To Be Read

Gosh, I wish the world weren’t so darn interesting!  Just today I discovered an incredible resource for Celtic literature, some of it translated from Irish, Latin, French, and other languages. Oh, I’m not going to tell you what is because this is not really the topic I want to discuss. It is just another symptom…

A week ago I read an article by John Warner as The Biblioracle. Mr. Warner confessed to owning more than 75 books he had not yet read, “a good 13-month backlog if I were to not buy a single book until I cleared it…”  The chances of Mr. Warner, or my, not buying any books until our backlog was cleared are slim to none!

The Oracle discussed the reasons why he always has a backlog.  He lists books that “should have been read by now” which are often from the classics or from literary masters. He includes books that the publishing world is talking and writing about as well as freebies, gift books, and intellectual self-improvement titles. Mr. Warner claims some books as “contingency” titles that he might need sometime in the future. Finally he includes spiritual classics whatever those might be. To him the to be read (TBR) “pile is a statement of hope, of best intentions.”  Ahem, and we all know which road best intentions pave.

The Biblioracle’s predicament is my own, and hopefully many of yours too.  His column prompted me to think about my TBRs which, I must confess, outnumber his.  I cannot conceive of living in a space without books. His column prompted me to mentally compartmentalize my own TBR hoard.  I attempt to justify my Contingency Reading Cache because 1) I’m a librarian who needs to be around books; 2) I view books somewhat differently from the average reader—I use them differently—which means I may not want to read the entire book but may need it for references purposes; 3) I have a great many diverse research interests which demand continuous replenishment. Like the squirrel storing up nuts for the winter, I cache TBRs that might fulfill future needs as well as anticipated pleasures.  I would starve to death intellectually in a winter of booklessness.

Like Mr. Warner I Duty Reads, those books I should have read. Although my sense of “duty” has changed somewhat now that I do not work regularly I still feel that I have a responsibility to read genre outside my comfort zone. William Gibson’s Pattern Recognition is an example. Because I have a very large research collection on Irish and Celtic culture, I feel there should be some books by and about Italians and Italian-Americans. Blood Washes Blood by Frank Viviano and Tony Romano’s If You Eat, You Never Die await my attention. Literary books are expected to be read in the library world prompting me to stock up on Jorge Luis Borges and similar authors. I have yet to finish all of Euripides’ Plays, or Essays of the Masters. Best sellers do not prick my conscience anymore, although at one time I did struggle and snicker through Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. Also included in the “Duty” category are books for book discussions I will lead. I’ve gotten myself into another discussion for November, Mary Doria Russell’s Doc. That book is my next read, I promise.

There are a number of books I have purchased as a result of author appearances, usually autographed. A major source of these is the yearly IBAM (Irish Books, Art, and Music) fest at the Chicago Irish American Heritage Center. Still awaiting my attention are books by Anna McPartlin, Frank Delaney, and something written by a distant cousin of my husband.  The local bookstore lured me in to hear Frances McNamara and to purchase three of her mysteries. I really HAD to go to hear what one of the librarians at my alma mater, University of Chicago, had to say about her mysteries. One down and two more to go…

I don’t get many freebies but once a year I may receive a birthday book from my son and his family. It gives me great pleasure to have my ultra-liberal son and daughter-in-law purchase a Ronald Reagan biography, books by William F. Buckley, Jr. and titles in the math field—my son’s least favorite subject. Schadenfreude is alive and well in December!

The Just in Case pile contains all three volumes of Frederick Coplestone’s History of Philosophy, Charles Freeman’s Egypt, Greece, and Rome, The Trivium by Sister Miriam Joseph, and a beautiful book on chemistry, The Elements by Theodore Gray. These titles fit nicely with Intellectual Self-Improvement materials like The Essential Russell Kirk and the Atlantic Monthly’s American Idea.  I think I must give up on reading George Santayana, but I burn the candle of good intentions for José Ortega y Gasset and Claude Levi-Strauss.

Books that hold high interest because of my research preferences include the one’s I mentioned that I have just ordered that include Celtic from the West by scholars Barry Cunliffe and John T. Koch who suggest a new cultural model for post-Iron Age Gaelic peoples.  Jack Weatherford’s The Secret History of the Mongol Queens promises to revive an old interest in Genghis Khan that began with James Chambers’ wonderful The Devil’s Horsemen. Whenever I pass it my gaze turns lovingly to Samuel Noah Kramer’s The Sumerians: Their History, Culture and Character. Ancient history and language are interests that have languished too long.

