You may know American photojournalist Steve McCurry for his famous photograph “Afghan Girl” — as well you should — but he’s no one trick pony. This week, Underground NYPL tipped us off to a gorgeous photo series of people reading around the world that McCurry recently posted on his blog, and we were completely blown away. Spanning the globe from Canada to Kashmir and augmented with choice quotes about the joy of reading from a few famous names, including McCurry himself, the series is a phenomenal ode to the universality and wonder of literature in any language. Click through to see some of our favorite photographs, and then head over to his blog to check out even more shots — they’re all truly fantastic.
Thailand. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
India. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
Kashmir. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
Germany. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
Burma. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
India. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
France. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
Italy. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
Tibet. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
China. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
Korea. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
Canada. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
Turkey. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
Afghanistan. Photo credit: Steve McCurry
Yemen. Photo credit: Steve McCurry