“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis
In college I majored in classics and after college taught Latin in high school for several years. I then became a software technical writer. Since retiring, I have been rereading some of the books that I was assigned to read in high school and college, as well as books that I read on my own. In almost every case, I have found these books to be more rewarding and entertaining than I remember them being when I first read them — I believe because of the great increase in experience of life and literature that I am bringing to them this time.
This discovery is what led me to set up a web site devoted to the discussion of long familiar books — familiar in name at least, for when we reread them as adults, we are likely to find them unfamiliar, and delightfully so. I am writing these articles first of all to understand what I have gained — or lost — as a reader over time.
I look forward to receiving comments on what I write as well as on the books that I have written about. I will reply to comments, to the extent that I am able.
In this way I hope to possess more truly the books that I have known and cherished — in many cases for decades. And I hope that you who join me in discussion may do the same.
I hope it is clear that I do not intend what I write to be the last word about anything except my own experience of certain books. And because I am not attempting to make a contribution to scholarship, I do not use footnotes, although I try to mention all the books that have provided me with information and ideas.
Note: This blog is dedicated to the memory of Rob Forman Dew, who encouraged this diffident writer to do something like this.
Books Matter 