A Bookworm Passed Away at 92 and Left a 109‑Page List of Every Book He Ever Read

Dan Pelzer, a 92-year-old bookworm, passed away recently and left a book listing all the titles he’d ever read since 1962. It added up to an impressive number—over 5,000. You could call it a “storied” legacy.

A Bookworm Passed Away, but Left a Giant Log of 5,000 Books He Read

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The handwritten list of titles spanned 109 pages. Rather than printing out 109 pages for each person who attended his funeral, Dan’s family members uploaded the list on a website called What Dan Read.

The man’s love of reading began in 1962 when he served in the Peace Corps in Nepal.

“After discovering a library of about 150 paperbacks, he started documenting every book he read,” the obituary reads. “Over the next six decades, he read more than 5,000 books.”

He Preferred John Grisham to James Joyce

“While Dan conquered all the classics and read every volume to the end, he much preferred John Grisham to James Joyce, calling Ulysses ‘pure torture,’“ the obituary reads.

A few books he read were Flying Colours by C.S. Forrester, Stained Glass by William E. Bachley, True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy, and The Second Mountain by David Brooks.

Every Single Book Came From a Special Place

Even more interesting is that all 5,000+ titles were from the Columbus Metropolitan Library in Ohio.

“ALL of his books were Columbus Metropolitan Library books. Nobody loved the library more than Dan,” his daughter, Marci, said.

“When we were little, he took us to the downtown library every Saturday morning and enrolled us in every summer reading program,” Marci told the library. “He was a regular at the Livingston and then Whitehall branches until he could no longer read. I'm sure he would be among your highest circulation and longest term borrowers.”

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The Books Were Dan’s Sweet Escape

Dan had worked a lot of security jobs, and books were his sweet escape. 

“When it got quiet and he picked up a book, “All of the sudden I’d be in the South Pacific,” Dan said. 

His family asked that, in place of flowers, mourners donate to the Kinship Community Food Center. 

“You could also honor Dan by reading ‘a real page turner,’” the family added.

It’s remarkable that Dan thought of recording all of these books, and 5,000 is quite a number. It’s a wonderful legacy. His children and grandchildren will always have a source to go to if they want to remember and feel connected to him!

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h/t: People

Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Columbus Metropolitan Library

Michaela Gordoni is an avid reader and part-time globe-trotter. With a bachelor's degree in International Relations and experience in the non-profit world, she has a passion for people and reporting. You can check out her portfolio here.