Anyone who has spent any amount of time around me (i.e. 10 minutes or less) knows that if they ask me a question about a subject to which I have a particular fondness, I may have a tendency to talk their ear off about said subject. Like the lady who came in for the Writer's Workshop Program during the summer and asked me for a good book by a Japanese writer, and I handed her one of Yukio Mishima's novels, all the while babbling about how obsessed I had been in the summer of 2009 with his work. She bought the book, and came back two days later to clean us out of Mishima. So if you come in and there's no Mishima on the shelves... my fault. I probably sold it to somebody. The same goes for Natsuo Kirino, Ryu Murakami, John Connolly, Dennis Lehane, Val McDermid, and about a half dozen other authors, but I've babbled plenty about these marvelous writers.
Lately, I've been diving head first into non fiction, specifically Holocaust Studies. Now, being as that I am so fond of cheerful subjects, I of course did what I do whenever I get interested in something: I don't wade into the pool; I hit the high dive. So I scooted around the general information and headed straight for some of the most controversial topics in this field of study and was introduced to a new term: revisionist history.
This subject alternately fascinates and horrifies me, mostly the latter, because it strikes me as degrading and I feel it violates the memory of events. There is really nothing nice I can say about revisionist history. If anything, it motivates me to go out and find out more information, seeking an answer for why people believe the things they do, and, more specifically, why anybody would even think to try to revise the view of one of the 20th century's most horrific events.
It's akin to someone trying to revise my generation's reaction to September 11th. If someone came up to me and said 'Oh, no, you couldn't have seen what you saw', I'd have to bite my tongue before I could say 'Yes, yes I saw it. I was watching it on television as two airplanes struck the towers, and I watched them fall a few hours later'. I was in high school; it wasn't so long ago. I think it's a disservice, an insult to the memory of that day. Much like anyone who claims the Holocaust didn't happen is insulting the memory of millions of people, and insulting the generations that came later, mine included, who wanted to know why. Why do things happen and what can we learn to prevent them from happening again. The ultimate questions boil down to the word 'why'.
It's one of the main reasons I love reading history: I want to know why.
Humans are curious by nature, and I'm no different. I'm probably too curious, because the moment I learn something that intrigues me on some level - personal, academic, or professionally - I want to learn more, and I don't tend to start small in devouring information. Since it's been my job to describe books on the internet, I've done some of my own personal research into how books used to be made; Nialle has offered plenty of information on why current books don't hold up as well as old ones, and why some books are worth money and others aren't. From reading up on how books are bound (paper signatures used to be sewn together, and then sewn into a hard cover, which was then covered in leather or cloth; most modern books are glued into the boards and depending on who does the binding, it's not the best quality) to what kinds of leathers are used by book binders (goatskin is the most desirable, because it is beautiful and sturdy, and while calfskin is lovely, it splinters and tears as it ages), I've learned the bare basics of bookbinding and what makes a durable, long lasting book.
From knowing that information, I know what things I can describe on the internet to entice people. Knowing key things that make a particular copy of a book better than, say, a half-dozen other copies might be as simple as knowing how to read a piece of copyright information, or perhaps we have a nifty old Modern Library copy with a nearly pristine dust jacket (we have a gorgeous copy of Thoreau's 'Walden' right now in the Modern Library, plug plug). Having a copy with something special about it, just one thing that no other copy has, that's what we look for. Having that knowledge, that information, that's what makes our little world go 'round and 'round.
I've said it before, but I really don't think I'll ever stop learning. Even though I graduated college almost three years ago, I'm still insatiable when it comes to information, new and old. I still want to learn about anything and everything I can. I like having a broad scope of interest because it makes me able to talk with anybody regarding just about anything, and makes it easier for me to know the sections of the shop, so I can know what to do when someone is looking for That One Book. Since I've been scoping out books in certain sections lately for Nialle, I know what's in stock, where it is, and what might pique your interest. So if you're interested in Psychology, Cultural Studies, African History, Middle East History, European History (including the Continent and the UK), or anything Medical or Biology related, come talk to me. Maybe I can help you find That One Book.
Until next week, fellow bibliophiles.
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