REFLECTIONS ON READING

This is the first blog post in my series, Reflections on Reading. This does not mean that the book reviewed tops all others in my recommendations; it just means that this is where I am starting. Your reflections posted in response to this and future posts are welcome.

Every Book Its Reader. The Power of the Printed Word to Stir the World, by Nicholas A. Basbanes,

Who besides a bibliophile would pick up such a title I cannot imagine, but since I am one, I did. I have stubbornly believed in the power of books, of reading actually, to impact life and the world, and this book gives me evidence for this belief, and hope for the continued impact.

Basbanes shows the influence of books on famous people and ordinary folks. The chapter that motivated this blog is his review of the reading habits of American Presidents. It is impressive! I was particularly moved by a quote from one of John Adams' letters to his family: “I must study politics and war that my sons might have the liberty to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study paintings, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.”

While I would not try to get everyone to read the whole book, I would urge every American to read chapter 6. (Try your local library.)

A link in the epilogue made this book personal to me. Basbanes closes his paean to books with a reference to an exhibition in the British Library (my favorite site to visit in London) of the Lindisfarne Gospels. I chanced to see this exhibition and on a later visit to England was able to visit Lindisfarne. Ah, a book is a beautiful thing!

I won't stick to the expectation that it be a printed book that one must read, but I do encourage all to be readers.