Much has been written about the Great Novel, or even a Great Sunday spent with a great book. But for all those who spend periodic afternoons reading the latest, there are those of us peppered in who live for that pursuit of knowledge- reading, collecting, living. I’m talking about The Great American Bookshelf. You all have one. Some of us go…a little bit farther than others.
But this is not narcissism- A great bookshelf is less a loud shirt than a collection of the knowledge and stories that your wandering brain has gathered over the years. A great bookshelf is a cry for remembering not only what came before, but what never has been-ideas that can only exist in the abstraction of print. Scholars seem to refuse to be interviewed anywhere but in front of theirs. SF/Fantasy author Neil Gaiman posted photos of his online and sparked a furor over a similar trend amongst the rest of us. And at the very least, you can remember your childhood spent in the musty basement of your Grandparent’s home, surrounded by books older than your parents, beckoning you to a life far different than that of your friends playing football in the yard above.
This blog is certainly a work in progress, but there is much to come. I want you to submit yours, write about it, let us see it. It will progress from mere photos to anything celebrating the art of collecting knowledge on a wooden shelf- be it books, comics, films, or even records. Thank you all!
