“It is a beautiful reminder that we don’t just collect books to read them, but to sourround ourselves with them. And in so doing, we place ourselves in the company of those who came before us, bringing them — in a sense — back to life.”
I have a library of books in my house that literally are my most favorite things I have the honor of hosting. They are “guests” in my home! And I do feel like each of them brings the author’s soul with it.
Thank you for such a beautiful piece! I loved every minute of it! 🙏✨
I once owned and had in my possession a reasonably large number of books, periodicals, and journals. They were all thrown in the garbage, given away, donated, or sometimes sold. I might have a few that I kept, but those are in other countries, or otherwise lost, stolen, or missing.
Today, I don't have a single book with me, and just a few magazines or newspapers.
Part of the reason is the 'internet'. Information is available and accessible on the internet, but books are sort of like keepsakes. They have dogears, pencil or pen marks, or other evidence of having been read.
I have read quite a few of Walter Isaacson's (A Favorite Author) Biographies. The one about Albert Einstein as I recall was missing some pages, and maybe had duplicated pages elsewhere later in the book. I got a little confused while reading the same passages for a 2nd time. It wasn't until I took an inventory of the pages that I realized there had been an error in the binding process. I almost thought it was an intentional joke by the publisher to dupe the reader.
“Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them; but as a rule the purchase of books is mistaken for the appropriation of their contents.”
I prefer to donate the books I read. The notes and summaries I take from the books are archived in Google Drive with my ebooks. They are tagged and indexed. In recent years, I have preferred electronic formats such as ePub or PDF.
You had me at:
“It is a beautiful reminder that we don’t just collect books to read them, but to sourround ourselves with them. And in so doing, we place ourselves in the company of those who came before us, bringing them — in a sense — back to life.”
I have a library of books in my house that literally are my most favorite things I have the honor of hosting. They are “guests” in my home! And I do feel like each of them brings the author’s soul with it.
Thank you for such a beautiful piece! I loved every minute of it! 🙏✨
thank you for this
I once owned and had in my possession a reasonably large number of books, periodicals, and journals. They were all thrown in the garbage, given away, donated, or sometimes sold. I might have a few that I kept, but those are in other countries, or otherwise lost, stolen, or missing.
Today, I don't have a single book with me, and just a few magazines or newspapers.
Part of the reason is the 'internet'. Information is available and accessible on the internet, but books are sort of like keepsakes. They have dogears, pencil or pen marks, or other evidence of having been read.
I have read quite a few of Walter Isaacson's (A Favorite Author) Biographies. The one about Albert Einstein as I recall was missing some pages, and maybe had duplicated pages elsewhere later in the book. I got a little confused while reading the same passages for a 2nd time. It wasn't until I took an inventory of the pages that I realized there had been an error in the binding process. I almost thought it was an intentional joke by the publisher to dupe the reader.
“Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them; but as a rule the purchase of books is mistaken for the appropriation of their contents.”
― Arthur Schopenhauer, Counsels and Maxims
Great read. After reading it, I searching for Benjamin's essay. For those interested
http://tems.umn.edu/pdf/Benjamin-3-11-Unpacking%20My%20Library.pdf
It’s the opening essay in his ‘Illuminations’, Pimlico, 1999, edited and introduced by Hannah Arendt, translated by Harry Zorn.
Loved this!! The intimate relationship bt the reader and their bookshelf is something difficult to put in words!
I prefer to donate the books I read. The notes and summaries I take from the books are archived in Google Drive with my ebooks. They are tagged and indexed. In recent years, I have preferred electronic formats such as ePub or PDF.