Never enough books

“I guess there are never enough books.”

This quote is attributed to John Steinbeck one of America’s most well known and prolific authors.

Many may remember him only from high school or college where works like “The Pearl,” “Of Mice and Men,” and “The Grapes of Wrath,” were often assigned reading. Others may have found his writing on their own or may have been inspired to read his other works that deal with the human condition, the rights and lives of workers, the political climate of America across decades from the 1930s and into the 1960s, war, hunger, romance and the struggles of individuals, families and even brother versus brother. While this is subject matter Steinbeck tackled in his work, it is also subject matter that many other authors have explored in their writings from Charles Dickens to Jane Austen, from Stephen King to Kurt Vonnegut to Sylvia Plath, authors have tackled subject matter, explored varied ideas and concepts and tried to share a glimpse into their own world and experience on the microscopic scale and relate it back to the human experience as a whole on the macroscopic scale.

To paraphrase an old saying and a popular meme, by reading and reading widely, you have the opportunity to live many lives and explore many worlds with the opportunities books offer to readers.

The month of March, among many other things, is recognized as National Reading Month.

This is a time that can serve as a good reminder about the importance of reading as well as the magic of it, that feeling of getting lost in the pages of a good book that excites, entertains or even challenges us to think differently and look at the world from a different perspective.

According to nationaltoday.com, March was designated as National Reading Month to celebrate Dr. Suess. He was born on March 2, 1904. Interestingly enough, Dr. Suess was not a doctor at all, he was a writer and an illustrator of very popular children’s books including “The Cat in the Hat” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” He also wrote several books for beginner readers of which “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” (published in 1960) was the most notable one. He received a Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for his contribution to the education of America’s children and their parents.

Today we might take reading for granted but it has a very long history and there was a time when only a few people knew how to read. The first written communication did not happen until 3500 B.C., and the first books did not appear until around 23 B.C. in Rome. Around this time, books were also developed in some Asian countries and the Middle East. Before the printing press was introduced in the 15th century, books were quite expensive and rare but as printed books gained popularity, literacy rates began to rise. In 1892, the first book covers appeared and in the 19th century, publishers started printing books with hardbacks.

And now, while there are preferences and debates about it, we have almost unlimited access to the printed word. While some prefer a physical book, our phones, computers and other mobile devices also allow us to read almost anywhere and any time with access to digital editions of books and other publications.

So whether it is a classic, a sci-fi epic, a love story, a horror story, a hardcover book with a cup of coffee on a rainy day or an interesting article on your phone, take some time to catch up on some reading and find the joy the written word in its myriad forms has to offer.

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