Pick Up An Old Book Now and Then

Those of us who are avid readers watch the reading sites, newspaper reviews, library notices and more seeking new titles. We thirst for new books to read because, as today's poster says, What an astonishing thing a book is.

As much as we enjoy new books by favorite authors, we should also consider delving back into earlier times and reading some of the classics. Read those you had to read in high school or college now and you might have a totally different perspective and appreciation.

I chose the book for my Book Club to read for November discussion. We have a very lengthy list of books on our interlibrary loan system that we can get X number of copies gathered from several libraries across the state. It's difficult to select a book because all that is listed is title and author. Many are familiar titles but just as many are not. How helpful it would be to have even one sentence to give a glimmer of an idea as to what the book is about.

We need to choose 3 books and never know which one we will get until the day the book box is to be picked up. My eyes lit up when I found that I had enough copies of Selected Stories of O. Henry for the six in our group. Much bigger than I expected, it is in the 400+ pages range.

The first night I had time to read, I opened to the introduction which is a lengthy biography of O. Henry--a pseudonym. Did you know that? I didn't. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was a master of the short story form but incapable, by his own admission, of writing a full length book. He led a life that could have been featured in many a short story.

This revered author wrote prolifically in the short story genre with stories set in the early 20th century and in places where he'd lived and traveled. They ranged from New York City to the far West to Central America and back to New York again. He churned out a story per week for a periodical who hired him to do just that along with more for magazines. Think about it. A finished story per week, or more. Not easy as many writers spend weeks on perfecting only one.

His stories were popular because they were written with a dry, humorous style and nearly always contained a twist of some kind. They featured common people, the lower and middle class with only an occasional wealthy person. He writes so that the reader feels like he/she is sitting face to face with the author who is telling him/her the story.

His most famous story is probably The Gift of the Magi which tells the tale of a young married couple, impoverished but deeply in love. Christmas is near and she sells her hair to get the money to buy him a watch chain for a beloved family pocket watch. He sells his watch to buy her decorative combs for her long hair. A gem of a tale!

I am enjoying all the stories in this collection. Because they were written in the early 1900's, I  have noticed a difference in sentence structure and some quite outdated vocabulary. Even so, the story itself is there to savor. Had I been assigned this book to read in a classroom, I don't think I would have gotten nearly the joy in it that I am doing now.

I noticed that the writing allowed me to visualize what happens very easily.;O. Henry pulls me into the scene. That is the sign of a good writer.

O. Henry

Take a break from reading those new titles and sail back to read some of the classics of old. I don't think you'll be sorry. You might find many an astonishing book.

For Readers and Writers--The Making Of A Book

It's a bit difficult to read the small print on today's poster so I'll copy it below in a more readable form. 

It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it & you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millenia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you.

Yes, a book is truly an astonishing thing. Consider the many steps that must be taken before a book lands in your eager hands and after.

1. an idea is born in the mind of a writer
2. the idea swirls in his/her mind for months, even years
3. an outline is made (sometimes)
4. a first draft is written, a little at a time
5. the writer revises and edits
6. writer asks friends and family to read the manuscript
7. writer submits chapter by chapter to his/her writing critique group
8. writer makes more revisions; edits line by line
9. some hire a professional to do a final edit
10. writer must shop the book to various agents and/or publishers--can be endless
11. Eureka! Someone wants to publish the book
12. More revisions and editing
13. the publisher takes over and goes through a many step process to produce the book
14. the writer holds the first book in his/her hand and probably weeps with joy and relief
15. the marketing begins with the publisher
16. the book hits the shelves in the books stores and online
17. the marketing continues with the writer helping with book signings, speaking engagements
18. writer must seek reviews from myriad sources

The next time you go to a book store or your local library, pick up a book, hold it open with both hands and consider what it took for that book to come from a person's mind into your hands. Yes, a book is an astonishing thing. 

If you've ever tried to write one, you know that better than most. If you've ever had a book published, be ever so proud of yourself. You are a big part of that astonishing thing.

If you have never written a book but read many, you also have an appreciation of this blessing we have--books!