Loved this. I had the same experience at my grandmother’s house. I read all of her books when I finished my own. Memory is a powerful thing that often blurs lines with imagination.
She was a very eclectic reader. I remember being very excited that she had C.S. Lewis books I had not seen since all I knew about was the Narnia series. She had The Screwtape Letters which is still a favorite and some of his books on grief. I also remember reading The Lord of the Rings, lots of poetry, history, and many classics (Dickens, Bronte etc.). Also a random biography of George Burns. :) And many, many more. Thank you for triggering these memories!
I read the World Book Encyclopedias when I was a kid. I remember doing deep dives on weird subjects like cities. This is why I still know the ranking of the top ten American cities in population (early 1960s). This is why when I cross a grating in a city, I think about all the infrastructure that is below my feet, because I still remember this one diagram a cross-section of underground New York (If you're dying to know, electrical is the last layer so it's most protected from water). This is probably why I love cities and ended up going to college in NYC and living there for thirteen years. Reading those volumes was a combination of natural curiosity (no one made me do it) and access to them (my parents made them available). Now I think about how dynamic and asymptotic all knowledge is and how "fixed" those volumes were, how what I (as one of the "masses") thought I learned and knew was selected and curated by a few experts, people who had the position, power, and education to tell everyone else what "knowledge" is. How much inherent bias was embedded in those volumes?
I really like the image of you walking across a city grate and remembering that diagram. That is exactly the kind of imprint those books left on a lot of us. It took me a long time to understand that a lot of those “facts” were really just one version of the story. History especially. I remember being taught Columbus “discovered” America without anyone mentioning the other side of that story. 😥
Touching and beautifully written. A world meant for the page, opened just wide enough for others to step in and read you. And all because of encyclopaedias and a strong will.
Growing up: choirs or books. I chose books not to avoid choirs, but to sink into other worlds. Whole author discographies. Top three, on loop from the library. Little psycho in me, but surely the world opened wide enough.
A great read! I remember doing the same at the same age. Books were always a compulsion for me from the start. On holiday, I always reached for my aunt's illustrated dictionary. Some people can't help it.
My parents bought a set of encyclopedias for my sisters and I in the early 90s. I loved them very much like you did, and they also taught me that there is so much to learn and still much more teach others not to be found in facts, but between the lines of encyclopedic finality.
Well done. I still remember many of the photographs in our family's World Book Encyclopedias as well as the desperation of trying to extract an essay from only a few of its paragraphs.
I lived in ND so I know those winters can be long! Good thing you had your love of learning and imagination!
Loved this. I had the same experience at my grandmother’s house. I read all of her books when I finished my own. Memory is a powerful thing that often blurs lines with imagination.
I love hearing that. What kind of books did she have on the shelves? I always wonder what people discovered in our formative years. 😃
She was a very eclectic reader. I remember being very excited that she had C.S. Lewis books I had not seen since all I knew about was the Narnia series. She had The Screwtape Letters which is still a favorite and some of his books on grief. I also remember reading The Lord of the Rings, lots of poetry, history, and many classics (Dickens, Bronte etc.). Also a random biography of George Burns. :) And many, many more. Thank you for triggering these memories!
That’s such a wonderful range of books. So many worlds sitting on one set of shelves. ❤️
I read the World Book Encyclopedias when I was a kid. I remember doing deep dives on weird subjects like cities. This is why I still know the ranking of the top ten American cities in population (early 1960s). This is why when I cross a grating in a city, I think about all the infrastructure that is below my feet, because I still remember this one diagram a cross-section of underground New York (If you're dying to know, electrical is the last layer so it's most protected from water). This is probably why I love cities and ended up going to college in NYC and living there for thirteen years. Reading those volumes was a combination of natural curiosity (no one made me do it) and access to them (my parents made them available). Now I think about how dynamic and asymptotic all knowledge is and how "fixed" those volumes were, how what I (as one of the "masses") thought I learned and knew was selected and curated by a few experts, people who had the position, power, and education to tell everyone else what "knowledge" is. How much inherent bias was embedded in those volumes?
I really like the image of you walking across a city grate and remembering that diagram. That is exactly the kind of imprint those books left on a lot of us. It took me a long time to understand that a lot of those “facts” were really just one version of the story. History especially. I remember being taught Columbus “discovered” America without anyone mentioning the other side of that story. 😥
Actually, apologies, electrical is the first layer :)
Touching and beautifully written. A world meant for the page, opened just wide enough for others to step in and read you. And all because of encyclopaedias and a strong will.
Thank you, I really appreciate that! Did you have anything like that growing up, a set of books or a place that opened the world up a little?
Growing up: choirs or books. I chose books not to avoid choirs, but to sink into other worlds. Whole author discographies. Top three, on loop from the library. Little psycho in me, but surely the world opened wide enough.
beautiful!
Thank you! 😄
Curiosity is such an amazing trait and I could feel it from this piece
Curiosity really is a gift. I feel lucky it’s something that stayed with me. 😁
Warm and gentle. A great read
Thank you, I’m glad it felt that way. That’s exactly the tone I was hoping for. ❤️🙂
A great read! I remember doing the same at the same age. Books were always a compulsion for me from the start. On holiday, I always reached for my aunt's illustrated dictionary. Some people can't help it.
I love that image, reaching for the illustrated dictionary on holiday. Some people really are wired for books from the start. 🥰
We had Golden Books. Different era.
I actually only learned about Golden Books because of this comment. Today, came across a TikTok of someone finding a whole bookcase full of them. 🤯
Brought back a lot of memories. Going through the volumes, thumbing through pages for something interesting. Admitting for me, it was not squids.
Very emotionally written. Thank you.
May not be squids for you, but something definitely stuck with you. Everyone finds something different in the pages they read. Thank you. <3
Loved this...I also loved encyclopedias and had a bit of a giant squid fear/obsession as a kid
I have intense thalassophobia to this day. If I can’t see the bottom, I’m not getting in the water. XD
Wow! This is incredible. Curiosity and wonder are such gifts. 💜✨
Thank you!
My parents bought a set of encyclopedias for my sisters and I in the early 90s. I loved them very much like you did, and they also taught me that there is so much to learn and still much more teach others not to be found in facts, but between the lines of encyclopedic finality.
I really like that line about learning between the lines. That’s a great way to say it. So much of real curiosity lives there. 🙂
Thanks, your description of your grandmother’s home was inspirational.
Well this was an awesome read. As a fellow squid enthusiast, I was on board from the get go.
Thank you! 🦑🦑🦑
Well done. I still remember many of the photographs in our family's World Book Encyclopedias as well as the desperation of trying to extract an essay from only a few of its paragraphs.
Thank you. And yes, trying to pull an essay out of three encyclopedia paragraphs was its own kind of challenge. 😅
Solid writing. Nice one!
Thank you! ❤️