I’ve become a bit of a book collector. My favorites are old textbooks and primers. Basic knowledge – reading, writing, ‘rithmetic. How to build a staircase or use a slide rule or classic speeches by tested leaders.
While you can find great, old books on the Internet, it’s the smell that drives me to the store. The smell of old books is right up there with campfire coffee and freshly bathed babies. Can you conjure up that smell? There’s a hint of mold – but in a good way. I am going to share some wisdom from a couple of my favorite old books. Picture the bookstores in which I found these gems: warped floors, wobbly, book-packed shelves and wobblier bookstore owners, who love the books. Breathe deep.
“The Marvels and Mysteries of Science”This 1943 copyright book is a beauty, with a heavy green leather cover deeply embossed with a picture of a microscope. Six doctorate-awarded scientists collaborated on this book. These guys love science, and they are trying to get us to love it, too.
In the chapter, Water In All Its Forms, you’ll learn why and how glaciers flow. Figure 15 is an amazing photograph of snowflakes. And there is a nonconclusive paragraph about the abominable snowman. The content was considered cutting edge in the 1940s. Now, it looks like ancient history. It is easy to forget how new our scientific knowledge is – and how carelessly we wield it.
“The World’s Great Letters”M. Lincoln Schuster of publishing house Simon and Schuster published this book of letters in 1941, undoubtedly a labor of love by a man who loves good writing. The letters’ authors are long dead men and women. What seems to have died with them is deep understanding of the beauty and power of language. This book includes personal letters from:
- Alexander the Great to Darius III, announcing his intent to conquer his army and put an end to Darius’ expansion plans.
- Leonardo Da Vinci to the Duke of Milan, requesting employment.
- Blaise Pascal to his brother-in-law, Florin Perier, requesting help with a physics experiment. Here’s the letter, written in 1647:
“I am taking the liberty of interrupting you in your daily professional labors, and of bothering you with questions of physics, because I know that they provide rest and recreation for your moments of leisure. … The question concerns the well-known experiment carried out with a tube containing mercury, first at the foot and then at the top of a mountain, and repeated several times on the same day, in order to ascertain whether the height of the column of mercury is the same or differs in the two cases. … For it is certain that at the foot of the mountain, the air is much heavier than at the top.”
Almost a year later, Pascal received this reply from Perier:
“On top of the Puy-de-Dome … we found that there were 23.2 inches of mercury in the tube, whereas in the cloister gardens the tube showed 26.35 inches. There was thus a difference of 3.15 inches between the levels of the mercury in the tube in the two cases. This filled us with wonder and admiration.”
Here’s hoping you find your way into a musty bookstore and expand your education.
To quote Dan Holohan: “I found them waiting in old bookstores all across America. They sat on dusty shelves and called down to me. ‘Psst,’ they said. ‘Up here! We’ve got a lot to tell you, kid.’”
Ellen Rohr is an author and business consultant who helps entrepreneurs start, fix and grow their businesses. She conducts a monthly webinar, and her books include “Where Did the Money Go?” and “The Bare Bones Weekend Biz Plan.” She can be reached at ellen@barebonesbiz.com.
