Writing On The Walls Of The Nation’s Library

The Library of Congress may hold the nation’s collection of books, but those aren’t the only words in the building worth a visit.

The white marble building is a cathedral to the written word. Lofty inscriptions peer out from among the stone columns, murals of classical figures and twining vines that decorate the Great Hall.

“Words are also actions, and actions a kind of words,” one reads.

“In books lies the soul of the whole past time,” another says.

All the inscriptions go together, says historian John Cole, author of “On These Walls: Inscriptions and Quotations in the Library of Congress.” Cole has spent more than four decades in the building, and says it took him years to realize the message behind the quotations.

Listen to entire story on NPR

If you follow the link there is a slideshow that tours the hallways of the Library of Congress. I would direct link the slideshow but it is a java link so I cannot do that.