You can't read every book in the library

When I was in junior high, I thought a lot about collections of written material. Libraries. Dictionaries. Encyclopedias. The thing that struck me about them (although I don't know if I could have put it into words at the time) was that we were only meant to access whatever tiny portion of that information happened to be of interest at the time. Not only were we not meant to access all the material available, it simply wasn't possible. After making my way three or four cards into the "A" drawer of the card catalog, it became obvious that I could not read every book in the school library. And I was in a rural school with a tiny library. I've seen bedrooms bigger than this library, and even that library's material would be a challenge to read in one lifetime! Especially if you wanted to do anything with your life other than read books.

But what if your interest were simply to learn or experience something new? What portion would you access then? You could just start at the "beginning" and work your way forward from there. Dictionaries, encyclopedias, and works of fiction in the library were alphabetized, while nonfiction in the library was organized according to the Dewey decimal system. But I realized that "social sciences, sociology, and anthropology" isn't necessarily more important to know about than "earth sciences;" they just happen to have different Dewey decimal numbers. Reading a book by Thomas Hardy isn't necessarily a more interesting experience than reading one by Michel Tournier; the authors just happen to have different last names.

It had come to my attention that some people had compiled lists of potentially interesting material. The big one for young people at the time was the list of Newbery Medal recipients. But, I realized, the people compiling those lists couldn't have read every book in the world, either. In the case of the Newbery Medal, they couldn't even have read every work of fiction for young people. So why should I confine my exploration to the books the list-makers had already read?

Currently reading: How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan; anything I can get my hands on about the workings of the hypothalamus, especially how it interacts with the immune system

Currently making: Tom Baker Doctor Who scarves

Next post: Friday, 1 March 2019