There's just something about books. I love the experience of reading a book. The feel of the cover, the rustling of pages. The smell of ink and paper (and maybe even a highlighter). There are the pricey textbooks, with their glossy pages, whose shininess is a foe to be reckoned with when attempting to read under adequate lighting. I haven't seen a true textbook in years, thank God. Dry as kindling but sparking knowledge if the reader is disciplined enough. I can't tell you how many textbooks I only read halfway. Then there are the cheaply printed variety of books. The reward for paying them attention is a black thumb and smudge marks in the margins, and perhaps a dog-eared page here and there, and a broken spine. I try never to break a spine or disfigure a page, although some of the longer books are almost impossible not to injure (City of God, for one). Some books I highlight and mark all over; others are much too sacred. I think my Greek New Testament only has one verse underlined, and that done with a light pencil stroke.
Each book contains a bit of paradise--a sanctuary of the mind. They are time machines: Copleston's A History of Philosophy, Vol 1 transports me to ancient Greece; The Abolition of Man transports me to the present and future--as though I were a visitor from the past. They are precious jewels, if one is willing to search for them. They are new worlds to be explored from the comfort of one's living room! They were died for in the past--scarce and sacred. They are at our fingertips now by the millions--omnipresent and overlooked.
People wonder when the book will become obsolete. I hope never. The tactile experience of a book is much too precious to be lost, and it can never be replaced by technology.
Give me a book, and I will be happy.
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3 comments:
Amen and amen.
Write on, bro! I was looking for a pithy quote to back up my admiration for the printed word, when I came across an interesting article here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/70983/page/1
It made some intriguing points, but didn't convince me that any new technology will replace the real experience of a book. There are a dozen reasons why not. But my old preservation librarian said that we've arrived at the apex of the book just in time to be distracted by gadgetry. The book is now as perfect as it can be, but society isn't satisfied. Le sigh.
Merry Christmas fellow book lover!
I hope you and yours are well….
My copy of the City of God is hardback so it is fine…. :)
I can’t write in books, I abhor it when I see it in a Bible (by the way Muslims would see writing in a Bible as disrespect for the text).
I use colorful bookmark stickies that I write on and stick to the appropriate page and position….
I also use a lot of unabridged audio books and love them! They save me from bad radio…sometimes also from suffering through a book, I may never have taken the time to read but actually received something of value by listening. Sometimes it changes how I view a book when I hear how it is read….I have always enjoyed having stories read to me so of course this works well for me…
I agree that nothing can replace a book which I love reading but I also find other ways of engaging with the words of books engaging….
….have a blessed Christmas….
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