The Library of Babel: Difference between revisions

* In Clifford Simak's "The Goblin Reservation", a crystal planet containing all the knowledge of the previous universe (the one before the last Big Bang) is offered as payment for the book's [[McGuffin]].

 

* The Library, so big it doesn't even need a name, just a The, from ''[[Doctor Who]]'' in "Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead."

** The Library is the entire planet. In fact, the moon is a virus checker. The Library {{spoiler|stored all the souls from all the people in The Library in The Library's computer core when Vashta Nerada began to kill everyone. It even gave them ''simulated lives''. }}

*** On a related note, the [[Doctor Who Expanded Universe]] [[Big Finish]] audio "The One Doctor" features Mentos, a being created for a game show that remarkably resembles The Weakest Link. It can answer any question by going back in time and finding the answer, essentially acting as a [[Library of Babel]]. [[Logic Bomb|It was only defeated by asking one question: What can't it answer?]]

* The school library in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' is an approximation of this, with all those arcane references back in the rear stacks.

** ''[[Angel]]'' has the templates, seemingly empty books that can retrieve any and all of the works in the extensive library of [[Occult Law Firm|Wolfram & Hart]].

* ''[[Warehouse 13]]'': Myka discovers that the eponymous [[Secret Government Warehouse|Warehouse]] also holds a massive library containing first editions of everything ever printed.

{{quote|'''Pete:''' Does that include comic books?}}

 

== Tabletop Games ==