A book, says the American Heritage Dictionary, is “a set of written, printed or blank pages fastened along one side and encased between protective covers. True—for a modern book. But books used to be sold unbound in quires (gatherings of printed sheets). If you wanted it bound you bought the quires from the publisher and took them to a bookbinder.

If you are interested in the history and the character of a town, the best place to start is to visit the town cemetery. Every important event will be represented there--the wars, the epidemics, the rise and fall of important families, the accidents, the long happy lives and the short, sad ones.  All in one place, all rubbing shoulders with each other. WWI veterans alongside last year's car crashes. It's the accumulated history of the town.

I think bookshelves are a little like cemeteries for individuals who love to read. The books on the shelf weren't all placed there that morning like we might put on nice clothes for a date. They are a "snapshot" of the accumulated history of the owner. Nicki Leone