A few days ago I noticed a fellow rider reading from a Kindle. Suddenly, a wave of emotions washed over me: one part drooling envy mixed with one part ambivalence. Its slick design, amazing storage capacity, not to mention the lure of instant reading gratification will almost certainly convert me. . . . eventually. Still just as I prefer to hand my deposits to a bank teller, have my groceries rung up by a cashier, and purchase my movie tickets from a teen manning the box office, I will never abandon my love affair with the printed page. The tactical sensation of cracking a spine of a new best seller is too primal a call for me.
I also love the draw of books with a past. These are used books with a back story. Many times I have come home with my “new to me” books only to discover they have a past: airline tickets used as bookmarks; personal photos left in between the pages, and my favorite, inscriptions on the inside blank pages. The best inscriptions tell of new lives started (either literal or figurative) and I love to imagine where the recipients are today. Are “Dick and Jane” still happily wed, is little Johnny still the apple of his parents’ eyes; and did Mary ever learn to mediate from the New Age book that John gave her on her 50th birthday?
Today I thought I’d share one of my recent acquisitions with a past. From a copy of An Exhilaration of Wings The Literature of Birdwatching Edited by Jen Hill is the following inscription:
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12/20/01
Dad,
There is something special about birds. No wonder so many people are (and have been through the ages) absolutely enthralled and obsessed with studying these marvels of God’s creation.
I hope this inspires some more of your writing.
Love,
Keith
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I hope so too!
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