An "Aging Readership"

North Miami Beach, Florida 3-25- 2000 Aaron H. Schectman

THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on issues, ideas and reflections on the times. Published now and
then. Opinions pro or con are welcome.

AN "AGING READERSHIP"

Frank Rich used the term "aging readership" in this morning's New York
Times Op Ed piece about the phenomenon of a "book" being sent out over the
Internet for free. Anything written by Stephen King (with the possible
exception of his 'Gunslinger' foray) is sure to be successful. The format
of his latest book about "Riding the Bullet" is what is so unusual and
perhaps prophetic.

An economic historian, Sidney Ratner, was my teacher at Rutgers. He
invited a group of his graduate students to his home where bookcases lined
every wall filled to overflowing with the pride of the press, books. I was
impressed and to a certain extent have emulated him in my own home. I have
no more places to display my collection. I love books and I value them. A
Principal in a Newark ghetto school where I taught exclaimed that his
children lived in homes where "books had no value." I tried for years to
change that giving new leather-bound books as prizes for good work in my
classes.

But, back to an "aging readership". I suppose Frank Rich is right. I
think about reading in terms of picking up a book, sticking my nose in it
and reading it straight through and doing this day after day. I noticed
that MY readership in THINKING ALLOWED usually allows days or weeks go by
without actually reading what I send through e-mail. This is not to
complain. It merely underscores the impact of a book held in the hand as
opposed to reading a monitor screen or a piece of hardcopy printed from it.

I am faced with having to dispose of the largest portion of my book
collection on the walls of my New Jersey house. It is heart breaking to
realize that few value my books as I do. Books are my friends and old
companions, many of whom I reread rather than pick up something new and
untried. I shall go through this collection and make only two piles, one to
keep and the other to TRY to give away. I hate the idea that they might end
up at the curb. I have given up the idea that someone will come along and
buy the whole collection or accept the whole collection for THEIR library.
Well, so it goes. I belong to an aging readership. May that readership
continue and have a long life. Carol's Evaluation: out of 10.