On May 23, 1911, in a ceremony presided over by President William Howard Taft, the New York Public Library, the largest marble structure ever constructed in the United States, was dedicated in New York City. Occupying a two-block section of Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets, the monumental beaux-arts structure took 14 years to complete at a cost of $9 million. The day after its dedication, the library opened its doors to the public, and some 40,000 citizens passed through to make use of a collection that already consisted of more than a million books.
Take our vocab quiz and let’s see if Presently Genius is a fitting title for your biography.
1. athenaeum
(a) a reading, viewing, or listening public
(b) drama suited primarily for reading rather than production
(c) a building or room in which books, periodicals, and newspapers are kept for use
(d) a raised platform in a synagogue from which the Torah is read
2. bookstall
(a) a person unusually devoted to reading and study
(b) British: a collection of books
(c) British: a newsstand
(d) British: a bookshop
3. bibliopole
(a) a person who has a love of books and especially of reading
(b) one who reads copy for a proofreader
(c) a device for projecting a readable image of a transparency
(d) a dealer especially in rare or curious books
4. bookish
(a) affectedly learned
(b) easy to read or understand
(c) able to read but unable to write
(d) well-informed or deeply versed through reading
5. codex
(a) a commonly accepted text or reading
(b) a manuscript book especially of Scripture, classics, or ancient annals
(c) a short informative piece of writing
(d) a composite reading or text
6. bookplate
(a) a book owner's identification label that is usually pasted to the inside front cover of a book
(b) drama suited primarily for reading rather than production
(c) a stand used to support a book or script in a convenient position for a standing reader or speaker
(d) the side of a leaf (as of a manuscript) that is to be read first
7. envoi
(a) the side of a leaf (as of a manuscript) that is to be read second
(b) variant reading
(c) the usually explanatory or commendatory concluding remarks to a poem, essay, or book
(d) writings or statements of dubious authenticity
8. carrel
(a) a table that is often partitioned or enclosed and is used for individual study especially in a library
(b) a book containing a blacklist
(c) a piece of furniture consisting of shelves to hold books
(d) a form filled out by a library patron for a desired book
9. fescue
(a) a saccular breathing organ in many arachnids containing thin folds of membrane arranged like the leaves of a book
(b) a small pointer (as a stick) used to point out letters to children learning to read
(c) the numbering of the leaves of a manuscript or early printed book
(d) a book bound in hard covers
10. saccade
(a) an illustration preceding and usually facing the title page of a book or magazine
(b) the title of a book appearing alone on a right-hand page immediately preceding the title
(c) a book containing all that is said or sung at mass during the entire year
(d) a small rapid jerky movement of the eye especially as it jumps from fixation on one point to another (as in reading)
Correct answers:
1c; 2c; 3d; 4a; 5b; 6a; 7c; 8a; 9b; 10d
Let’s describe you in terms of books:
| # Correct | The Book on You |
| All 10 | You’re about as learned as the chief librarian at the NYPL. |
| 7-9 | At least you know that word above is pronounced ler-ned. |
| 4-6 |
Your brain is like a dime novel. |
| 2-3 | Your brain is considering filing Chapter 11. |
| 0-1 | Let’s face it: The only thing you have that’s dog-eared is… your dog. |
Intro text: history.com
Definitions: Merriam-Webster 11th Collegiate Dictionary
