September 6th is National Read a Book Day. While I am not sure of the origins of this holiday, it is one I eagerly embrace. My book reading has evolved a bit, so I have broken down this ‘book” holiday into several chapters.
The first chapter of Read a Book has to do with a book “The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle” by Hugh Lofting, my copy published in April of 1925. It is the seventh printing, the first being August 1922. It was popular from first publication.
As I have explained in my Blog introduction, I was told to read at the public library over the summer, from my first grade teacher. Every Saturday after that report card, my mom would dutifuly drop me off at the Zion library to read. Read I did. I came back to second grade with more confidence.
One Friday, in library class, the class was read from Hugh Lofting. The teacher would read a paragraph, and then a student would read one. As luck would have it, the next day Mom took me to the Zion library. I checked out the book, and read most of it that weekend. The following week, I showed the teacher, and was able to read aloud for several paragraphs, and then followed along as others spoke. This was my first book I was proud to have read.
The next chapter in my Read a Book story are a few books I have enjoyed reading to my kids, and then my grandkids. They are all well worn from years of use.
Two are Dr Seuss books “Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now” and Hop on Pop. The Third is “Chicken Soup with Rice” by Maurice Sendak.
I had already a good sized library, and there were a lot of books that I read to, and encouraged my kids to read. These just happened to come up a lot. We would read one of these, and then they would pick another.
My next chapter on Read a Book is about reading something others were reading, and finding out how fun it was. I have the complete set of Harry Potter books. My sister and her family stopped for a holiday visit. Her daughter, my niece, was reading book three of Harry Potter. I read a chapter, and then quickly went to library to get the first two books, and read them (and hers-the third.)
For the next few years, whenever a new “Potter” book would come out, we both would pre-order and try to finish reading it first, just to call each other and discuss plots and characters. We were both quite sad when the series had ended. It was a joy to be reading the same book, at the same time, and having the same excitement with a fellow (and family member) bibliofile.
My next chapter in Read a Book, is about having others who have gone out of their way to get me an interesting book. My same niece, had seen the book “The Home Library” by Arthur Penn, printed in 1886. She sent me a PDF file from the book at the Smithsonian Library. I opened the file immediately. On page 15, I read “a book that is really worth reading is worth owning…it is well every year to lay aside a certain fixed sum to be spent on books. No other portion of annual expenditures will yield such high returns.” What logic!
I put out a search, and found a copy. I read it again, this time holding it my hands. The author gave such great advice about setting up, and maintaining a library. It was like having a personal mentor telling me of what I had done well, and what I could still do with a private library. While the book is over a hundred and thirty eight years old, it made sense, and is still relevent today.
The next book was a present from the same niece. This signed book is “The Flighty Prince” by Kitty Milbank, was printed 1963. This book tells of a series of wild turkey hunting stories, at a lodge Turkey Hill Plantation in South Carolina. The place is still open today. The book was really good. And it was a gift, not something that I searched out myself. It made the read special. I still have the card she gave me with the book. It explained what she loved in the book. Once again, she and I could relate to a reading.
My latest chapter on Read a Book is about a book that I bought to read-my latest acquisition. I usually am buying my own books, people get intimidated about getting me books. I found out about this one when doing research on another topic. It is a new book, “Higher Power. An American Town’s Story of Faith, Hope, and Nuclear Energy” by Casey Bukro, published 2023.
This book is about the Zion Nuclear Power Plant, built, ran, and closed down, in my hometown, in my lifetime. I cannot wait to get into this book tonight.
I have one last quote from the book “The Home Library”. Mr Penn’s one hundred and thirty eight year old comment was:
“As soon as the taste for reading is formed, that taste begins to improve, and its improvement should be sedulously cultivated…He is constantly going up a literary ladder. It is the act of climbing which is beneficial, not the elevation attained.”
Thanks for climbing with me.
Librarytomes 