Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Although I had read Nineteen Eighty-Four in high school, I did not consider George Orwell a favourite author of mine until I had read his essay Politics and the English Language. I liked the essay so much that I've decided that if I ever find myself in a teaching position, I'll will assign it as mandatory reading. As I recall, my mentor had lent me her copy of the volume of The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letter of George Orwell (judging from volumes three and four that she lent me, this is an excellent series that I must acquire myself) containing the essay because in third year a prof had returned a paper of mine bleeding with edits (I've been told several times thus far throughout my academic career that I write well). This was probably a year and a half ago and as I am in the midst of packing to move, I've come across these tomes again.
Before returning them, however, I peaked inside and rediscovered my appreciation for Orwell's clear, frank writing style. I read the essay Books v. Cigarettes, which was originally published in the Tribune February 8, 1946. The premise of the article is to debunk the notion that books are too expensive a hobby for the average person. His argument intrigued me as I was told, growing up, that books were expensive and it was better to borrow them from a library. I don't often buy new books for myself, but I have given books as gifts. The idea that it is better to borrow than buy books is so ingrained in me that last month during my last book purchase I actually debated whether or not to buy the book or just request it at the library and wait x months to get it. However, similar to Orwell, I concluded there were a lot worse things that I could spend $13 than a paperback.
To determine the cost of owning and reading books, Orwell estimates the cost of his own collection. To approximate how much he's spent on books, Orwell first determines how he appropriated his books. His categories are: "Bought (mostly second-hand); Given to me or bought with book tokens; Review copies and complimentary copies; Borrowed and not returned; Temporarily on loan." Orwell is very insightful in his discussion of how he acquired his books -- methods that are applicable to all and summarised into one of my favourite sentences of the essay: "This is because book-giving, book-borrowing and book-stealing more or less even out." I like this sentence because it reminds me that I've obtained certain of the books on my shelves by prolonged borrowing or book-stealing (and, come to think of it, that I'm exonerated for doing so). The first that comes to mind is a book I borrowed two years ago and have thus far kept and hope to keep. The second is my copy of Albert Camus' L'étranger, which I got from a friend who still had his copy from high school. To be fair, I've given back into the system, by way of forgetting my paperback copy of The Da Vinci Code I had bought for the flight to Britain under the bed at a friend of a friend's house in Eastbourne -- fortunately I'd finished it the night before.
Amusingly, Orwell concludes that reading, whether one purchases new, second-hand, or borrows books is a cheaper pass-time, although perhaps less exciting, than the more widespread hobbies of smoking and drinking.Labels: books, July 2009
posted by Vanessa at 11:07 PM
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