A.Word.A.Day -- AWADmail Issue 877

A.Word.A.Day

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AWADmail Issue 877

A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Other Tidbits about Words and Language

Sponsor’s Message: Are you looking for the perfect present for know-it-all dads and grads? The Official Old’s Cool Education is “The Holy Trinity of wit, knowledge, and fun and games,” and is chock-a-block full of gee whiz, Shakespeare, history, soap-making, sports, anecdotes and quotes, Price’s Law, and diamonds and pearls of wisdom. We’re offering this week’s Email of the Week winner, Adriel Watt (see below), as well as all the what-do-I-get-the-man-who-has-everything AWADers a “Buy Two, Get Three: special through midnight Monday. Gift problems solved >

From: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)
Subject: Interesting stories from the Net

”Extraordinary” 500-Year-Old Library Catalogue Reveals Books Lost to Time
The Guardian
Permalink

Politics Lost in Translations
The New York Times
Permalink
(Also see the video)

Linguists Found the “Weirdest Languages” -- and English Is One of Them
The Conversation
Permalink

Welsh and Hawaiian Were Saved from Extinction. Other Languages Might Not Be So Lucky
CNN
Permalink

From: Daryl Docterman (daryl.docterman ccuniversity.edu)
Subject: bibliotaph

Excellent word and excellent meditation. Now, my wife knows what to call me -- among other things -- a bibliotaph. I often tell people, “I haven’t read a lot, but I do know a few good titles.” They think I’m being modest. I know I’m telling the truth.

Daryl Docterman, Cincinnati, Ohio

Email of the Week brought to you by The Official Old’s Cool Education -- Wit. Grit. Grad. Dad. Gift. >

From: Adriel Watt (watt ub.uni-kiel.de)
Subject: Schopenhauer on books

Your introduction to the words of the week made me think of something Schopenhauer wrote:

“Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them; but as a rule the purchase of books is mistaken for the appropriation of their contents.”

As a librarian, I am painfully aware that I will never read all the books I would like to. Every day I catalog dozens of books, some old, some new. Some I am glad I don’t have to read. Others make me want to take the rest of the week off so I can jump right in and not stop ‘til I’m done. The worst part is, I have to read a bit of each one, so I get a taste of the books, but then I have to force myself to stop. Like a wine taster spitting wine into a bucket after swishing it around in my mouth.

I make a point of reading every day, but the list of books I’d like to read just keeps growing. I take heart in knowing that I will at least never run out of good books to read.

Adriel Watt, Librarian, Fachbibliothek Romanistik, Kiel, Germany

From: Maggie Burrall (Mburrall6 gmail.com)
Subject: bibliotaph

Instant recognition! So there is a word for me, finally discovered in my mid-seventies. I also like the translation from Slovene, bibliomoth, which evokes for me a mental picture of a being fluttering/hovering among the bookstacks of the world, delighted with the colorfully unlimited array of possibilities.

Maggie Burrall

From: Richard Cross (richard.cross yahoo.com)
Subject: Bibliotaph birthday gift

Today I’m finishing a move from a 2-bed, 1.5-bath condo to a 150 sq ft bedroom. My biggest problem is that my book collection alone would take more space than that and I can’t afford a storage unit now.

I’ve been stashing cartons of books with friends and family. No one seems to have any extra storage space these days... thought provoking. (I still have a few if you’ve got room.)

But I also collect ideas. And coincidences. What a wonderful birthday gift for a bibliotaph!

Thanks, Anu and gang.

Rick Cross, Pasadena, California

From: Paul Rescino (prescino pcaplus.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--bibliotaph

Bundling the time to read a book with the book would be an interesting concept, challenging to implement. Since not everyone reads at the same speed or at all. Would there be multiple versions for the speed reader, the average reader, slow reader, and an audio version for the blind and illiterate? Technology is one thing. Application is another.

Paul Rescino, Algonquin, Illinois

From: Wes Reynolds (cwr rinsey.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--bibliotaph

It seems you are just stealing time from other activities. Come on, let’s get serious. When you start War and Peace your life span should get a month longer. And if you want to be really popular -- throw in an extra week just for good measure.

Wes Reynolds, Croton, New York

From: Brian Zack (bgzack gmail.com)
Subject: Regarding your example of War and Peace

See this Peanuts strip.

