This is truly some of your most beautiful writing. I read phrases over and over, the entire piece several times, and then once more aloud to myself. Deep, true, thoughtful, wise and philosophical. I treasure it. Thank you.
When I was an only child first learning to read, I learned that books loved me back. I could start reading a book and step right into the pages and become part of the story in the blink of an eye. An octogenarian now and having done this all my life, I can step inside any bookstore and feel I'm among long lost friends. The hours spent therein are never lost hours, they're some of the best times now, especially if coffee is available. Thank you, John, for honoring old bookstores for they are keepers of magical knowledge.
"In an age of glowing screens and endless feeds, books have become almost archaeological." ~ So true. I love visiting used bookstores. Our son-in-law's brother owned one for a while, and our daughter's home could easily be one. There's nothing like browsing through second-hand bookstores. Thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds like you had a great time and got some fun images.
I don't buy many books anymore - we just don't have the room. The ones I keep are special; the others are electronic. But I still love to stop in a bookstore to look and smell. I think back to my early days shopping in the used book store in Highland Square in Akron. Buying comics and old Mad paperbacks for fifteen cents.
What a special story to honor our beloved books and all these ancient bookstores around the world. It touches my heart. Thank you for your kind words ❤️
John, each of your sentences have Lovliness in them. My husband, John, and I are Big Readers. I'm an Artist and have Mainly books on Artists. YOU are a BOOK ARTIST of Words, Phrases, Ideas, Feelings, Thoughts that ENRICH My Soul, as I read each one. Book Stores HAVE to Keep Existing, John. They just HAVE to. I'm So Glad You & your Wife found that one, so that YOU could Write THIS Story.
Thank you, Carmen. I hope bookstores survive, as an alternative to all the blinking screens and noise. As a quiet place of ideas and stories and possibilities. As spaces where we can browse (libraries too) and discuss and discover at a pace more conducive to reflection and joy.
For some reason I remember better what I read on print than on screen. The only thing I miss about Tucson is the Bookmans second hand book store, with its worn chairs, and the immense amount of books and magazines. I still have some, now 20+ years later. They are relics of a former life. I am not fond of Hariri but in this case, I agree. the machines seem to have a life of their own. Thankfully my computer does not automatically update like the former did. Learning to work with computers at a later age makes, that I lose quite a bit of files! This never happens with books. They are real, you can smell them. I used to hesitate to make notes in them but now I will! Who knows, it might help someone who reads it after I am gone. When computers came around people said paper documents and books will disappear, but I notice there are still plenty of book stores and second hand book stores! No we won't give up on the written word! They also started teaching handwriting in several schools. And when the machines break down it takes a person to fix it... we will never be 'superfluent'.
Thanks, INGRID. I hope they don’t abandon teaching handwriting in our schools. I hope it makes a comeback. There’s something cognitively enriching when writing in cursive. It seems to activate our minds differently than writing an email.
Something kinesthetic about books - the tactile, weight, aroma and movement of pages. A measure of simpler and more natural times sometimes forgotten. I am afraid AI is here to stay - dehumanizing individuals, society and culture. Thankfully we have writers like John Weiss to reminds us of what is really important.
I agree, Richard, I love the feel and experience of holding and reading a book. I’ve read books on my iPad and sure, there are conveniences like instant dictionary, but the vast majority of my reading life is with books.
That was an insightful read with your distinct touch 👍✨️
I continue to have a bias for the printed media, whether it be books or newspapers. Arising out of a burgeoning collection and lack of space , one had to dispose of many books, mostly fiction with a heavy heart . My daughter's sitting room and bedroom has wall to wall bookshelves , rather unusual for the nexGen .
Colour TV came to India relatively late in the eighties. I remember listening to radio commentaries of cricket test matches between visiting national teams ( West Indies / England / Australia ) and the Indian team as a teenager and young adult.. Cricket is a game played among the common wealth countries and has a mass following in India .
Thank you for your weekly words of wisdom , which truly enrich us 🙏 .
I miss newspapers, Raj. The delivery where I live is erratic and so I’m forced to read them online, but there’s no magic. I used to cut out articles and slip them into my journals. When I was in school, my Dad often sent clipped articles. I miss the Sunday comics, back before they shrunk the few remaining ones to the size of postage stamps. Calvin & Hobbes, Bloom County. And those elaborate crosshatched editorial cartoons by Pat Oliphant and Jeff MacNelly. I miss it all.