Active research and interest areas include the history of science and mathematics. I just purchased Professor Stewart’s Hoard of Mathematical Treasures by a favorite, Ian Stewart. The Unfinished Game: Pascal, Fermat, and the Seventeenth-Century Letter that Made in World Modern by Keith Devlin promises to be a challenging and interesting read.  I have learned so much from G. E. R. Lloyd’s Early Greek Science: Thales to Aristotle and Greek Science after Aristotle. More recently John Freely opened my eyes to the accomplishments of Arabic Science when I read Aladdin’s Lamp. Since then I can’t get enough on the topic. I have begun, but have temporarily interrupted, the reading of the marvelous The House of Wisdom by Jim Al Khalili. After this book I have Ehsan Masood’s Science and Islam: a History to add to my list.  Learning more about the history of science has become a labor of love. If only I remembered my Latin and French and could learn classical Greek and Arabic I’d be enrolled in a master’s program on this topic.

All work and no play would make Ettsme a very dull girl.  I love mysteries—mostly English and/or historical.  There are two boxes of mysteries to tempt me. I do save some of the paperbacks to take to California in the winter, but there are plenty others to go around.  The “problem” is that when I like what an author has written, I want to read all of his/her ouvre. Peter Tremayne’s latest Sister Fidelma mysteries arrive directly from England as soon as they go into paperback. I have almost every Appleby title by Michael Innes and the complete run of  Edmund Crispin’s Gervaise Fen books. I’m halfway through Michael Pearce’s A Dead Man in_____ series. I am working my way through Christopher Fowler’s Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery series.  My favorite so far is The Water Room while The Victoria Vanishes awaits. There is nothing more relaxing than a good murder!

The Biblioracle’s dilemma speaks to many of us.  John Warner closes his piece with a quote by Franz Kafka:  “A book must be the ax for the frozen sea within us.”  He describes the TBR book piles as “a whole bunch of axes behind glass, waiting to be broken in case of a soul emergency.”  I don’t see much point in hiding these treasures behind glass.  Their presence and lure are an Epicurean pleasure.  They are my hope, limited but unbounded. Do you have some reading to catch up on?  

There's Hope For This Country Yet

I had a great day yesterday.  I worked the reference desk at the public library and my faith in the future has been renewed.  A young woman, probably a freshman at the college across the street, came in looking for information on how to plan and operate a literacy program for children.  I suggested several books that might help her. While we talked, the young lady expressed her doubts as to whether or not she should become a teacher. "It is just an idea I had about something I' like to do but I don't know if I can." She was trying so hard to find the right materials and get ideas.  I told her not to worry because she would bring her own creativity into solving her problem.  The fact that she was here on a long holiday weekend and diligently researching a variety of ideas demonstrated that she really cared. I said that I was certain she would find a way.  Keep your fingers crossed; there's a really good teacher in the making working her way through to a school near you in a few years!

As if this wasn't enough later in the afternoon a young boy, about 11, came in with his dad. The boy had already read a biography of Chief Black Hawk and was here for more books on the Black Hawk War.  I lead the boy and his dad to the 973s,  where we found the books on his topic. I explained that this was the U. S. History section and that it was basically arranged chronologically.  The young man was so excited to find his topic.  His dad responded positively and encouraged his interest. As they were leaving, the boy found some books on the history of Du Page County in the 977s.  When I left them to return to the reference desk they were eagerly discussing these books and what they might learn.  

I don't often see such enthusiasm in youngsters today.  This was true interest and desire to know, not a school assignment. The interaction between dad and son was so nurturing. This is what I hoped to see when I decided to become a librarian.  It was a wonderful day.  Thank you young teacher-to-be, avid young boy who is building a wonderful life through reading, and the dad willing to give up a part of his holiday weekend to foster the gift of curiosity within his son.

The Book Is Dead...

or so the e-generation, some authors, and paper book publishers would like you to think. It seems like only yesterday that we were told that God was (also) dead. I think God is safe for the time being, but the commercial nature of the book publishing industry places the printed book in greater peril.

You can’t avoid all the “hype” for electronic books this holiday season. The Kindle®, the Nook®, Sony Reader® and other e-reading devices were popular holiday gift choices. Thousands of people are now curled up on their sofas, hot cocoa steaming on nearby side tables, while their cool 21st Century devices madly download discounted best sellers. The joy of novelty prompts e-readers to shout the benefits of device ownership to whoever will listen. Even those who do not wish to listen have no choice but to nod in silent approbation while the gift recipient demonstrates features, boasts about the size of their “library,” and waves each page forward and back again in a manner designed to induce mal du mer. Non-e-readers remain courteous and try to exhibit appropriate interest with well placed “Ohhs” and “Ahhs” peppering these often one sided conversations—all in keeping with the season to be jolly. The e-book readers are not my idea of a good time, but I have already written about that. However, I wish you joy of your device.

