Monday, December 1, 2014

Encyclopedias and Great Books

I devoured books as I grew up. Beginning with the library in my elementary school, followed by the library in my church, then the public library near my home, and ultimately my high school library, I haunted the bookshelves. I read constantly and widely. I always had a book or two to read.

We never owned many books in those years, but when I was eight or nine, my parents purchased a set of World Book Encyclopedias on the 'book a month' plan. All the volumes arrived at once, but my parents paid monthly. This represented a sacrifice for them, because budgets were tight before my mother returned to teaching. I hope they knew how entranced I always was with these books. Did any of you, dear readers, ever just sit down and read the encyclopedia? Just curl up with a volume and absorb everything on those pages? I spent so many hours doing exactly that. A World Book volume always began with the history and origin of that particular letter of the alphabet. That in itself was fascinating! And then we were off, rambling through an amazing and enthralling summary of everything in the world (it seemed to me). I loved those encyclopedias. When my daughter was starting school, my parents gave me that set of World Books. I don't know if they impressed my children as much as they did me, but we certainly used them! Much later, my husband surprised me for Valentine's Day with a complete set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. My joy knew no bounds! These volumes rest proudly on shelves in my living room and I still pull them out to ramble through the breadth of human knowledge. (They are so much more satisfying than Google.)

As part of my husband's "trousseau" when we married, he brought along a complete set of The Great Books, in their specially-fitted bookcase, which his parents had purchased early in their own marriage and which had accompanied them across the country. We have this bookcase on the staircase landing between the first and second floor in our home. Every time I walk past these books, I stop and think about the depth and breadth of knowledge they contain, and I say a little 'thank you' to my husband's parents for their example of and respect for intellectual curiosity. I haven't come close to reading all the Great Books yet!

What impresses me about all this? The conviction of my parents and my in-laws that having such resources available in their homes would make a difference for their families. They understood that the search for knowledge could open a multitude of doors for their children (and for themselves), and having the best information, best literature, best philosophy, best history, and best science gave their children something wonderful and precious.

I am embarrassed to tell you how many books fill my house now (and I am always adding to those on my Kindle). I still visit our public library regularly. And I drink daily from the fountain of information flowing on the internet. But I never forget who set my feet upon this path, and I'll always love a good encyclopedia!

2 comments:

  1. I am all caught up now on your blog, I love reading it. You are a terrific writer with a keen ability to tell a story!

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    1. Thanks, Jan! Your encouragement gave me the push to get this started!

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