Thanks Matt!! And I’m so curious about the scent of the Powell’s perfume - I like the smell of books when I entire a bookstore but not sure if I’d want my body to smell that way!
I really enjoyed this share Sabrina, especially as a book lover📚✨ I’m looking forward to checking out the documentary on Umberto Ecco as I enjoy his writing and have several of his books.
Welcome back Sabrina! Such an interesting list. Ooof the Tower of Knowledge floored me, on my Prague list now. On the power of books, I’d heard about a Somali prisoner of war who tapped in Morse code Anna Karenina - letter by letter, word by word sentence by sentence - to his fellow prisoner in the cell next door. It took two years and they both credited it with keeping them both sane while in solitary.
Thank you!! The story of the prisoner who tapped the entirety of Anna Karenina in Morse code is really incredible (I hesitated to include it in this essay!).
Thanks for the reference to the film about Umberto Eco and his extraordinary library. It reminded me of Professor Eugene Taylor, a scholar of William James who taught at the Harvard Medical School. Professor Taylor’s library, dedicated to the history of psychology, housed over 80,000 volumes.
You’re welcome! The documentary is well worth watching - Umberto Eco is full of wisdom. And thanks for sharing about Prof Eugene Taylor - having 80,000 volumes specifically on psychology is impressive! I wonder if he read them all…
I am sorry. I stand corrected. Eugene's personal library was only a fraction of what I quoted. It was actually 8,000 volumes, a large number nevertheless.
Gah! What a fantastic piece. I want to explore each one of these. One of my Substack friends builds her Christmas tree out of books every year. She shared a pic and it’s stunning.
Thanks Kimberly!! I LOVE the idea of making a Christmas tree out of books 📚 and I’m so curious how she does that! Please share a pic if you’re able to, would love to see :)
Another great entry, Sabrina! I'll be honest, having spent many hours in Powell's - I don't think I'd want to smell like Powell's 😂
Thanks Matt!! And I’m so curious about the scent of the Powell’s perfume - I like the smell of books when I entire a bookstore but not sure if I’d want my body to smell that way!
Especially used books! Maybe it has undertones of must and decay. Lovely. I'll go see if I can get a sniff of it and report back to you.
Yesss! Mustiness! I think the perfume came out a few years ago so only available in a few spots online but let me know what Powell says ;)
I really enjoyed this share Sabrina, especially as a book lover📚✨ I’m looking forward to checking out the documentary on Umberto Ecco as I enjoy his writing and have several of his books.
Thanks Amethyst! It’s such a wonderful documentary, hope you enjoy it!
Welcome back Sabrina! Such an interesting list. Ooof the Tower of Knowledge floored me, on my Prague list now. On the power of books, I’d heard about a Somali prisoner of war who tapped in Morse code Anna Karenina - letter by letter, word by word sentence by sentence - to his fellow prisoner in the cell next door. It took two years and they both credited it with keeping them both sane while in solitary.
Thank you!! The story of the prisoner who tapped the entirety of Anna Karenina in Morse code is really incredible (I hesitated to include it in this essay!).
Thanks for the reference to the film about Umberto Eco and his extraordinary library. It reminded me of Professor Eugene Taylor, a scholar of William James who taught at the Harvard Medical School. Professor Taylor’s library, dedicated to the history of psychology, housed over 80,000 volumes.
You’re welcome! The documentary is well worth watching - Umberto Eco is full of wisdom. And thanks for sharing about Prof Eugene Taylor - having 80,000 volumes specifically on psychology is impressive! I wonder if he read them all…
I am sorry. I stand corrected. Eugene's personal library was only a fraction of what I quoted. It was actually 8,000 volumes, a large number nevertheless.
Still impressive though! Having 8,000 books period would be a LOT - let alone on one topic!
There's also an Agatha Christie allusion in me latest, if anybody is inclined to peruse it -- albeit on a screen!
https://planetcarnival.substack.com/p/murder-most-yummy
How timely!
Gah! What a fantastic piece. I want to explore each one of these. One of my Substack friends builds her Christmas tree out of books every year. She shared a pic and it’s stunning.
Thanks Kimberly!! I LOVE the idea of making a Christmas tree out of books 📚 and I’m so curious how she does that! Please share a pic if you’re able to, would love to see :)