Books: Read, mark and digest them

The literary month and the International Book Fair are around the corner and this is the ideal time to invest your hard-earned money in a few books you cherish to own. Borrowing a book from the public library or a friend will not give you the pleasure of reading a book you own. For a book lover, filling his cupboards with books is a lifelong process. However, we should be aware that there are three kinds of book owners.

The first is the bibliophile, a person who loves or collects books. Such a person buys all the best sellers and keeps them in book racks. However, he does not have the desire or inclination to read any of them. Such a person owns only wood-pulp and ink, not books! Then there are some private, school and Pirivena libraries where books gather dust for want of readers. Most of the books are kept under lock and key until they decay.

Secondly, there are people who collect books and read them very carefully. They try to keep them clean and shiny as the day they were bought. They have a false respect for books and they never write anything on the pages. On the other extreme you find people who mutilate books and tear pages for valid reason. A university lecturer who taught literature at a well-known local university had the peculiar habit of tearing the covers of the books and pasting them on the wall of his reading room!

Mark and scribble

Thirdly, there are a few who own books which are dog-eared and dilapidated, shaken and loosened by continual use. They mark and scribble in the blank spaces. They are more interested in the contents of the books than the outward appearance. Such people not only own the books but also read them with profit.

Mortimer J. Adler: Marking up a book is not an act of mutilation but of love.

Most students and adults have a false respect for books. They are reluctant to write anything on the margins of the pages. They are under the impression that if they read a book several times, the contents will automatically get into their brains. Unfortunately, this does not happen.

If you own a book, you have to read between the lines to get the most out of your reading. As Mortimer J. Adler said, “Unless you do so, you are not likely to do the most efficient kind of reading.” He also said that marking up a book is not an act of mutilation but of love. However, you must never mark up a book borrowed from a library. If you do so, you will be doing the greatest disservice to other readers.

Shakespeare

Although we cannot buy all the books we want it is better to own at least a few of them. Even William Shakespeare said, “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” He was referring to monetary transactions but it can legitimately be applied to books as well. If you have the means you can buy any book published here or abroad. We have a number of well-stocked bookshops in major cities and there are facilities to order them online.

When you buy a book you establish the proprietary rights by paying for it, just as you pay for clothes and furniture. But this act of purchase is only the prelude to ownership. You become the real owner of a book only when you have made it a part of yourself. This can only be done by writing between the lines or on the margin. Any book you read has to be chewed and digested.

Annotation helps us to separate the soul of a book from its body. The soul of a book includes the lofty ideas embedded in it. The body consists of the attractive cover and the pages filled with letters. Marking up a book keeps the reader awake. When you mark up a book you read it meaningfully. Even psychologists say that writing helps us to remember facts and figures easily.

Fiction

Of course, there are books that you need not annotate. For instance, a light fiction such as Gone With The Wind may not require annotations. When you read such books for pleasure, you can relax and enjoy the story. However, a great book demands your undivided attention. When an author such Bertrand Russell or Malcolm Muggeridge tries to answer fundamental questions in philosophy they demand the most active reading.

When once you get into the habit of annotating books, you will realise its value. Martin Wickremasinghe used to write copious remarks on the margins of the books he read. This way he learnt so many subjects even without going to a university. Even President Hutchins of the University of Chicago used to read books with a pencil in hand.

The physical act of writing brings words and sentences more sharply before your mind. The space round the printed page is all yours to write your comments. Marginal notes help you have a constant dialogue with the author even if he is not among the living.