Thursday, March 16, 2006

Splash du Jour: Thursday

That lust for books which rages in the breast like a demon, and which cannot be stilled save by the frequent and plentiful acquisition of books. This passion is more common, and more powerful, than most people suppose. Book Lovers are thought by unbookish people to be gentle and unworldly, and perhaps a few of them are so. But there are others who will lie and scheme and steal to get books as wildly and unconscionably as the dope-taker in pursuit of his drug. They may not want the books to read immediately, or at all; they want them to possess, to range on their shelves, to have at command. They want books as a Turk is thought to want concubines-not to be hastily deflowered, but to be kept at their master's call, and enjoyed more often in thought than in reality.
-- Robertson Davies

Have a great Thursday!

1 comment:

JoanneMarie Faust said...

I love the idea of readers being dangerous and exciting. Sure, I spend most nights curled up in bed early with my book and my puppy in my lap, but I've got my moments. If books weren't neatly kept on bookshelves, but hidden in caves and crypts, I would totally be out on the book hunting expedition!!!!