When Dan Pelzer passed away on July 1 at age 92, he left behind something extraordinary: a handwritten list of every book he read from 1962 onward. Thousands of titles, carefully logged over six decades—all borrowed from the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
Now, thanks to his family, that list is available to the public at what-dan-read.com. It spans 109 pages and includes everything from Cold War thrillers and literary fiction to courtroom dramas and historical epics—a quiet record of a lifetime spent reading.
Pelzer’s daughter shared the story with the library, writing:
“Nobody loved the library more than Dan. When we were little, he took us to the downtown library every Saturday morning and enrolled us in every summer reading program. He was a regular at the Livingston and then Whitehall branches until he could no longer read.”
His family considered printing the list to distribute at his funeral, but it was simply too long. Instead, they digitized it. In his obituary, they encouraged mourners to read “a real page-turner” in lieu of sending flowers.
A quick scan through the archive reveals a mix of popular fiction, history, biographies, and more, including books like The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Presumed Innocent, and A Man Called Ove. The entries are simple—just titles and dates—but the accumulation is deeply moving. Over time, the list becomes a kind of autobiography told through library checkouts.
In an era of algorithm-driven recommendations and digital reading goals, Pelzer’s handwritten archive is a reminder of the quiet joy of following your own literary path—and the power of a public library to shape a life.
Whether you’re looking for a new book recommendation, or just need a little reminder of the joy of reading for reading’s sake, Dan’s list is a surprisingly moving place to start.
You can explore his full collection at what-dan-read.com. Then go read a real page-turner, for Dan.
