Anne Fadiman shares a charming anecdote about a philosophy professor at her college whose young daughter developed a fascination with a portrait of the philosopher David Hume featured on a Penguin paperback. To accommodate her child's curiosity and protect the book, the professor had the cover laminated, allowing her daughter to chew on it while engaging with the image of Hume.

This playful gesture highlights the intersection of childhood discovery and intellectual curiosity, illustrating how even the simplest actions, such as preserving a book cover, can foster a lifelong love for literature and philosophy from an early age.