Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-01

There has been o disposition lately
on the part Of some bookloverS TO ois-
count the personal home library and 70
declare that books should no more be
saved than magazines or newspapers.
A book, such apologists say. Is moth
ing sacred. Just because 1t has cloth
covers is no reason why it should be
regarded as precious.
There is something in that. Of course.
Much good writing appears in ephem-
eral form. A great deal Of plain bunk
shows up annually between fancy
boards.
yet it must be admitted that the
book, as a book, has come to nave a
character of its own. Permanently is
plain part of that characters the
very foundation of it, indeed.
When one thinks of a book he thinks
of something to be kept. book need
not be precious; it even need not be
particularly good to be worth keeping.
Until the last quarter of century
there was no talk on anybody's part OF
dispensing with the home library.
Books were regarded as good things TO
have and to hold
Recent years, bringing with them so
classification and It's imitation. pseudo
sophistication, have induced some few
booklovers to believe that there Is no
reason why they should form pernaa-
nent book collections.
Cranped living quarters and the high
cost Of living have added to the prac-
tical difacultieA Of keeping home book
collections Even few thousand vol
1nies offer a real problem In an apart
naer1t.
and windows that the disposition of
bookcases is another problem. Such
cases look better. give more "booky'
atmosphere. if they are kept together.
Where sectional cases must be Sepa-
rated and placed at different parts in q
room or IN various rooms IN a house,
much of the physical effect OF home
library is lost.
Who is there who loves books who
has not thrilled at the sight of q fine,
great library in the home of some rich
man, a room where cases reached from
floor to ceiling and extended the entire
length of the walls, with only room out
for doors, windows and possibly fire.
place?
Such a library is every booklover's
dream. Few win be privileged to have
SUCH a place, but what every one who
cares for books may have Is a few
books-the same books that the rich
man possesses!
There one hits upon the real glory
Of the personal book collection and ar
rives AZ the same time at the one
fundamental reason for keeping his
books.
In making his collection. he should
at all times aim to secure the best
books, the truly great works OF all
times If he has proceeded upon such
a plan, although he may make many
mistakes. he will not be willing TO re-
gard his books lightly, or to admit that
they may be thrown away when he IL
through reading them.
Suppose he came across good trans.
lation of Lucretius' "Of the Nature OF
Things when he was a young man In
college. 1t had been only title, and a
curious one, until that fated day when
he discovered this old copy at 4 sec
ond-l1and store.
once at home with 1t, he had dis
covered the merits Of one Of the worlds
greatest and most curious literary pro-
auctions. How would 1t have been pos
sible for him, Afterward, to have been
willing to part with It?
True, he might have purchased other
and perhaps better translatiors, but
none of them, he felt sure, would have
had quite the same feel" to him. In
fact he did buy other versions, only to
prefer his old one.
Books purchased because they mean
something to the individual reader are
books to be kept, and no limit Of space
or amount of sophistication will en-
able a real booklover to arrive at the
point where he will willingly part with
them.