Books are the hand hewn stones of our souls. They consist of fossilized ideas, traces of lives unknown. They are mortared together by bare fingers, spanning time and space to build a mansion of many improbable rooms. But books like people eventually go to mold and dust or fire or flood.
I like to give the ones I've read to friends, except references I use or loan. The ones I haven't read I keep warily like unkept promises or unpaid debts. They are possibilities of inspiration.
Now they are kept on the Internet. The problem is more writers than readers. I'm putting one up on my website now, but the website is already obsolete.
Google Books is a valuable reference for out of print books. May you can download to your hard drive. There I found "The Writings of Jefferson" (Vol 13), 1854, which does not include letters to Sally Hemmings or how he built Montecello. It does have his description of the mineral deposits in Virginia and what limestones are good and where to find marble. He becomes effusive when describing Natural Bridge and puzzled about how sea fossils got to the tops of mountains. It also contains his survey of a cave.
So we can lay up our treasures in micro magnetic arrangements of ones and zeros until the juice runs out or becomes obsolete or the world is erased.
Larry2
---- Leland Torrence <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Most excellent sir. I was thinking – Kippling.
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> Best,
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> Leland
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> From: The listserv where the buildings do the talking [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Monday, January 12, 2009 9:38 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [BP] OK, so they recovered the stick. But how was the dog?
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> In a message dated 1/12/2009 9:16:10 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [log in to unmask] writes:
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> Can’t do it. Just can’t. They are old friends.
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> If you are ready to leave father and mother, and brother and sister, and wife and child and friends, and never see them again -- if you have paid your debts, and made your will, and settled all your affairs, and are a free man -- then you are ready for a walk. ---thoreau
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> _____
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> A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See <http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1215855013x1201028747/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072%26hmpgID=62%26bcd=DecemailfooterNO62> yours in just 2 easy steps!
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> -- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html
>
>
> --
> To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
> uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
> <http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>
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--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>
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