Books were an important part of Marvin's artistic life. A good portion of his art was first sparked in some way by literature. He was a fast, voracious reader, and insisted on at least an hour a day of uninterrupted reading. He always had a book in his pocket, and would buy jackets only if they could accomodate a good sized paperback. Marvin's literary tastes were eclectic; he generally read both a fiction and a non-fiction book at the same time, and would find philosophical connections between the two.

Block printing was the perfect artistic medium for Marvin, because it is used so much for illustration. The books he'd read would find their way into his dreams, which he would then describe in one of a dozen journal/sketchbooks. When he was looking for a new image to draw and carve he would refer back to the accounting of a dream and an image, an illustration of the dream, would present itself to him!