why used books are better

after writing this i also realized...well someone has to read it first to make it become used... hmmmm

i have never liked the pompous smell 

of a newly purchased book. 

in the scribbled notes in the margins

of a 1907 collectible novel 

i can finally understand why:

when you read a used book

you're not just reading the story

that the author printed into words, 

you are inadvertently indulging the narratives

of every fingertip that has leafed through

these pages before you and soaked

their subconscious in the same 

alternate universe. every crease

stain and blur is an anthology etched

between the lines of the printed text. 

why read a pristine book with one story

pretentious in its singularity

when you can read thousands

without ever conceiving it. 

Reviews

[kublakhan27]

If there are elements of pomposity to newly-made books, I suppose it because they're cheaply-made...the old books you speak of last forever if they're taken care of...the books of recent generations are made flimsier, the binding never seems as strong, and the pages are brittler, even hardcover books...it's kind of like records, which I also collect fervently...old vinyl is thick, and you'd need a jackhammer to put a scratch in it...but as you get into the 70s and 80s, they get mass-produced, the vinyl is thinner, and you can't do so much as breath on one without worrying about warping...I'm totally in touch with what you're saying here...those old books just have an air about them...they're like works of art in and of themselves...today's printed work just doesn't have that same feel...I love how you've summed it all up here my friend.

[Dana Alsamsam]

oh my god i so agree with you about the vinyl! the ones that i've been handed down from my dad are far more sturdy than the few newer editions that i've bought in recent years. thank you so much for your connection and glowing review!

[kublakhan27]

You've most welcome :) I think you mentioned once that you had records but I never thought to ask you for sure...a lot of the remastered stuff coming out now is back on thicker vinyl, but like the old books, they just have a certain appeal that reissues don't ;)

[Dana Alsamsam]

yes i do, i wish my collection was more extensive but it can become an expensive hobby...haha!

[kublakhan27]

Oh you don't have to tell me haha This summer was the first time in two years I got to any record stores (the closest ones are six hours away) and I doled out $250 on new stuff...I'm paying the price (pardon the pun haha) now but it was worth every penny...if you're really curious, my profile has some pics of some of my stuff ;)

[Dana Alsamsam]

oh i'll be sure to check them out! wow that's far...i live in chicago so the closest one to me is like five minutes haha i guess i am very lucky.

[kublakhan27]

Haha yeah I'm from a small town so there isn't much of anything around :P

[Steven]

Nice notion, though what you are mostly absorbing I think are dead skin cells.. ;)

[Clockwork]

You see, this is why I can never use a kindle, because I would miss the things you described here. Those electronic readers are to impersonal, too sanitized and devoid of passion. But those pages you described, they are laden with the energy of those who came before us. They are small forest of legends, even if only a few people walk under their wizened leaves. This is my favorite part: "you are inadvertently indulging the narratives/of every fingertip that has leafed through/these pages before you."

This poem also reminded me of how much I love the library I inherited from one of my relatives. She was the first female doctor certified to practice medicine in the tri-state region of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. The oldest book in her collection dates back to 1894.

[Dana Alsamsam]

ah that's lovely! i love old books so much. i agree, kindles scare me- i like actual paper and pages and book smell. thanks for your kind words!

[Clockwork]

You're welcome :-)

[K. Louis]

I've always favored used book stores over buying new..and in that second stanza you describe quite well, one of the reasons..although I don't think the new books smell so pompous, they certainly lack the charm of a good ol' used treasure. :)

[Dana Alsamsam]

i've just always had this feeling that new books KNOW that they're new haha! thanks for reading and glad you can relate :)

[K. Louis]

LOL! They KNOW! ...you're welcome!