The Book I Miss the Most
I’ve been parted from my library of books (truthfully a disorganized crowd of cardboard liquor boxes and a few plastic storage bins) for well over 2 months now and I miss a couple of them so much–their absence is a hole–I have determined that whenever I travel for more than a week again they will accompany me.
One book stands out over and over in my mind:
My dogeared copy of Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
from Part II of the book:
“We are at the classic-romantic barrier now, where on one side we see a cycle as it appears immediately…and this is an important way of seeing it…and where on the other side we can begin to see it as a mechanic does in terms of underlying form…and this is an important way of seeing things too. These tools for example…this wrench…has a certain romantic beauty to it, but its purpose is always purely classical. It’s designed to change the underlying form of the machine.” (Pirsig)
It speaks to me…the entire book. His cross-country trip, his insights on romantic and utilitarian viewpoints certainly underlay the early 70s, but that personal philosophy could have even more relevance now. I miss this book everyday, and even though I can read the full text online, it in no way replaces the tangible evidence of my copy of that book, which as I work through it becomes a physical journey as well. A solid, paperback book with thin paper pages that smell of wood pulp and ink and dust in which I can write notes in the margins, underline favorite passages, start a poem on the inside back cover, and fold down pages–nothing replaces it.
Tags: book review, books, favorites
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