I made a Black Friday purchase of The World Book Encyclopedia.
Actual volumes for a bookshelf.
A new edition, of course, and so not the same as the version that captured my attention in grade school.
The volumes will arrive on Monday.
Big smile.
[I mentioned the purchase at Thanksgiving and got the expected stares. The techno-barbarians don't understand the quasi-religious nature of the experience.]
[Next idea: card catalogues to organize my library. A mere glance would provide a daily morale boost.]
You post struck a chord with me. Owning an encyclopedia was a life changing experience. As long as I remember, there was a set in our living room, and if I asked my dad a question he couldn't answer, he'd say "let's look it up." By the time I was in fourth or fifth grade, the encyclopedia had moved my room to make room in the living room for mom's piano. The encyclopedia was twenty volumes, with a ten volume "science and technology" supplement, which was more standalone articles and which I devoured as a youngster. Having this resource set me on a path toward a career in technology.
ReplyDeleteI loved The World Book encyclopedias at my grade school. My parents had an old set of encyclopedias when I was growing up. It was outdated but I still went through it. I'm looking forward to reviving the feeling of having an encyclopedia in the house.
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