The Books

One of the last things I unpacked were the cartons containing the books. I was not lazy, oh no, just awaiting the delivery of the three 96" high x 36" wide solid oak, professionally finished bookcases from Wood You in Ocala. Together they will nicely fill the 9 foot alcove in the space I lovingly refer to as "the study". There they will join my beloved world globe (a gift from an old friend), the antique reproduction of a library table, the oak swivel desk chair and the dictionary stand which holds an ancient, 20 pound, 2,347 page, Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary.

Ah you might say. All this stuff is obsolete, relics of another time. The dictionary has certainly been replaced by a more efficient online app. The globe is out-of-date; it shows countries that no longer exist. Google Earth will take you to anywhere on the planet and show you the most minutest detail. And even books! Who needs them?! My iPad will hold the content of all of these books in something less than the size of a pad of scratch paper.

I did cull out a lot of books before the move but many, many heavy books remained. Some are gifts, some inherited from my father and grandfather, some are my very earliest books like "Little Women" and some have brought me so much pleasure I could never part with them. Some are my first programming textbooks. How strange to see instructions on writing code for the IBM 360 mainframe! 

So I bought them new homes in the well made and beautifully finished bookcases that will be delivered tomorrow. That is their due...

:-)