I'm no stranger to old books, but apparently I can still be surprised at how readable (and often funny) a 900-page doorstopper from the 1740s can be. Some of Fielding's observations -- about literary critics in the 18th Century, say, or the "moralizing" of puppet shows to ensure children are force-fed "godly lessons" while denied the corrupting nature of humor -- hold up to this day. There's something special about reading voices from centuries ago and feeling like people haven't changed all that much.