You’re welcome, Carr. Yuval Noah Harari strikes me as a smart fellow. I don’t know all his views, but he shares some interesting and deep insight that make me think.
I love your writing! I scrape it off the browser and copy it into OneNote; format to my taste; I read it on a screen; I highlight and annotate as desired to get the poetry of your essays and store it in my digital library.
I used to have walls of "real" books that took up a lot of space and collected a lot of dust. It took a while to find on which shelf I had stored a book. I have less than 20 "real" books left - my most read book has a broken binding and covers falling off; I spent $200 for a "sarcophagus" to keep it in.
I am still capable of sensing the meaning captured in "books" of any format. I find it more available to recover the reference to that meaning with a digital eReader.
The authors that publish their works in a variety of formats do not create less meaning, beauty or truth for the "synthesized" formats.
I like visiting book stores, especially the independent ones that carry a well curated selection that doesn't require wallowing through a big box store collection of mass market glitzy attention stealing …
I recognize the nostalgia for a time past, but right now I wish that "originalism" would start realizing that some change is beneficial. And some nostalgia is really sweet is a reminder of our humanity.
All fair points, Mike. I use my iPad for online reading and when I travel it’s convenient to load the iPad with books. For a lot of folks, digital books are more affordable. I’m happy people are still reading books, whatever the format. But in the end, I prefer holding a book. Hopeless romantic I guess.
This is truly some of your most beautiful writing. I read phrases over and over, the entire piece several times, and then once more aloud to myself. Deep, true, thoughtful, wise and philosophical. I treasure it. Thank you.
A belated thanks, Mary.
An ode to the bibliophiles, an ode to humanity, and a chilling reminder of what we are losing to AI.
Thanks for reading, Marie. Here’s to the book lovers.
Exquisite thoughts John! Just what one needs this Sunday morning seeking for reasons to be hopeful in a hopeless world.
There’s still so much beauty and fine things in this world, they just get overlooked by all the noise. Thanks Maria.
When I was an only child first learning to read, I learned that books loved me back. I could start reading a book and step right into the pages and become part of the story in the blink of an eye. An octogenarian now and having done this all my life, I can step inside any bookstore and feel I'm among long lost friends. The hours spent therein are never lost hours, they're some of the best times now, especially if coffee is available. Thank you, John, for honoring old bookstores for they are keepers of magical knowledge.
Thanks Gigi, and yes, there’s nothing like the aroma of fresh coffee in a bookshop!
just this line .... " . We still ache for meaning. For beauty. For truth that has been lived "
Your eyes are glowing in that picture...lol
Thanks, Brenda.
"In an age of glowing screens and endless feeds, books have become almost archaeological." ~ So true. I love visiting used bookstores. Our son-in-law's brother owned one for a while, and our daughter's home could easily be one. There's nothing like browsing through second-hand bookstores. Thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds like you had a great time and got some fun images.
Thanks Bob, I always enjoy discovering new bookshops.
I don't buy many books anymore - we just don't have the room. The ones I keep are special; the others are electronic. But I still love to stop in a bookstore to look and smell. I think back to my early days shopping in the used book store in Highland Square in Akron. Buying comics and old Mad paperbacks for fifteen cents.
Quality over quantity, yes. And I remember those old Mad paperbacks, with the Don Martin and Sergio Aragones cartoons. Thanks, Chuck.
What a special story to honor our beloved books and all these ancient bookstores around the world. It touches my heart. Thank you for your kind words ❤️
Thanks for reading, Marilane.
John, each of your sentences have Lovliness in them. My husband, John, and I are Big Readers. I'm an Artist and have Mainly books on Artists. YOU are a BOOK ARTIST of Words, Phrases, Ideas, Feelings, Thoughts that ENRICH My Soul, as I read each one. Book Stores HAVE to Keep Existing, John. They just HAVE to. I'm So Glad You & your Wife found that one, so that YOU could Write THIS Story.
Thank you, Carmen. I hope bookstores survive, as an alternative to all the blinking screens and noise. As a quiet place of ideas and stories and possibilities. As spaces where we can browse (libraries too) and discuss and discover at a pace more conducive to reflection and joy.
