With grateful thanks to Patricia Welch for the stimulus to write this
Books from national libraries, university colleges and places of traditional reference are being thrown out. After protests, some are being given away, at least offering them a home for now.
Reading books is a civilised form of learning. They are not abbreviated to extract only the material benefits. They follow the reader’s pace not the raper’s plunder. They stimulate mind and soul. Their looks, their feel, their titles, their designs, their personas are unique.
A book is a creation of humanity. A book is not sacred but it has a sanctity of its own. It asks for reverence in an unique, humble way. When we lose our books we lose something of us that is precious beyond the hardware of life. Do not ditch your books. They can live long after you.
AI was unable to recapture a poem I knew as a child about books but it helped and inspired me to write a verse to express what I and all of us are grateful for.
A Book Is a Ship of Romance
A book is a hush in the hallway of thought,
A bright light that shines where the memory is caught.
It sails through a silence, it anchors the sky,
It whispers of places you’ll never pass by.
Its pages are petals, its spine is a mast,
It sails through the present, it relights the past.
The ink is a compass, the margins a map,
It folds you in wonder, then leaves you to nap.
No ticket is needed, no harbour too far.
It launches through longing, it follows a star.
And whether you’re grieving or simply astray,
A book is a romance to make your mind play.
Good morning
John Bittleston
Modern technology is marvellous but let it not throw out the baby with the bathwater.
What do you think. [email protected] would love to learn.
15 September 2025
