embraced by many contemporaries.