I grew up before personal computers. Obviously. When I entered high school, my parents bought an Encyclopedia Britannica. It was the best encyclopedia of its time—more trustworthy than World Book, more complete than Compton’s, more thorough than any other. And it was a financial sacrifice for my parents in those years. Though it stayed in their house when I went to college, I picked up the occasional volume during vacations just to read something intriguing. Read More
An Occasional Post
The Encyclopedia Britannica and Reverend Gary Davis
May 15, 2011
2 Comments
Comments
May 15, 2011 11:32 AM EDT
Lovely post, Leda. You make a good point. On the one hand, yes, I love the fact that I can look up how to do just about anything on You Tube. On the other hand, there is nothing more delightful than browsing through a used bookstore and discovering everything from the sublime to the ridiculous, including the odd bits of paper tucked between the pages. I dearly hope used bookstores are always with us!
- Sarah Sullivan
May 16, 2011 12:52 PM EDT
I think it's a matter of individual philosophy. Are you a getting-there-is-half-the-fun type of person or do you hate to be stuck in the car?
As for the search for rare books, in my experience a colossal letdown usually follows the climactic thrill of the find. Inevitably those literary trophies end up collecting dust on my bookshelf. Would I have enjoyed those books more had I been able to quickly track and purchase them over the internet before my expectations of them built to unmeetable levels? Or was the pursuit itself the prize? I'm not sure. I'm pretty certain, though, that most cryptid hunters would be sorely disappointed if I popped out from behind a tree to tweak them on the nose and sign an autograph.
- Bigfoot