Library of Congress

Popova read Whitman's original notebooks at the Library of Congress to write accurately about him. For her seven-year book, Maria Popova read Walt Whitman's notebooks held at the Library of Congress. She also read Mary Shelley's journals at the Bodleian.

Popova reads everything a person wrote, public and private, when writing about people across a 200-year gap. She says relying only on what is preserved digitally will misrepresent a life: "it's a real responsibility to do it honorably, to do it as accurately as you can."

How I Write▶ 3:25

The Library of Congress asked to add The Marginalian to its permanent archive. The library asked to make The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings) part of its permanent archive.

How I Write