Happy Father’s Day all. I have two adult children. Like most parents, I am proud of my kids. They are both successful and happy, with families. Interestingly, they have different uses for books, and my library. Both enjoy books (whew!) but in slightly divergent ways. Their outlooks on life, hobbies, work, are not the same, and thus their utility for books change. So begins this story.
I was walking the other day in my back yard. I have a seawall that borders a small lake. It is a great fishing lake. Along that wall, is where bluegills make nests for their young to hatch. The male bluegills fan the sand and mud away, then females come to lay eggs. The males fertilize the eggs and remain to fan the eggs and protect them. They don’t allow anything to come within the nest. I can watch them for a long while.
My son stopped by, and he came down to the water’s edge and also studied the fish. He wondered if there was a certain lure that could coax the bluegills to strike. He asked me if I had a book on it. My son knew that he could just Google but seeing the answer in print would be fun. So we then went to the library.
I showed him the book “Science of Fishing” by Lake Brooks, published in 1912 by A.R. Harding. The subtitle was “The Most Practical Book on Fishing Ever Published”. A.R. Harding wrote many books on hunting, fishing, trapping, foraging, and other aspects of outdoor life. I have about twenty of these books he published.
My son eagerly looked through the book, and noticed that bluegills on the nests are being territorial, and that a tiny flashing spoon could trigger the fish to strike. He then glanced over a few other books by the publisher. Being a hunter, fisherman, and outdoors person, my son was then storing for memory, where to look for more of those type of outdoor questions.
I imagined also, that he wouldn’t mind having those books in his home office for quick references-a specific group of books on hobbies he loves. When my son has cleaned up his office, and made it a “hunting lodge oasis” that can be his sanctuary, those books will be a present. They could take but just a little space on a shelf, or even on a desk.
After he left, I thumbed through the fishing book and read a little more about fishing rods. It talked about building and repairing them. I had just gotten a few broken rods from my brother-in-law from Florida. Several were worth repairing. So I used the book as my son would…how to fix a rod? I had done such repairs in my youth, so the book was a refresher on re-winding the thread to hold line guides in place.
I restrung the guides, first in black, then yellow thread. I then coated with nail polish to protect (the book would have used varnish or lacquer.)
A few days later, my son returned, and I gave him the rod. He loved it of course, it going on his boat for fishing, but he went back to the library to that book and went to the chapter on rods. He wanted to see in a more detail, the explanation of repairs. It was gratifying he would now remember that if he had questions about fishing, and rods and reels, that he would look there (in that book, currently in my library) for information, not just pull some random website on his phone. It takes a little more time but is more rewarding.
We then went on his boat to spend some more time together, with rods, reels, and fishing.
A few days later, my daughter visited. As a schoolteacher, she enjoys me showing her children’s books. I began with one of several I had just received from Denny’s Bookshop in Ireland: “Shh! We Have a Plan” by Chris Haughton, published in 2015.
She enjoyed it. I told her about one of several awards that the book had received, an Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award. My daughter said “I know that author, he wrote “The Snowy Day”. It won several awards, too. That Illustrator award is named after him.”
We then had a long talk of collecting books, selling books, writing and reading books. She wants to be a writer (not just a reader). Already, she has written articles in a state-wide school educator’s publication. I sadly mentioned (as this was my mom’s birthday-she has passed away several years ago) that she and I had plans to open a bookstore when I retired. My mom loved to talk to people, and would run the register, helping customers, and I would work on specialty items, and work the rest of the store. She had a passion for books and collecting; I learned so much from her.
My daughter was also very close to her grandmother. She became a teacher just like her. Then my daughter told me that we could still fulfill that bookstore dream-her and I. She too, wants to run a bookstore…with specialty items and events. Didn’t I remember her sixth grade project of what wanted to do when grew up? She wanted to run a bookstore! She still does. I happily sighed, and quietly said “I’ll look back into it.”
A few days later, I got a text from my daughter: “So I kind of love AI and had ChatGpt give me a potential business plan. I also have a name picked out, and bunches of ideas of what we can do.” She sent me all sorts of paperwork and programs she had begun working with, wanting to sell both new books and used; selling gadgets and reading accessories, how to get partnerships with teachers and children; book clubs and community involvement.
She thought she could handle new books, and I could handle used books, and specialty books. There could be a newsletter with both of us contributing. Definitely some thought had been involved.
So I went to my library, and picked out several resources that I own on bookselling. The first is “A Manual on Bookselling” by American Booksellers Association”. The other is “Complete Guide to Starting a Used Bookstore’ by Dale L. Gilbert.
Both of these books are great resources for running a bookstore, whether new or used books. I have to now re-read them, along with writing notes and questions. After the first comments from my daughter, ‘Really Dad, a forty year-old book. Is there going to be any valid information there?“, she embraced the idea to get as much information we can. I have to now give her two book reports.
After I have done that, I will take a trip to visit my daughter. We will talk some, and then visit some bookstores in her area, to see what we believe will work and not work. We will then make the same bookstore visits around me. How much walk-in traffic to how much on-line? Will this work, starting a bookstore? I don’t know, but I will take this summer to analyze and discuss details with my daughter. If it would be a go, then probably a year to process all of the factors involved. We will see.
My Father’s day is thus being happily spent, with both my children showing me that my interest in books has been passed on to them (and a few grandchildren!)
Thanks for reading. And enjoy a few dad-jokes…
-If You can find a better fisherman than my dad, let minnow.
-Why did the elephant use his trunk as a book mark? So he nose where he stopped reading.
-Do I come out of retirement to start a new chapter in my life?
-Why did the bookseller fall down? He was in the no-friction section.
Librarytomes 