OurWord

How do you react when you discover an old bestseller in a quaint bookshop? Book connoisseurs would have teary eyes that take them back to those days. Why is that? Does it remind them of the discussions the members of the family had about the book? Does it remind them of that old romance with sweet memories? What could have been? There could be more reasons as well. Or is it, “Finally I have found you.” The satisfaction of finding a valuable close to our hearts. The soft touch of our hands is aware of the book’s fragility.

If we reverse the moment, a used fragile book will look at us with a smile, that has weathered many journeys. Its brown pages, the ears because the reader did not bother having a bookmark. The messages that were written on the pages many precious years ago. The book could be saying “Dear browser I was once a bestseller. People loved to have me in their libraries. They would discuss me everywhere. Alas! If time could stand still. Over the years I have been passed around. I have had many owners who have read and discarded me. I had often been borrowed and never returned. Now, few of us are languishing in personal collections or shops like these. Our days are limited. Please, if I can request you, preserve us.”

These old, used books have their own unique histories that carry a melancholic tinge. If we were able to trace the journey of these precious books back in time, we would gain a wealth of knowledge and be able to appreciate their true intrinsic value.

 As of now spare a thought for all such discarded books heading for that huge waste bin or a landfill.

Word of the day: Octavo which is a book or sheet of paper typically 7 to 10 inches long.