Evening star., 1936-11-21
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

fitness Of things in a well-bound and
light book, as contrasted with heavy
as-iron book.
This is not at all strange when one
stops to think about it. The booklover
has books to tead, before all. He is a
practical person. He may be a great
lover Of first editions, old and rare
books; he may revel in the feel of fine
binding, but at bottom he wants books
to read them, and demands that they be,
above all. readable in a physical as well
as an intellectual sense.
X ~
Reprint books, while serving a real
purpose, ought to be put out with both
sides of the book readers makeup in
mind.
II these are not kept in sight the re-
suit may be fine. great volume which
sells all right, but which is seldom read.
We have many of these books on our
shelves. and have been promising our
selves to read them for long time, but
in our heart we know we never will, be-
cause they are much too heavy for COM
fort and lure. They deter one.
Such books are more honored on the
shelves than in the hand.
One is forever determining to get
around to them" but somehow never
does. Lack of time is given as the rea-
son, but all too often the real and true
reason Is that they are simply too heavy
in a very Grass and materialistic sense.
Just where the dividing line comes be-
tween a good book easy to handle and
good book difficult to handle, in the sense
of poundage, is difficult to say.
The publisher is to be congratulated in
rescuing from his warehouses the plates
of the old, expensive editions and pre-
senting them in any form at all so that
the mass of the people may have them.
He does a real service, at least from
his press to the book store. From there
on it may be, depending upon sheer
weight, altogether different story, for a
book which ought to be read but is not,
owing to its being a real physical task,
is really not bargain at any price. And
this. irrespective of the true value Of the
book, alas. In saying this we have in
mind one very beautiful, very interesting
and thoroughly informative work, but
which is so physically heavy to handle
that even one interested in the subject
hesitates to refer to it, AS for steady
reading, the thing is impossible, unless
the book is placed out fiat on table or
stand. 1t is even too large for the
average book rest, or rack, such as is
sold with such great success for reading
in bed.
Just what can be done about these
man-mountain books is a question.
Rescuing good books. though old, from
obscurity, is a laudable undertaking
Presenting the purchaser with "a whole
lot of book" for his money has its laud-
able side.
Yet there is more to bookdom than
such presentation. One recalls the me-
mortal home, equipped with a $4,000
Oriental rug which was presented. in
the postwar era, to the poor mother of
a lost soldier. She was not used to such
magnificence and never felt at home
in it.
Great. heavy books, beautiful though
they may be, and great bargains, as some
of them are, are having their day. AS
soon as enough people realize that price
is not all, in books or elsewhere, there
will be another turn, and in time we will
have such books put out. still at moderate
prices. in a form which makes them a
pleasure, instead of task, to read.