Happy World Book Day! Just. I could not let today end without churning out a few words about the joys of books. Although I am not a big supporter of these kind of days to be honest. They are a dreadful coming together of money people desperate for more money (they already have loads) and PR people trying to resuscitate a dying brand, product or celebrity. Without a doubt the worst pitch in the world invariably starts with "Thursday is World Muffin/Heron/Wood/No Trousers/Walk Upside Down/Call Your Boss a Dictator/Swim in a Puddle of Camomile Tea Day". Journalists, hang up.
But books are different, the exception to the rule about how awful naming a day other than the name of that actual day is. Books are worthy of a day, every day. Books actually matter. A lot. Firstly, books are priceless. Their value is not always tangible or quantifiable. Their worth can be personal, sentimental, romantic. Their meaning grows as we read them in families, spill tea on them, leave them on a bus, lend them to our friends, devour them in book groups and coffee shops and pubs. Books are more than what they are.
Secondly, books take a constant beating. They are a 21st century underdog. I do not own an electronic reading device. I like to smell the pages as well as read the words you see. But many find physical books inconvenient. Whereas I relish the willpower needed to continue reading a big book on a packed commuter train when your fellow travelers are cursing your self-indulgent use of scarce space. Fashions come and go but books have lived through many a fad and survived to tell the tale.
And of course there are those horrible councils trying to close our cathedrals of books - otherwise known as libraries. Not to mention the Government, which is letting them. They are all probably too busy reading the latest book they've borrowed from their local library to notice.
Finally, unless I can think of something else to say, books are the building blocks of future successes. They are the foundation for personal progress and the onward march of civilisation. They make us bigger, more powerful, more hopeful and more ourselves. Kids that read are happier, healthier and have better life chances. Those who miss out on books miss out on much more than just reading. The ladders of opportunity are literally shelves of books.
So, that's about it. You may now return to reading something more important, preferably in a physical form. Or you could write your own book with the ideas in your head. Oh and if you're going to campaign for something, and rename Wednesday World [insert name of commodity] Day, just make sure whatever you are banging on about deserves it's own day. The bar is high, the bar is books. Happy World Book Day or Week or Month or Year.
But books are different, the exception to the rule about how awful naming a day other than the name of that actual day is. Books are worthy of a day, every day. Books actually matter. A lot. Firstly, books are priceless. Their value is not always tangible or quantifiable. Their worth can be personal, sentimental, romantic. Their meaning grows as we read them in families, spill tea on them, leave them on a bus, lend them to our friends, devour them in book groups and coffee shops and pubs. Books are more than what they are.
Secondly, books take a constant beating. They are a 21st century underdog. I do not own an electronic reading device. I like to smell the pages as well as read the words you see. But many find physical books inconvenient. Whereas I relish the willpower needed to continue reading a big book on a packed commuter train when your fellow travelers are cursing your self-indulgent use of scarce space. Fashions come and go but books have lived through many a fad and survived to tell the tale.
And of course there are those horrible councils trying to close our cathedrals of books - otherwise known as libraries. Not to mention the Government, which is letting them. They are all probably too busy reading the latest book they've borrowed from their local library to notice.
Finally, unless I can think of something else to say, books are the building blocks of future successes. They are the foundation for personal progress and the onward march of civilisation. They make us bigger, more powerful, more hopeful and more ourselves. Kids that read are happier, healthier and have better life chances. Those who miss out on books miss out on much more than just reading. The ladders of opportunity are literally shelves of books.
So, that's about it. You may now return to reading something more important, preferably in a physical form. Or you could write your own book with the ideas in your head. Oh and if you're going to campaign for something, and rename Wednesday World [insert name of commodity] Day, just make sure whatever you are banging on about deserves it's own day. The bar is high, the bar is books. Happy World Book Day or Week or Month or Year.
Comments