The e-book manufactures and online “bookstores” are sincerely delighted with your purchase. Publishers need not concern themselves with printing presses, shipping, vendors or remainders. The devices sold well and web sites like Amazon®, GOOGLE Books®, iBooks® rake in easily earned profits with little or no overhead costs. “No shipping or paper was harmed during this transaction“. Load up on the latest best sellers and avoid the reserve lines at the local library. Lighten your luggage while taking your favorite authors on vacation with you. The advantages grow exponentially—if that’s your thing AND if you are really reading the material.

Publishers may find the e-book to be a mixed blessing. Currently digital downloads increase profits over and above the 75-90% that the publisher’s holding the copyright protects. Traditional production of a physical book requires that the publisher assume the costs of editing, design, printing, marketing, and author advances. E-books eliminate the costs associated with production and distribution while the publisher maintains control over who and what gets published.

Many writers grow restive and resentful of publisher's power over their creative processes. They see self-publishing as a way to reverse the profit equation, bring the lion's share of profits to the writer directly. Those who have had difficulty getting published view self-publishing as a way to break into print. In an article in the Los Angeles Times (December 26, 2010), a trend towards writer entrepreneurship was discussed. Established writers hope to cut out the middle man, retain copyrights, directly market their product, and allow reader/subscribers the opportunity to interact with the creative process.

In November I attended a seminar discussion of Irish and Irish American authors who were discussing the future of the book. A few of the writers appeared to be in denial about e-publishing. Most expressed a reverence for the physical object that enriches the reader's experience. Only one had used an e-book reader. In general few of the authors had considered self-publishing in digital direct formats.

Author Frank Delaney, denizen with pride of place on the panel, was eager for e-publishing to become dominant. His plans include adding hypertext links to words, ideas, places, and references alluded to in his stories thereby making reading a more interactive experience. [I do question whether this is actually reading or some hybrid. The distractibility factor looms large in the hybridized format.] The consensus of the panel was that the physical book will survive. The chief concern voiced was with regard to quality--both of the written word and of review. What will self-publishing mean for excellence? Will the lack of a publishing house result in a loss of revenue rather than in greater profit? How will “best sellers” be determined? By viral acclaim, by number of “hits,” or will a new review process need to be developed? Quality remains the unaddressed question in digitized, downloadable self-published books. Most of the panel felt e-books would be an opportunity for greater circulation, but that its time had not yet come.

Its time is coming faster than expected. For the first ten months of this year 9% of publishing was digital, a fast rising percentage. Interestingly enough print book publishing has dropped 23% in those ten months, which has much more to say about reading in general than it does about digital books. (Data is from the LA Times article mentioned above.)

Are fewer people reading over all? I fear so, despite increased library circulation. For the past year I have been observing my fellow airline passengers as each waits to board the airplane. In past years I enjoyed surreptitious glances at the titles of the books my fellow passengers were reading, sometimes striking up a conversation about a particular book or author. Within the past year things have changed. Very few are reading anything! Many are on the phone or texting, others toil over their computer keyboards; some play games or watch movies; others create their own personal worlds while attached to earbuds.

Can’t we all just get along? I believe that popular physical books and e-books will co-exist for at least two generations more but eventually it will be determined that paper publishing is not cost effective--always the death knell of a product. Generations to come will not “connect” with the physical object and books will become museum pieces. Academic publishing may survive longer. The cost of academic publications has always been high but the cost/benefit analysis has been in favor of the physical entity. Eventually journal-type articles will predominate over academic books in the social sciences and humanities as is the case with scientific and medical information already. Articles are distributed electronically now; paper's dominance will erode quickly. Access to our heritage of literature will be provided in digital format through services like Project Gutenberg and GOOGLE Books’ digitation project but one must wonder at how many “prints” will be requested when digitation is cheaper and quicker.

Do not be mislead, digitation has problems too. Evidence points to problematic preservation of electronic bits and bytes. Some materials from the 1990s are being lost as electronic information starts to vanish of its own accord. Additionally electronic materials suffer from platform drift. How many computers can read the 5 inch floppies created on the DOS driven computers of two decades ago? Does anyone know if there is a storage limit for electronic information that exists somewhere, on some server, in some time?

