Jorge Luis Borges (1899 - 1986) loved encyclopedias so much that ultimately he became one; that metamorphosis has transformed literature for many readers around the world. One could hardly ask for a better guide into the vertiginous world of ideas as found in metaphysics, history, mathematics, &c. As he wrote only short pieces — essays, poems, and stories — the neophyte may want to sample from a curation like Ficciones. The Borges Center is a great supplement as well.