Brian Zack, Princeton, New Jersey

From: Katharine Dickens (cowper4 yahoo.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--bibliotaph

Glad to know there is a word for people like me -- with bookcases (full to overflowing) in almost every room in the house. Trying to read a lot of them and now to pass them on to our local library for their book sale. Don’t want my “children” to fuss with all of them at my demise.

Come by it honestly -- both sets of grandparents as well as my parents had large libraries and some of their books are on my shelves.

Katharine Dickens, Effingham, Illinois

From: Gopalakrishnan Sankaran (geeess gmail.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--bibliotaph

Your write-up for today kindles many memories. I have been accumulating books from my younger years. Now I am 89 and I have run short of storage space. Any subject is grist to my reading mill. Barring novels. No patience tracking the plot. Books abounding in humour are my cherished ones. Authored by the likes of Erma Bombeck, P.G. Wodehouse, Richard Gordon, and the like. I keep many diaries in which I write down passages, words, etc., that strike me as memorable. I have lost count of such diaries. Luckily for me, there is a friendly bookseller, a few steps from my home. Knowing my taste in books, he keeps a lookout for such titles and alerts me. In fact, he gives me a special discount. One life is truly short for reading all that you want to read.

Gopalakrishnan Sankaran, Chennai, India

From: Binny Goldman (biniblooms telus.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--bibliotaph

Ha... I could build a fort with the books I have unread and read.

Literary hugs,

Binny Goldman, Vancouver, Canada

From: Ron Frazier (ronfraz frontier.com)
Subject: Garage door paintings

See the first photo here on the subject of books.

Ron Frazier, Clackamas, Oregon

From: Jenifer Grant (j.grant767 sbcglobal.net)
Subject: biblio-tap-tap

If you include different languages, there is a coined word, biblio-tap-tap. In Haiti, the Soros-funded library FOKAL reaches out to readers in neighborhoods with a converted pick-up truck, all fitted out with books to lend to kids and adults. Tap-tap is the word for the brightly painted pick-up trucks converted to “taxis”. In rural Deschapelles, Haiti, our Sister Cities Essex Haiti sponsored library, Bibliothèque Communautaire Deschapelles, the librarians have Biblio-Ecole and Bibio-Santé programs where they bring books to share with teachers and children in the village “ecoles” schools and the moms and children at the outlying “Centres Santés” (Hopital Albert Schweitzer Haiti Hospital Health Centers), reading to children, giving them a chance to hold and read or look at the books themselves, encouraging them to come to the library to enjoy the books and many programs offered there.

Jenifer Grant, Essex, Connecticut

From: Claudine Voelcker (claudine.voelcker googlemail.com)
Subject: Bibliotaph

To be a bibliotaph you’ve got to be a biblio-tough.

Claudine Voelcker, Munich, Germany

From: Andrew Pressburger (andpress sympatico.ca)
Subject: Bibliotaph

Something similar happens to Dr. Peter Kien, reclusive hero of Elias Canetti’s 1935 novel Auto-da-Fé hoards books and catalogues them with great care, but never reads them. He even has his housekeeper dust their spine every day with great care and upbraids her if he finds a speck of dust on any of them.

Andrew Pressburger, Toronto, Canada

From: Mike Cottrell (mikelaine.cottrell btopenworld.com)
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bouquiniste

I had never encountered the word bouquinist(e) until reading your email this morning. Then -- quelle coincidence -- I heard a programme on BBC Radio 4 Extra an hour ago called The Paris Bouquinistes and this reminded me that, when I looked around them a few years ago, they had a tendency to be grumpy; I’m glad that it wasn’t just me that they were picking on.

Mike Cottrell, Shropshire, UK

From: Chantal Quincy (chantalquincy gmail.com)
Subject: Bouquinistes

We always called bouquinistes those little shops, which are not shops per se, but boxes attached to the walls along the river Seine. They sell old books and gravures. Here’s a painting my sister-in-law Suzanne Quincy made of such a bouquiniste:

Chantal Quincy, Santa Fe, New Mexico

From: Joel Mabus (joel.mabus pobox.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--bouquiniste

So could we call a lowly clerk at the Barnes & Noble book & coffee store a bouqinista, do you think?

