There are books that are central to human development and that have changed history over centuries. While we are aware of them, we know we will not read them. Our understanding of these influential ideas are from other people or secondary sources. Can a book respond like a person? We describe the design, development and preliminary testing of the “Synthor” (Synthetic Thought Generator) – a computational scheme that attempts to mimic conversation with a person who is knowledgeable about a book.