Books offer trove of experiences

Last week, we visited about some of the poetry I had in my book room. Although I have one small room set aside entirely for my books, almost any room in the house could be called a book room because of the many volumes in each. Yes, I have spent a life time with books and will continue enjoying them by holding them in my hands — not by reading something on an illuminated tablet. The pages and the ink cause much of the pleasure some of us find in reading.

Although we were far from being a wealthy family, we were rich in books from the time I can remember. Mother's parents had provided her with quite a library for a young girl, and she used those books to introduce my brother and me to the world of literature and learning. As a teacher, Grandmother Moncus had collected books throughout her life, and she shared those with us as she encouraged us to read everything we could find.

Yes, many of my books are classics and are even older than 1. Others are books I have collected along the way and represent many of the courses I once taught. Among the books are several sets of encyclopedia. Although they are far from recent, they still serve for most of the simple research I might choose to do. Also, through the years, I have inherited large numbers of books from friends. Many of those are of the caliber I could never have afforded and are most definitely real treasures because of the friends who gave them and because of their contents.

Whereas others encouraged us to read many of the childhood books which were once very popular, Dad encouraged us to read items in the encyclopedia. He often spent the evenings reading from various volumes. He would mention some subjects of interest to him, and I would decide to see why he was so interested. As a result, I picked up a lot of information at an early age and also learned to appreciate the beauty of the written word.

I have always pitied those who were not so fortunate in being surrounded by books. They have missed much. Actually, I can't imagine being without books so I can't really imagine how those who haven't had them may feel. Because they don't know what they have missed, they are probably just as happy as I. They don't know the joy of browsing through a volume from the set of encyclopedia or paging through a dictionary to find a particular word only to become bogged down by looking at many other words as well. They don't know the pleasure of reading a good novel, a definitive biography or a real detective thriller. Before all books disappear, I hope each of you who hasn't read one will find the time to do so. You will learn much and appreciate the written word even more.

Lynn Moncus is a Tucumcari resident and can be contacted through the Quay County Sun by calling 461-1952.