 By extension the phrase is understood by Umberto Eco (in "The Name of the Rose") as "Books share their fates with their readers".In a talk about book collecting, titled "Unpacking My Library" from "Illuminations", Walter Benjamin cites the expression in its short form, noting that the words are often intended as a general statement about books; Benjamin's book collector, by way of contrast, applies them to himself and to the specific copies he collects.It is quoted by James Joyce in a letter, dated April 2, 1932, to American publisher Bennett Cerf, a letter requested by Cerf concerning the details of the publication of Joyce's novel "Ulysses".