Before you call 911, a Bibliophile is someone who loves to read, admire and collect books. Yee-ah, not as naughty as it sounds. And, not to be confused with bibliomania which is the obsessive-compulsive disorder involving the excessive accumulation and hoarding of books. I’ve seen that show “Hoarders” and I am NOT a hoarder. In fact, I only have a small collection of books which I love to share with family and friends when they come to visit me in Lakefield. There’s a small book shelf in the guest bedroom and the open invitation is “Take a book or leave a book.” C’est toute. There’s something about swapping books and watching your favourite novel become more dog-eared over time.
The whole act of collecting books has some unspoken rules for me. The books cannot be purchased at a chain book store or commercial source or online. (I can however receive them as gifts.) The real fun is finding the books at thrift stores, garage sales or used bookstores. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, you might find me wandering around downtown Peterborough walking through the used book stores along Water Street or Chumleighs - Yes, I do this for fun – scanning through titles, taking the book of the shelf, examining the cover, reading the back, flipping through the pages. It’s all part of the experience.
This past year, I’ve been so busy I haven’t been able to keep up with my reading. But, I have been collecting and adding to my books-I-want-to-read list. This list has been ongoing since college. Paul and Leah (fine art majors) were the instigators, introducing me to book lists, author readings and used book stores. Hey, I was young and naïve and attending art college. It seemed cool at the time. And, it was. Because of them I’ve met great authors like Timothy Findley and Michael Ondaatje. Experiences I will never forget.
I miss Paul and Leah. Nearing the end of college we lost contact. They were ‘fine arts’ majors. I was a ‘graphic designer’ and my path took me in a different direction. But, I think of them often. One of the last books Paul and Leah added to my list was a book called Shakespeare’s Dog by Leon Rooke. This book has intrigued me for many years. It’s a story of William Shakespeare and how he came to bed and wed his wife Anne Hathaway (not the actress!) Told from the point of view from his dog. Did Shakespeare have a dog?? No matter, the point is Leon brings to life the possibility that Shakespeare could have had a dog and I wanted to know what that sounds like.
After all these years I was starting the think that this book did not exist. But, I found it... In Peterborough... along Water Street... For $6.99! I can’t tell you how excited I was. My little treasure. A sign of a true Bibliophile? Probably. In this day and age of movies, iBooks and eReaders I think I might be a dying breed. Who am I kidding? I’m sure I will have a Kindle one day soon. It’s light, portable, environmentally-friendly and convenient. But, nothing beats the feel of an old fashion book. I think Paul and Leah would agree with me, where ever they may be...
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