Search by Vibes

This week, we want to celebrate a truth that many of you have helped us understand: you don't always know what you're looking for until you find it.

"Where do I start?" It's the single greatest question we hear. The classics can feel vast and intimidating. You might not know the exact title or author, but you know the feeling you're after: inspiration for a difficult conversation, wisdom for a new venture, understanding through a life event.

That's why we built vibe search.

Now, you can simply ask. "Help me build a vertical SaaS company." Okay, okay, jokes aside. How about, "I need courage to make a hard decision"? The library listens, understands, and guides you to the books and ideas that speak to your moment. Because the greatest books aren't always the ones we set out to find. They're the ones that find us when we need them most.

It may seem like a new idea, but this is how our heroes have always searched. Borges wandered library stacks for decades. Coleridge pulled books off shelves almost at random, reading across disciplines. Umberto Eco called it "the anti-library". He described the books you haven't read yet that inspire you by their presence. They all trusted the wandering, the serendipity, the vibe. What will you search for next?

Virginia Woolf once wrote, "The only advice, indeed, that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions."

With vibe search, we're honoring that instinct. Your questions, your curiosity, your unique path through the library. That's what matters most.

Together, we're proving that the classics aren't meant to be distant monuments. They're living companions, waiting to meet you wherever you are. We're so glad to be on this journey with you. As always, the library grows stronger with your feedback. Send us a note with your inspiration.

Book by Book

The Great Library of Alexandria stands as a beacon. It represents the wisdom of the ages, shaped by everyone who believes in its promise.

Book by book, author by author, topic by topic.

This week, we want to celebrate how the feedback from our community continues to help us build not just what you see, but the foundations that make it possible.

Together, we're shaping, as one community member beautifully put it, "every atom of the library."

We've been working diligently to expand the collection: adding more books, more voices, and more pathways to wisdom.

From Shelley's romantic poetry to Hayek's economic theory, from ancient Sufi mysticism to modern feminist literature, we're expanding across every tradition.

"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you."

— Mortimer Adler

Together, we're proving that the classics don't have to remain distant. They can be living, breathing conversations that transform how we think and how we live.

Book by Book

We’ve been diligently working to bring the entirety of the classics to the library. We’re pleased to share that we’ve added hundreds of new titles, with more to come each week. Each book represents another pathway to wisdom, another voice in the conversation between past and present, and another opportunity to find what speaks to you. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Please reach out and we’ll prioritize it.

Second Voice

As part of our mission to make the classics more accessible, relevant and meaningful, we run a newsletter called Second Voice. We write at the intersection of AI, Philosophy, and the Future of Learning, and highlight how timeless insights can illuminate our modern world. We also publish the work of thinkers and builders, many of whom are members of this community, who bring strong points of view, expressed with humility and nuance, and backed by compelling examples. We believe the classics inform our present and shape our future.

Community Reads

We've always believed great books spark even greater conversations when shared with others. We're excited to introduce 'Community Reads'—a weekly spotlight on what's resonating with readers right now. This week: we feature The Analects by Confucius. We want to ask: Would you be interested in having books in their original language?

Adorn Yourself

The Great Library has always been about more than books. It's about community. It's about gathering. It's about carrying ideas through the centuries.

We're very pleased to introduce a shop, which contains: Apparel for the Ages, Custom Art Works, and Totes to Carry the Conversation.

Because as Oscar Wilde said, “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”

Apparel for the Ages

Ideas never go out of style. Our Apparel for the Ages collection lets you wear your intellectual lineage with pride. Whether it’s a nod to Aristotle, a spark from Blake, or a line from Wilde, each piece is a conversation starter waiting for the right moment. Clothes fade. Ideas last.

Custom Art Works

The classics belong on more than just the page. Our Custom Art Works bring history’s greatest thinkers and texts into your space—prints that provoke, inspire, and remind you to think across centuries. It’s not décor, it’s dialogue.

Totes to Carry the Conversation

What’s more timeless than a good tote? Our Totes to Carry the Conversation hold not just books, but ideas worth sharing. Perfect for a trip to the library, a seminar, or a quiet café afternoon. Carry the classics, literally.

Highlight and Ask

Building The Great Library of Alexandria has always been a collaborative journey, and your voices continue to shape every step we take. We're humbled by the feedback, suggestions, and encouragement you've shared. Each message reminds us why this community matters.

Whether you've shared detailed suggestions or simply told us how you are finding the experience, please know that we're listening. Every piece of feedback becomes part of our roadmap.

This week's updates, Highlight and Ask, are a direct result of what you've told us matters most: the reading experience. Keep the conversations coming. Together, we're building something extraordinary.

Highlight

You've consistently asked for better highlighting capabilities in books, and we listened. Today we're introducing new functionality built around how you actually read. On your mobile device, simply tap to highlight. On desktop, click and drag. It's that easy. We realize that everyone reads differently, and we're eager to learn how you find the experience.

Ask Virgil

Time and again, we receive kind notes sharing just how magical conversations with Virgil can be. We like to call it "magic in the margins". Now, we've made it even easier to experience your conversations. You can ask Virgil a question directly from any text with just one click. Simply highlight, and you'll see the option to ask Virgil about that specific selection.

Community Reads

We've always believed great books spark even greater conversations when shared with others. We're excited to introduce 'Community Reads'—a weekly spotlight on what's resonating with readers right now. This week: we feature The Iliad by Homer. But, we want to ask: What is one book that you've always wanted to read, but just haven't yet? Would you be interested in joining a book group around that title?

Spark Conversations

Every idea starts as a whisper. A comment, a request, a spark — and suddenly, the library grows. Do you have an insight, a frustration, or a dream feature? Tell us. We'd love to hear from you. Alexandria isn't built for readers. It's built by them. The next great idea could start with you.

Explore Sparks

Our daily sparks just got a new home. We’ve redesigned them, given each its own page, and brought them front and center on the Explore tab. Why? Because we heard you. Readers told us these sparks inspire, guide, and deserve more space, so we made them easier to find, share, and dive deeper into. Now, when a spark catches your eye, you can jump straight to the quote, explore the book it came from, or even start a conversation with Virgil about the inspiration behind it. And if one really resonates, you can collect it on your study for easy access anytime.

One Click

We’re making it easier to turn moments of insight into conversations that matter. With our redesigned Sparks, you can capture passages that resonate and instantly share them: to spark dialogue. This update was directly inspired by your feedback. Readers told us they wanted a way to turn favorite lines into living conversations. A great line isn’t meant to live in isolation. It’s an invitation. New design, same philosophy: ideas are meant to be explored together.