Welcome to Litsy!

The New York Public Library staff answers questions remarkable and preposterous, with illustrations by Barry Blitt. If you had a question before Google existed, how did you find an answer? In New York City, the choice was simple: �Ask the Library.� The New York Public Library has been fielding questions since its founding in 1895, first through its general reference desk, then with Telephone Reference and now with �Ask NYPL.� Whether in person, by phone, or by email, you can connect with a research librarian who can help you find an answer. Of course, some of the questions have left the librarians scratching their heads. A sampling of the questions the Library has received and collected (since records were kept) over the last 75 years include... In what occupations may one be barefooted? What time does a bluebird sing? What does it mean when you�re being chased by an elephant? What is the nutritional value of human flesh? ...and many more. In Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers, librarians and their staff across the NYPL system and the �Ask NYPL� desk today have answered 107 of the oddest, funniest, and most whimsical questions the Library has received. Ranging from questions about the life cycle of an eyebrow hair to where one can rent a guillotine in NYC, the librarians have dug through the archives to find thoughtful and often witty answers no matter how preposterous the question. Barry Blitt, one of The New Yorker�s best-known and beloved illustrators, has created twenty watercolors that bring the questions hilariously to life. Whether or not you�ve ever wondered if you can keep an octopus in a private home or how much Napoleon�s brain weighed, you�ll certainly want a copy.