The Physical Life of Books

 

One thing I enjoy about a physical book versus a digital version is that the book can share its own story.

I recently finished, Wind in this Sahara by R.V.C. Bodley purchased for one dollar at a thrift store in Alexandria, Virginia. It’s the story of an Englishman, between the world wars, who decides to live among the bedouin tribes of north Africa for seven years, apparently on the advice of TE Lawrence. 

 

The book itself was printed in the United States in1944 and, because it was during a war time in America, required lighter paper, and the text was more condensed on each page to save paper. On its inner pages is an inscription that it had been donated as a gift to the Atchison, Kansas public library by Mr. and Mrs. John Breaky (sp?) and the librarian's notation in pencil assigning a Dewey Decimal designation. Although the library card is no longer in the pocket and there's telling how many times it had been borrow out, it leaves you to wonder how many readers of Atchison, Kansas may have borrowed it. 

Finally, there's a Withdrawn stamp when library decided the book was no longer to be kept in circulation. Once it was taken out of the Library's collection, it would have been sold or donated and made it's way to a reader's library. Finally, it was eventually donated to the thrift shop where I purchased it. 

A book telling its own story.

 

Resume of Robert Zimmerman