The world lost one of its most remarkable citizens: Dolly Parton. Upon her passing, the media and the public stood as one to salute her. Known across the globe as an icon of song, stage, and screen, she was equally extraordinary behind the scenes—quietly using her wealth, fame, and spirit to make the world a better place.
In 1995, she created the Imagination Library, a program that mails a free, high-quality books directly to children every month from birth until their fifth birthday. Dolly believed that early reading was crucial to navigating life successfully. Long before screen time dominated daily life, she saw physical books as a vital anchor. As a counterweight to declining educational standards and the rapid spread of short-form internet culture, she committed her resources to championing long-form reading and cognitive focus for the next generation.
What began as a modest initiative in rural Tennessee grew into a universal "Young Reader's Welcome Wagon." Today, the program delivers books to children across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and Australia. The scale of her vision is breathtaking: the foundation now mails over 3.5 million free books every month—roughly 110,000 every single day, or a new book delivered to a child's doorstep every 0.78 seconds. To date, the program has gifted over 300 million books worldwide.
We frequently encounter success in public life, and occasionally the famous turn out to be collectors or lovers of the printed word. All praise to them. But rarely do we see a superstar devote such a significant portion of her lifetime wealth and personal energy to lifting up children she would never meet. Leaving behind an estate estimated in the hundreds of millions, her financial legacy was structured to ensure the books keep coming long after her passing.
How and why did she do this? It was no random act. In her late 40s, knowing she would not have children of her own, she informally adopted millions of families instead. Her inspiration was deeply personal: her father, Robert Lee Parton, was a brilliant, hardworking man who never had the chance to learn to read or write due to childhood poverty. Dolly saw the quiet burden he carried and wanted to ensure no child ever felt that same barrier. Before he passed away, her father told her he was prouder of her being called "The Book Lady" than of all her fame and fortune.
By placing physical, tactile books into young hands—addressed directly to the child in the mail—Dolly Parton gave millions of children the pride of ownership, a love of deep reading, and a fair start in life. For that, the world owes her a debt of gratitude: Thanks 300 million Dolly.
Sotheby’s, Oct. 20: Euclid. Praeclarissimus Liber Elementorum in Artem Geometrie, Venice, Ratdolt, 25 May 1482, first edition of the first substantial mathematical work to appear in print, Durazzo copy.
Sotheby’s, Oct. 20: Galilei, Galileo. Sidereus nuncius …, Venice, 1610, first edition of the foundation of modern astronomy.
Sotheby’s, Oct. 20: Kepler, Johannes. Astronomia nova aitiologitos …, Prague or Heidelberg, 1609, first edition, contemporary vellum, the Chasles copy.
Sotheby’s, Oct. 20: Cellarius, Andreas. Harmonia macrocosmica seu atlas universalis et novus ..., Amsterdam, Jan Jansson, 1661, brilliantly handcolored.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 14: Bible, in English. Fine restoration binding in the style of the Queen’s binders.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 14: Magnus Hundt, the elder. First edition of one of the earliest printed books with anatomical illustrations.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 14: Agatha Christie. Cards on the Table. First edition.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 14: F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Beautiful and Damned. First edition, first printing.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 14: Isaac Asimov. I, Robot. First edition, presentation copy.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 14: Bible, in English. Geneva-Tomson-Junius. London: Robert Barker, [colophon 1612]/1611.
Gonnelli: Auction 72 Books, Autographs & Manuscripts October 6th-8th 2026
