How Libraries Might Save Humanity’s Soul (Or At Least Preserve It)

We expect libraries to maintain an archive of humanity’s best thinking, but what if a library decided to put so-called “pulp fiction” on the shelves? The term refers to a category of cheaply printed books from the early 1900s about lust, sex, theft, betrayal and degradation that were so lowly regarded that most were “pulped” (destroyed) within a few years of printing. Yet this throwaway category of fiction does offer unique insights into our own “messy, fascinating and appalling” history wort...