Research has begun to focus on how people read and retain electronically produced print media. Comprehension suffers in direct proportion to the amount of material covered. Most readers follow an “F” reading pattern; initially whole lines are read through only to drop off to a word or two per line as the reader scans less effectively and eyes tire. Hypertext links, while enormously interesting, and potentially enriching, interfere with concentration. Context can easily become lost in digitally linked information. One wonders how many will persist through to the end of large works like Crime and Punishment or former President Bill Clinton’s memoirs on an e-reader?

Both formats will co-exist for many more years, but print’s popularity will wane as future generations gravitate to graphic and digital resources. Digitized materials will predominate eventually. Print will persist in some form too. It will not happen in my lifetime, and probably not in my grandchildren’s, but it will happen. To those of us who value the physicallity of the printed book the world will be a poorer place for this migration in much the same way that shared cultural experience was diminished by loss of the oral narrative. Diverse formats survive, even as proportions vary. Reading and listening have enriched audiences for hundreds and thousands of years in diverse formats. Humanity will survive digitation and that is the point. It is the ideas that must survive.

A Flame UnKindled

I received a Kindle ® electronic book reader for my birthday. I broke the North American record for authorization to return it complete with packing label and tracking number. Believe me, I appreciated the thought but the Kindle ® is not for me, although it may be just ticket for those who read bestsellers, travel for extended periods, or need access to technical manuals or textbooks.

Since retirement I have become a woman of leisure. Sampling the simple delights of life has become my full time job. Those delights include books. For one thing I simply don’t like reading electronic text. I have a very short attention span for photons smashing themselves onto a computer screen. If what I read is true so do most people. It seems that the ideal way to write for the Internet is in an “F” shape. Only the first few lines are read to the end, thereafter the eye starts cutting off the right side text.

I want to enjoy what I am reading and have the time to do just that. That enjoyment extends to the book as artifact. The tactile experience, the dimensions of a physical entity, the type, illustrations, binding, paper, cover and convenience of the book is important to the total experience of reading. And I never have to recharge a book!

If I am doing research I will have several books open at the same time to compare, augment, check, or refute. Flipping screens cannot match the cluttered desk approach. Furthermore, I seem to have a quirky memory. While I do not have a photographic memory, I can easily recall the approximate location and page placement of something I have read in a book. Whether reading non-fiction or novels, it is not uncommon for me to check back on what I had read. Again, the paper book is superior for these functions.

When I read non-fiction, I write in my books. This admission would make my fellow librarian colleagues cringe, but it’s my book. I use the end papers for personal indexing, noting important concepts as they unfold throughout the book. The process is not a duplication of the good book’s index. It is more personal. Years after I’ve read a book I can consult the back pages to review something from the book and will know just where to find it in the text. Sometimes I highlight text as I read; often I write comments on the page as I read. It’s only vandalism when it doesn’t belong to you.

Does the physical book have disadvantages? Well, it isn’t “green” although some paper has been recycled. Many of my better books are printed on archival paper. They will last. Whether this is good for the earth or not, it is good for those books that are keepers. A second disadvantage comes from the fact the books take up space. In my home, a lot of space! We recently reached a point of desperation. My husband often says, “We don’t have enough book shelves.” I tell him we never will.

To that end I have been weeding my collections. Weeding is the term librarians use to remove books from the library’s collection. Weeding has always been the part of my job that I hated. It is no different at home. It is difficult to make choices that will result in the permanent loss of a good friend. This time drastic measures were necessary. There is just one more room of books to weed. It contains my science, math, psychology, thesis research material, and writers’ resource books. It will be very painful indeed to cull this carefully collected group.

What criteria have I used in my recent weeding? If the book was on a topic I’ve lost interest in, it was removed. If I never read, and would probably never read it, the book is gone. If a title was part of one of my special collections, but a weak entry, I removed it. I have amassed very choice collections in Celtic History and Culture, Medieval History, Fairy tales and myths, Native American legends and arts, History of Science and Math, History of Philosophy, Nobel Science biography, certain mystery writers and a few fiction writers.

If the weeded titles were on a Kindle® they could be deleted. The mental of image of deleting my friends is painful. However, most of my books would not be available to “download” anyway. What will I do with my old friends? Mostly I will try to find them a new home; new readers. Some I will donate to the library. These might end up in their collection—they’re good enough—or in the next book sale. We may take some to a second hand book store and sell them for a pittance. Maybe these will find their way into good homes. A very, very few will end up in the trash.

I do not regret the return of my birthday present. Whatever the fate of books and reading, the physical book will remain important to me. Even the pain of weeding old friends cannot dissuade me. Books are part of my life, part of me. If that makes me less au courant, “uncool”, or old fashioned, so be it.