Joel Mabus, Portage, Michigan

From: Ramaswami S (ramaswami.s gmail.com)
Subject: Re: bouquiniste

I visited McClure’s Bookshop (for used books) in Clemson, SC, USA, two days before it closed in 2014. While paying for two books, I remarked that it was my first visit, though I had been in Clemson for years. Ms. McClure had heard others say that, and said “I’m sorry for all the fun you missed.” I tried to do better with the next used-books store that opened in town, with some inspiration from my friend.

Ramaswami S, Thanjavur, India

From: Alex McCrae (ajmccrae277 gmail.com)
Subject: bouquiniste

Circa mid-2000, much to my dismay, most local used/vintage book shoppes in L.A. and environs had been dropping off like flies. My most beloved, Dutton’s Books in North Hollywood, was no exception. Owners Davis (aka Dave) and wife Judy Dutton were closing up shop and relocating to a tiny island community off coastal Washington State, reluctantly succumbing to the burgeoning online book market dominance.

I’ll never forget the day I visited Dutton’s Book to express my appreciation, and last goodbyes, the shelves almost completely bare after a month-longish going-out-of-business sale. Dave was holding the fort, long suffering from an advanced form of scoliosis, bent forward to the extreme, yet still his cheerful, welcoming self. Out of the blue, he asked me, “Alex, would you like to hear some good old Scott Joplin ragtime?” An old clunker piano was a permanent fixture at Dutton’s for as long as I could remember. Dave gingerly walked over to the piano bench, lifted the “hood”, and proceeded to lay into such a flawless, rousing rendition of a Joplin rag that I was hard-pressed to hold back tears.

I had no clue that Dave even played the piano. Such an unexpected and touching send-off from a bouquiniste whose entire life was steeped in the love of the printed word. Dave and Judy did ultimately retire to that little island north of Seattle, enjoying close to a decade there before, sadly, Dave passed a few years back, still much beloved and remembered by the countless folk whom he touched and made to feel right at home in his labyrinthine, homey bookstore.

Alex McCrae, Van Nuys, California

From: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)
Subject: Anagrams of this week’s words


Words related to books: 1. bibliotaph 2. bouquiniste 3. florilegium 4. bibliolater 5. pandect	=	1. hoard books (but it’s rewarding!) 2. bibliopole 3. compilation 4. quoted Bible 5. full treatise	Words related to books: 1. bibliotaph 2. bouquiniste 3. florilegium 4. bibliolater 5. pandect	=	1. bibliophile 2. bibliopolist 3. analects (not artier bouquet) 4. dreadful bookworm 5. digest
-Dharam Khalsa, Burlington, North Carolina (dharamkk2 gmail.com)			-Robert Jordan, Lampang, Thailand (alfiesdad ymail.com)

From: Phil Graham (pgraham1946 cox.net)
Subject: Limericks

There once was a bibliotaph
whose obsession made some people laugh,
but they’re just being mean.
Eyes glued to a screen
they write literacy’s epitaph.
-Zelda Dvoretzky, Haifa, Israel (zeldahaifa gmail.com)

The bibliotaph had a blast
Amassing a library vast.
But his heavy stacks fell
And they crushed his cat, Belle --
His book-buying days are now past.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

The ultimate bibliotaph
Could potentially be a giraffe.
It could reach many shelves
Much too high for ourselves;
The idea, anyway, makes me laugh.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Said the bookish old man, with a laugh,
“Get a load of my stone’s epitaph:
‘He was very well-bred,
Not to mention well-read,
A relentless staunch bibliotaph.’”
-Judith Marks-White, Westport, Connecticut (joodthmw gmail.com)

Take the fully French word “bouquiniste” --
Its last syllable must rhyme with “least”.
Since it does, don’t be shy
‘Bout the “quin’s” nasal “i”
Say that too en français, I inseest!”
-Rob Arndt, Houston, Texas (theveryword aol.com)

Please pity the poor bouquiniste,
Whose business has sadly decreased.
He blames Nook and Kindle,
For profits that dwindle,
And soon his old trade is deceased.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

The Pharaoh’s preferred bouquiniste
Went to Luxor to seek out a priest.
There he asked with a moan,
“In my books made of stone,
How the hell did the pages get creased?”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

