In which we consider the meaning of books

Books are no more threatened by Kindle than stairs by elevators.   Stephen Fry 

Twice a year, on the January and June long weekends, the small town of Braidwood in south-east New South Wales holds a Monster Bookfair and has done so for the past 30 years. It used to be called the Anglican Bookfair, but in its more recent secular form, monsters seem to have way more street cred than Anglicans when it comes to selling books to raise money for a small community.

All set up and ready to go

The Bookfair runs from the Thursday preceding each of the two long weekends on which it is held, to the Monday afternoon, and sells about 25,000-35,000 books in five days. That's a lot of books for a town with a population of around 1,800. People travel from Canberra, the South Coast, the Southern Highlands and even Sydney for this Bookfair, such is its reputation.The local hall on the main street is transformed into a massive book barn, with volunteers constantly restocking the tables as books are sold.

When e-readers started to become popular, around 15 years ago, there were grim predictions that it would sound the death knell for hard copy books and bookshops. In reality, the opposite has happened. E-readers became another means of putting books in more hands. The same applies for audiobooks. While paper books remain as popular as ever.

Ever since the invention of the printing press made books available to the general public, there has been a thirst for stories and knowledge in publicly accessible written form. Is this what sets our species apart from non-human species? This magical ability to create narrative and turn it into printed words. The gift of literacy is surely one of the most valuable possessions we have and this is why it is so important that it is made available universally. 

Ask any of the thousands of people who will be making their way around the Braidwood Bookfair this

Everyone and their dog at the Braidwood Bookfair

weekend what it is that draws them there to search for an elusive title, pick up a book by a favourite author, browse their pet non-fiction subject or look for some light holiday reading, and they'll usually just say something along the lines of they "just love books". And that's the thing. We love books. E-books and audiobooks are convenient, but for the vast majority of readers (and I used to own a bookshop, so I can claim this statement with some authority) they love turning pages. 

The written word has given us texts and treatises, it has opened up portals into other worlds and shed light on people and places we may never have otherwise considered. All of which serve to broaden our lives. 

Books have power. One only needs to looks at how governments, when seeking total control over how a population thinks, ban books that might lead to thought contrary to that government's own agenda. Want to control people? Control their access to books.

So in considering the meaning of books, we need to consider them in the wider context of life. What do we seek and how can books enrich this experience? Books can entertain and educate. Book clubs provide fellowship, study groups provide deeper understanding. Libraries, from the vast national, state or university libraries, through to those in small towns and schools, are vital centres of our accumulated culture and knowledge.

In this blog I will discuss books, literature and language in general. Comments and input will be welcome.

My own treasure from the weekend Bookfair

Update: The longtime coordinator of the Braidwood Bookfair has just been honoured with the Braidwood Citizen of the Year Award at the Australia Day ceremony for her tireless and dedicated management of this event over many years. A well-deserved award.

 

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AfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchFrisianGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKoreanKurdishKyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianPashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScots GaelicSerbianSesothoShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTeluguThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduUzbekVietnameseWelshXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu

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