Letters On The Page

   I am thoroughly enjoying a rereading of The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius.  His full name is Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius. I discovered him during graduate school and have returned to him from time to time. Boethius was a Christian and humanist scholar who lived from 480-524.  He is one of the last Romans to be able to read and speak well both Greek and Latin.  He translated a number of Greek works into Latin for the enrichment of Latin only readers. Out of duty (the Roman sense of piety), he served in government under the Osgothic King Theodoric.  Rome was sacked by the Visgoths in AD 410.  Gibbon and others date the fall of the Roman Empire as 476.  Boethius wrote and lived at the end of an era and the dawning of the dreadful Dark Ages.  Boethius was a Nicene Christian.  Theodoric was Arian.  Boethius got caught up in political intrigue and was accused by Theodoric and his supporters of treason.  In 523 he w...

"The trouble with education is that we always read everything when we're too young to know what it means.  And the trouble with life is that we're always too busy to reread it later."  (Margaret Ayer Barnes, 1930) Found in Wall Street Journal, April 27, 2023 in I'm Revisiting the Books of My Youth  by Danny Heitman

          Murata, Sayaka.   Convenience Store Woman . New York: Grove Press, 2019.   I learned of this book through Chris Arnade's substack.  He had just visited and walked Tapei (https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/some-thing-i-really-like-about-taipei) He was struck by the ubiquitous presence of 7-11’s in that city. And, by the near ritual behavior of the (mostly) women who worked there.  7-11’s in Taipei are a different experience than in America.  In Taipei, they also include tables and chairs for people eat, drink, and visit.  And, the staff clearly work from some kind of manual or script as they relate to the customers.  After visiting Taipei, he read Convenience Store Woman and was struck by the similarities.  I found that the Convenience Store Woman to be a fascinating reflection on the force of cultural expectations.  The author is Japanese, living in Japan, and writing o...

 Our aging cockapoo, Cuddles, has cataracts.  Sometimes, she leaps back and falls down in the bright light.  One of the therapists in the office has dogs and brought these sunglasses for Cuddles to try.  They help out a lot.  Plus, she looks so sporty too. Maybe next winter, she will do down hill skiing? 

We shall be careful, indeed!  

Darkshire, Oliver.  Once upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller, Wherein the Theory of the Profession Is Partially Explained, with a Variety of Insufficient Examples . W.W. Norton & Company, 2023. Illustrations by Rohan Eason A humorous account of Darkshire’s work experience in one of the oldest bookshops in Europe. Southeran was founded in 1761. Darkshire was hired as an apprentice in 2012. By his own admittance, he brought no recognizable skills into the position. Through a multi-year, disorganized process, he was trained in all the essential skills and habits in how to be a bookseller of fine and antique books: cataloguing, valuing books, dealing with customers, and accommodating the unique personalities that work in a bookshop.   During Darkshire’s time at Southeran, the shop installed a working phone system (but employees did not want to use it), endured a renovation of sorts that is referred to as “the upheaval”, and updated its computers and w...

   

 After the long winter when all is dead or hibernating, we are filled with joy as signs of new life spring forth.  We got a new batch of ISA Browns yesterday.  I look forward to eggs from them by August. Then, there are the flower that spring up unbidden year after year on our property.  A delight to behold. The red light is a heat lamp.  I use the red version because the white light agitates the birds.  The birds are calmer and nicer to one another under the red light.   Then, there are the flowers! Love the flowers!

  This is quite an impressive acquisition.  I wish the article explained how Codex was acquired. Was it in the hands of a private owner, private library, or another museum?  The article includes a number of images from the codex. Here is the article  Getty Acquires 11th Century Irmengard Codex

The only one of the five I disagree with is #5. You can never take a break from reading. EVER! You just have to "get back in the saddle again." https://www.rd.com/article/book-hangover/

 Now, this is a great idea!  May it spread throughout our lands. https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-news/penguin-books-installs-book-vending-machine-train-station