Provenance ownership, and of evidence left in books that shows how readers interacted with them. Provenance studies may shed light on the books themselves, providing evidence of the role particular titles have played in social, intellectual and literary history. Such studies may also add to our knowledge of particular owners of books. For instance, looking at the books owned by a writer may help to show which works influenced him or her. Many provenance studies are historically focused, and concentrated on books owned by writers, politicians and public figures. The recent ownership of books is studied, however, as is evidence of
To be, or not to be to make a point about "extremism in defense of liberty." P.D. James' dystopian novel "The Children of Men" (1992) refers to expected or forced mass suicides of the elderly as "Quietus". The film adaptation "Children of Men" (2006) portrays a self-administered home suicide kit, labelled "Quietus". "Star Trek"'s was named after the "Undiscovered Country" line from this soliloquy. References are made to Shakespeare during the film including Klingon translations of his works and the use of the phrase "taH pagh, taHbe' ", roughly meaning "whether to continue, or not to continue [existence]." The book (and later film) "What Dreams May