The Gift of Books

“I don’t think I could live without reading.” ~Alberto Manguel

                Anthropologists place a great deal of importance on the advent of written language– so much to that there is a branch of the study called Linguistic Anthropology.  It is, they believe, one of the things that divides our nomadic, hunter-gatherer ancestors from our modern society.  Human culture developed when we settled down, tamed the world around us, and began to write.

                Since then, reading has evolved into a skill vital to our society.  All children are expected to learn it, toiling over trite phrases like: “See spot run.”  It is a major mode of communication, constantly surrounding us in the form of ads, signs, magazines, menus and packaging labels.  In fact, the written word is so important that it has developed and maintained a connection with social status; to this day, a room filled with books is taken as a sign of education, refinement, and prestige.

                From the earliest Sumerian cuneiform and Chinese shell writings, to the first English translations of the Bible, to modern advent of eBooks, reading has shaped our world.  The words penned by various authors over the centuries have changed the way we think, challenged our beliefs, and taught us new understandings.  Without the works of Livy, Claudius and Plato, the democratic government of the United States would have never existed.  Without the wicked Malleus Maleficarum the European witch hunts would have been little more than a few isolated incidents.  Without Michael Faraday’s Experimental Research in Electricity, we might still be burning oil lamps and coal stoves.  Written words have been stepping stones to move society forward.

                More than all of this, however, reading is a joy that millions of people share.  It is an invigorating workout for the mind as well as a fascinating escape from the mundane.  It is an open door in the psyche that us leads to new worlds, and a road that takes us on life-changing journeys without us ever leaving out chairs.  It connects us, through ideas, to kindred spirits and to generations who have gone before.  The resounding and irreplaceable love of books is, perhaps, the greatest gift that written language has ever given the human race.

Sources: Alberto Manguel.  A History of Reading.  New York, NY: Penguin Books.  1997.  Pgs 3-123.