Evening star., 1928-06-07

Just as the rose has its thorn, sc
| the booklover finds his hobby marrec
! by one sad circumstance.
| Loving books. there is nothing he
would rather do than loan them to his
| friends so that he might discuss them
| afterward
Yet he knows before he loans the
| book that the chances are 10 to
against ever Seeing.it again In some
| cases this hazard rises as high as 100
! to |.
This extreme reluctance to return a
! borrowed book is at once amusing and
! pathetic. striking as 1t does at the love
of reading but firmly ingraincd ut the
same time in our common human
nature.
To share a good thing with another
is one OF the inherent desires Of man
under civilization Perhaps SavagcS
| know nothing of this feeling but most
human beings who popularly are called
civilized have some share in 1t.
II is what drives people to suggest
that their friends must go see a GER
tain play or acquire a particular car.
1t is motivating force behind the wish
to suggest cold remedies to ones friends
Above all. this feeling is responsible
for the wish to share good books with
friends Many a fine novel has become
a best seller" largely through this
mouth-to-mouth advertising
This species of free advertising comes
about because the normal man or Wom-
an likes nothing better than to tell his
acquaintanceS OF the good things he
finds in life as he goes along
In this respect. at least mankind is
perfectly unSclfish Rare is the reader
who. discovering fine novel, hugs 1t
TO his breast with a feeling that he
must keep II a secret.
Perhaps such book miSers exist; GER
tainly the great majority might be
termed extravagant when ii comes to
sharing n good book with others
i *
This desire to loan an interesting
book to a friend is fundamental since
by its means one doubles his own JOY
through the ability to discuss it after
ward
Thus the story--if 1t is a novel
lives again in the palaver between the
two of you about the book. Often it
becomes exceedingly irksome to wait
until the other has finished
So thrilling has 1t seemed to the first
reader that ne wants to talk about il to
every one he sees He resents slightly
the apathy OF the general public on the
subject that holds his mind
How much better off yonder man
would be if only he would possess him.
self Of a copy OF his great work and
read it from cover to covers
A book becomes more real more alive.
when one Is able to talk it over with
another The ideas of the writer clash
with the opinions Of first one reader,
then the next
The pleasure that comes III reading
the account of the base ball games
which one saw yesterday is amplitled in
this discussion of good book with a
friend
The foibles Of the characters take on
new zest What one character does i'll
relation TO another becomes a source
CT comment, perhaps heated comment,
as one goes on to defend tha heroine.
If one is interested IN writing N any
form tif no more than a letter.. these
discussions OF books take on added
interest. since they are about a work
which some publisher has deemed good
enough to take a chance on.
Issuing Of books. especially novels. Is
today a sort of gambling venture, based
upon the happy chance OF the work be-
coming what is known in the trade AS
best seller"
Discussion of such works. or OF any