A child with a passion for books
Will store them wherever one looks.
His future? Just guess.
A bouquiniste? Yes!
Books are stuffed in all crannies and nooks.
-Marcia Sinclair, Newmarket, Canada (marciasinclair rogers.com)

He greets us disconsolately.
“I’ve just sold another, you see,
and it makes me feel triste,”
says the old bouquiniste,
“since these books are like children to me!”
-Anne Thomas, Sedona, Arizona (antom earthlink.net)

Florilegium was her forte.
She arranged flowers every which way.
To her it was fun
And when she was done
There was always a gorgeous array.
-Lois Mowat, Orinda, California (lmowat1810 gmail.com)

Our book’s been left out in the rain!
We’re hoping that after we drain
the wet florilegium
pages, and squeegee’em,
legible words will remain.
-Anne Thomas, Sedona, Arizona (antom earthlink.net)

I delight in each Thought for the Day.
Those examples of clever wordplay
might be called “florilegium
inside a collegium”
with wondrous ideas to convey.
-Zelda Dvoretzky, Haifa, Israel (zeldahaifa gmail.com)

Give me Bartlett’s, an interesting read,
As is Roget’s Thesaurus, indeed;
Any florilegium
Will ease life’s tedium
Informing, fulfilling a need.
-Marcia Sinclair, Newmarket, Canada (marciasinclair rogers.com)

Once lived a man (not an idolater),
A devoted and staunch bibliolater.
He would practically grovel
When reading a novel,
As for Bibles, a true Mariolater.
-Judith Marks-White, Westport, Connecticut (joodthmw gmail.com)

In Milwaukee a young bibliolater
Was a baseball fan crazed for Paul Molitor.
She’d take pictures of books
That displayed his good looks,
But on Instagram, nobody followed her.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Dad’s reading of family laws
was bound to give everyone pause.
Dissenting, the clan wrecked
the bulk of his pandect,
then gave him a round of applause.
-Anne Thomas, Sedona, Arizona (antom earthlink.net)

Said Barr of the Mueller team’s pandect,
“In the end, folks, it hasn’t my man wrecked.
Though he acts like an ape,
We’re quite sure that Vlad’s tape
He’ll keep secret; our friends in the Klan checked.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Sherlock said, “As I sit and reflect,
The tall man in the hat’s our suspect.”
Watson countered in awe,
“Holmes, you’ve nary a flaw,
You’re a walking and talking pandect!”
-Judith Marks-White, Westport, Connecticut (joodthmw gmail.com)

The pandect’s a book that’s well-known;
It’s one that each lawyer should own.
When someone’s accused
A pandect is used --
This volume’s the book that is thrown!
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

Phil Graham, Tulsa, Oklahoma

From: Phil Graham (pgraham1946 cox.net)
Subject: Feeling down? Book up with some puns!

Valets at the Vatican have often said, “This is your bibliotaph and to hold.”

When reserving a hotel in Miami Beach bouquiniste view.

Many criminals used to join the French Florilegium.

Knowing the queen loved bibli, I laid my bibliolater feet.

Eggs fry best in a pandect with non-stick coating.

Phil Graham, Tulsa, Oklahoma

From: James Ertner (jde31459 gmail.com)
Subject: “Book ‘em, Danno!”

Leonardo Da Vinci was apparently a messy eater, especially with chewy candy. His wife once scolded him, “Wear a bibliotaph-y will get all over your shirt.”

Asked how he would describe his famous, but far-from-fearsome, telltale exclamation, Caspar the Friendly Ghost replied, “It’s bouquiniste.”

The botanist devoted an entire acre to growing his prized possessions, and some people dubbed his budding business a florilegium.

“I hate to keep harping on the subject, but if you’re not going to wear that bib, Leo, sooner, then wear that bibliolater!”

Leonardo finally got sick and tired of his wife harping on the subject, so he picked up a frying container on the stove, threw it at her, and the pandect her.

Jim Ertner, Greensboro, North Carolina

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

In nothing does man, with his grand notions of heaven and charity, show forth his innate, low-bred, wild animalism more clearly than in his treatment of his brother beasts. From the shepherd with his lambs to the red-handed hunter, it is the same; no recognition of rights -- only murder in one form or another. -John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (1838-1914)

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