| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: and Mr. Smith, the Brighton bookseller, gives evidence thus:--
"It may be worth your while to note that the clergy of the last two
centuries ought to be included in your list (of Biblioclasts). I
have had painful experience of the fact in the following manner.
Numbers of volumes in their libraries have had a few leaves removed,
and in many others whole sections torn out. I suppose it served
their purpose thus to use the wisdom of greater men and that they thus
economised their own time by tearing out portions to suit their purpose.
The hardship to the trade is this: their books are purchased in good
faith as perfect, and when resold the buyer is quick to claim damage
if found defective, while the seller has no redress."
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Elizabeth and her German Garden by Marie Annette Beauchamp: know what his feelings can be now that they are all flowering
and the plants behind are completely hidden; but I have learned
another lesson, and no future gardener shall be allowed
to run riot among my rockets in quite so reckless a fashion.
They are charming things, as delicate in colour as in scent,
and a bowl of them on my writing-table fills the room with fragrance.
Single rows, however, are a mistake; I had masses of them
planted in the grass, and these show how lovely they can be.
<44> A border full of rockets, mauve and white, and nothing else,
must be beautiful; but I don't know how long they last
nor what they look like when they have done flowering.
Elizabeth and her German Garden |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: manner in which she welcomed this Vassenka, with his ribbons,
just as though she were in her own house.
Even Sergey Ivanovitch, who had come out too onto the steps,
seemed to him unpleasant with the show of cordiality with which
he met Stepan Arkadyevitch, though Levin knew that his brother
neither liked nor respected Oblonsky.
And Varenka, even she seemed hateful, with her air sainte
nitouche making the acquaintance of this gentleman, while all the
while she was thinking of nothing but getting married.
And more hateful than any one was Kitty for falling in with the
tone of gaiety with which this gentleman regarded his visit in
Anna Karenina |
