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In Praise Of Old Books
Remember working in an office? Waiting for the previous print job to finish. We used to joke that someone was “printing out the internet.”
Wow, what passes for humour in an office is a low bar.
Our local school — BC (Before Covid) — gave away some old books. Out-of-date textbooks, encyclopedia, atlases. We took a few.
Seeing my child devour them now — out of necessity, the libraries are still shut — is a joy. They’re hoovering up knowledge in a structured and engaging way. You know, like how books are written?
Even if I’d been the one printing out the internet, these old books would win.
New is best. Tech is progressing. Online is bang up-to-date. True. But my kid isn’t badgering me to google the latest from the Mars rover. Instead, their focus is on a kids encyclopedia of nature from 1992.