Real Live Books

BOOKS

The Real Thing

These days, to enter a book shop and to buy books as actual entities, i.e. physically bound batches of printed sheets of paper, is perhaps getting less and less popular, as more people are turning to downloads and the use of electronic devices. Even online sellers of real books, and book clubs with their social interactions and shared book reviews, are beginning to lose out.

To the purist book lover, this trend is worrying.

For many readers, a real book often seems to present a challenge akin to a "mountain to climb"; the thought of starting at Chapter One and slowly progressing through to the end, can be daunting, especially if it is more than an inch thick. (Just think of Tolstoy's War And Peace!)

But, a book lover - a true book lover - knows the joy of possessing that treasure chest of words (fact or fiction) that is THE BOOK. To run your finger across the text, as you digest a wealth of information on your subject of study, greedily grabbing pertinent points and scribbling them onto a notepad. Or, skipping along the words, engrossed in some ripping yarn, to clutch the cover, as turning the pages becomes more and more animated, drawing you ever closer to the long awaited outcome or the shocking final twist.

Even with non-fiction books, (a Crystal Bible perhaps, an Encyclopaedia of Angels, or a book on healing), the ability to pick it up whenever you like, to anticipate discovering some new snippet of information,  or just to enjoy its beautiful illustrations, has got to be reason enough to have bought it.

Then there are the antiquarian books, the ones that have seen a century or two, that have been owned and cared for by generations of readers. Old books with foxing on fading, yellowing pages; books containing stories by our most beloved authors; books on science and beliefs that have long since developed and evolved to suit the respective contemporary ethos.

Oh, to own such books, to let them gather dust (but not too much!) on some richly patinated wooden shelf, and to scan their spines as you search for those crumbs of vital information, that glimpse of a vague recollection that needs to be found and clarified.

Whether new books or old, books are for sharing, for discussing, for reference. They are still a true treasure, and it is an absolute gift to own them.

In the words of an unknown author:

"A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you
and still remains your friend."

---ooo0ooo---

Here at Clouds, some of our own best-loved book ranges are:

Godsfield Press Bibles - a series of substantial, attractive, well-illustrated, easy to read books on a wide range of topics from Angels to Yoga.

Wooden Books - an attractive range of pocket sized, easy to read paperback books that explore a wide range of scientific and arcane subjects.

Robert W Wood Books - on the mysteries surrounding gemstones and crystals.