Yourself on Your Shelf - Part Two

To continue our discussion from yesterday on books and a good library...

When I visit the home of a friend without books, I feel cheated. Just spending a few minutes looking at my friend’s bookshelves would allow me to learn more about them, their taste, and interests than I could learn in a half-dozen leisurely dinner conversations. A person’s library speaks volumes, no pun intended, about who they are as a human.

A valued and cherished library reflects how you think and who you are today and who you have been in the past. At a glance, your guests know whether your interests run toward classics or bestsellers, history or politics, literary fiction or travel, fly-fishing or golf, art, or engine repair. A wildly eclectic mishmash says a lot about you, too — this is what my library looks like! And forget the secret ballot. Your political ideals are right there in plain view.

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve had the chance to read the Secrets of Shelter Island by Alexander Green or Thick Face, Black Heart by Chin Ning Chu, yet the mere effort to purchase and intend to read is evidence enough. I try to keep things balanced, making sure I read more liberal-oriented books compared to my extended collection of biographies on our founders and more recent conservatives like Churchill, Reagan, and Thatcher. You might even learn about someone’s point of view about government overall if you see the “Federalist Papers” or the book by Morris and Linda Tannehill titled The Market for Liberty about how in their view, governments stifle freedom and free-market societies.

Your core beliefs also sit on your bookshelf. The family Bible says one thing, the Quran another (I have both!). Titles by C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton reflect a subtle theology; Karen Armstrong or the Dalai Lama, a cosmopolitan view; or The Power of Kabbalah or The Celestine Prophecy, a diversified view. Of course, not everyone who loves books has them on display. Some, for instance, grow tired of carting them from one address to the next. This leads to tough choices: “should I dump Robert B. Parker or safely jettison P.G. Wodehouse?” This is the dilemma Jennifer and I are in right now, and even though we decided last night to commit to finding a free wall to build a larger bookcase in our new home, we will likely not bring all 1,165 books with us.

In my case, many of my books have lived in 10 or more different dwellings during my nomadic years — more often than not, the weight of my post-graduate textbooks was the sacrifice for ease of a move. Some people over recent years have given up reading books entirely, depending on the internet, cable TV, and movies for their news, knowledge, and entertainment.

When the era of the internet kicked into overdrive two decades ago, many prophets of doom predicted that printed material was at death’s door, especially heavy hardback books. And it may well be still as those who insist they are done with paper, the Kindle connects them directly to Amazon’s online library. It allows for the immediate purchase and download of your book of choice at a discount to the bound version, and it will hold thousands of books, including newspapers and magazines. Or even further, digital is the opportunity to listen to many more books. I am a monthly subscriber to Amazon’s Audible service, with well over 325 titles I have listened to at the time of this writing.

As a matter of fact, as we digress for a moment, one of my favorite series of books is authored by Tom Butler-Bowdon called the 50 Best Classics Series, where he has gathered up 50 of history’s best books on subjects like the Spiritual Classics, Self-Help Classics, Prosperity Classics, and most recently the 50 Best Business Classics. One of the largest single purchases of books for me was when I went on a binge to acquire many of these books on his lists that I did not already have for my own library so that I may read them for myself. Tom does a great job of summarizing the essence of each book, and I recommend you choose one of the subjects you appreciate best and read it. You will get hooked.

Recently, I was having an email exchange with Tom when it hit me that today’s digital and paper channels of sales end up benefiting the author greatly. When I hear about a good book, I usually listen to the audible version first. If I like it and wish to gain a deeper understanding, I get the Kindle version. If it impresses me enough to hold on paper for my shelf — I buy the book. This is what is amazing for the author... if it is really good, I have bought it three times; half-decent, two times; and ok as a reference, then once (don’t tell my wife as she is the frugal one)!

What I find about the paper form of books is there’s something about the tactile experience of handling it that I miss in digital form, so much so that I have committed to never giving it up. Who really wants to curl up in front of the fire with an electronic reader? Think of it, if you’re a churchgoer, doesn’t it just seem a bit sacrilegious to sit in the pew thumbing your iPad to the verse the pastor is discussing?

The other problem is that while I can keep the book forever in electronic form, I can’t easily pass it on to others to read. Additionally, and back to the premise of this article, no one can see it on my shelf when they are visiting and touring my home, or as my sons like to do — sneak into my office and confiscate one they like because of the cover. Now, we all know the value and pleasure of reading and how a personal library affords us endless opportunities for something equally important — rereading.

Each of our children has their own bookcase in their rooms, and we find them rereading their favorite stories over and over, including their Rush Revere and Tuttle Twins. Because my books belong to me, I get to treat my books with that familiar intimacy that squelches any formality. Books are for our use, not for show. We should have no book in the house we are afraid to mark up or afraid to place on the table, wide open, face-up, or face-down.

A good reason for marking favorite passages in books is that this practice enables us to easily remember the significant sayings important to us during that reading and the ones we can refer to quickly. Then in later years, when coming across them again, it is like visiting a forest where you once blazed a trail. You have the pleasure of going over the old ground and recalling the intellectual scenery you discovered in earlier versions of yourself.

Parents should begin collecting a private library for their children to build that lasting flavor, but it is never too late to start, no matter your age. Also, don’t forget to put in your Last Will in Testament who will get what books from your library, because if your descendants are anything like me, then they will be fighting over the 1st edition of Gone with the Wind, Winston Churchill’s series on the History of English-Speaking People, or any of the other great books you have left behind.

Learn well and createyourself through books!

If you ever want to speak with me directly, just reach out via?LinkedIn?or through our mobile community app,?Createyourself.com

Have a great week, Gordon

PS - Feel free to buy our Kindle version of?How to Createyourself

PPS - you are welcome to share this newsletter with others you feel may benefit!