book bind

I know Kindle is convenient.  I have a decent number of books on my device.  It takes up less room and can even be used for underlining and annotations (sort of).

But there is no substitute for holding a book.  There is no substitute for feeling the pages, for actually underlining, highlighting, and truly writing notes.  Even if we never do that to books, there is no substitute for the smell—the aroma—of the pages.  I appreciate the mild chemical smell of freshly-minted volumes and journals, but…ah…what a joy is the parchment-y musty scent of ancient tomes!

When we hold a used book, isn’t it a wondrous adventure to think of who else has read these same pages?  The older the book, the more anonymous the previous owners, the better. 

My wife and I are about to return to Tennessee, where we recently spent a year living with my aging mother.  Upon returning to New York, we were forced to leave behind our treasure trove of books.  We have other belongings in her house, but those lovely critters will have top priority on the return trip!