I really enjoyed this, thank you. I love to read and I love used bookstores.
Thanks, Paula.
For some reason I remember better what I read on print than on screen. The only thing I miss about Tucson is the Bookmans second hand book store, with its worn chairs, and the immense amount of books and magazines. I still have some, now 20+ years later. They are relics of a former life. I am not fond of Hariri but in this case, I agree. the machines seem to have a life of their own. Thankfully my computer does not automatically update like the former did. Learning to work with computers at a later age makes, that I lose quite a bit of files! This never happens with books. They are real, you can smell them. I used to hesitate to make notes in them but now I will! Who knows, it might help someone who reads it after I am gone. When computers came around people said paper documents and books will disappear, but I notice there are still plenty of book stores and second hand book stores! No we won't give up on the written word! They also started teaching handwriting in several schools. And when the machines break down it takes a person to fix it... we will never be 'superfluent'.
Thanks, INGRID. I hope they don’t abandon teaching handwriting in our schools. I hope it makes a comeback. There’s something cognitively enriching when writing in cursive. It seems to activate our minds differently than writing an email.
Something kinesthetic about books - the tactile, weight, aroma and movement of pages. A measure of simpler and more natural times sometimes forgotten. I am afraid AI is here to stay - dehumanizing individuals, society and culture. Thankfully we have writers like John Weiss to reminds us of what is really important.
I agree, Richard, I love the feel and experience of holding and reading a book. I’ve read books on my iPad and sure, there are conveniences like instant dictionary, but the vast majority of my reading life is with books.
That was an insightful read with your distinct touch 👍✨️
I continue to have a bias for the printed media, whether it be books or newspapers. Arising out of a burgeoning collection and lack of space , one had to dispose of many books, mostly fiction with a heavy heart . My daughter's sitting room and bedroom has wall to wall bookshelves , rather unusual for the nexGen .
Colour TV came to India relatively late in the eighties. I remember listening to radio commentaries of cricket test matches between visiting national teams ( West Indies / England / Australia ) and the Indian team as a teenager and young adult.. Cricket is a game played among the common wealth countries and has a mass following in India .
Thank you for your weekly words of wisdom , which truly enrich us 🙏 .
I miss newspapers, Raj. The delivery where I live is erratic and so I’m forced to read them online, but there’s no magic. I used to cut out articles and slip them into my journals. When I was in school, my Dad often sent clipped articles. I miss the Sunday comics, back before they shrunk the few remaining ones to the size of postage stamps. Calvin & Hobbes, Bloom County. And those elaborate crosshatched editorial cartoons by Pat Oliphant and Jeff MacNelly. I miss it all.
Really excellent many thanks for this. Also many thanks for introducing me to the work of Yuval Noah Harari.
Regards
You’re welcome, Carr. Yuval Noah Harari strikes me as a smart fellow. I don’t know all his views, but he shares some interesting and deep insight that make me think.
John,
I love your writing! I scrape it off the browser and copy it into OneNote; format to my taste; I read it on a screen; I highlight and annotate as desired to get the poetry of your essays and store it in my digital library.
I used to have walls of "real" books that took up a lot of space and collected a lot of dust. It took a while to find on which shelf I had stored a book. I have less than 20 "real" books left - my most read book has a broken binding and covers falling off; I spent $200 for a "sarcophagus" to keep it in.
I am still capable of sensing the meaning captured in "books" of any format. I find it more available to recover the reference to that meaning with a digital eReader.
The authors that publish their works in a variety of formats do not create less meaning, beauty or truth for the "synthesized" formats.
I like visiting book stores, especially the independent ones that carry a well curated selection that doesn't require wallowing through a big box store collection of mass market glitzy attention stealing …
I recognize the nostalgia for a time past, but right now I wish that "originalism" would start realizing that some change is beneficial. And some nostalgia is really sweet is a reminder of our humanity.
All fair points, Mike. I use my iPad for online reading and when I travel it’s convenient to load the iPad with books. For a lot of folks, digital books are more affordable. I’m happy people are still reading books, whatever the format. But in the end, I prefer holding a book. Hopeless romantic I guess.
Once again a great story with a message for all. Thank you!
Thanks Bernita, glad you enjoyed the post.