A book that I poke in every now and then is "Great Modern Reading," edited by W. Somerset Maugham, 1943. In the introduction, Maugham talks about the need of the public for books, and how the need seems unmet; libraries are great but ultimately far short, and book stores are quite rare, so the needs are only able to be satisfied by an extensive mailing system. He says he put together this anthology to help remedy the situation. I found this interesting mainly because, reading through it, it reads like it was written just yesterday. I'm fortunate to live near a few used bookstores and near one pretty big new one, and have three libraries no more than fifteen minutes of driving from my house, but even with all this I find my wants to be lacking. The libraries are well stocked, and there's usually something cool at the stores, but even with all of this, 90% of the time the books I really want have to be ordered online. My tastes are too niche, I guess. The introduction has a few other things to say, like how the classics seem dull to everyone and such.
>>3483There is a publisher called Crossway that generally has some pretty good theological books. They have a Reformed and Puritan leaning, so you'll be seeing that view. It's not comprehensive by any means, but it's something. Good luck on the journey.