BOOK SEARCH FROM FIRST LIBRARY TO AMAZON

My first book search occurred in the first library I remember. It was more shock at so many books in one place than a search.

In a small library in a small school in a small town, I was small and looking for a small book. I still like small books.

When I was slightly older I got a real library card from the town library.

The local library seemed like a retro-fit of a municipal building. The firehouse and police station were nearby. It wasn’t a Carnegie Library.

The next town over had that honor, but I didn’t know back then.

My grade school was shaped like a U with early grades on the left side, older on the right, and the gym/cafeteria along the bottom hallway.

The library was in the middle of the older kids’ wing with windows facing the inside courtyard. I could see the class rooms on the other side with Mrs. Bell, Mrs. Province, and Mrs. Romani. It was a new point of view for a little tyke.

Even better, the school library was a room of books, and I could choose any one of them. Maybe two. And there wasn’t a wrong choice.

I don’t remember the title of my first book search, but I do remember feeling trusted when I checked it out.

Trusted Book Search Return

History hooked me early when my brothers and I got big enough to put on my dad’s Marine Corps fatigues. We asked questions, so did he. It started with, “What are you guys digging around in my stuff?”

We didn’t say, “Because we’re kids,” but we were rooting around because we were curious kids.

“Did you wear this?”

“Yes. I saved the jackets, the blouses, from Korea.”

“What’s that?”

“It was called a Police Action.”

“Were you a policeman?”

“No, I was in the Marine Corps.”

“Are all policemen Marines?”

Those were the sort of father-son talks that egged me on to read more, learn more. Korean Police Action my butt, I remember thinking when I read about the Korean War. My dad was over there?

Looking back, I think the old man didn’t want us to learn about war from him. With the same thoughtful courtesy, he didn’t get into the birds and bees either.

When the book search heads to the Korean War, the history of WWII is not far away. I thumbed through a few books, saw a picture of a P-38 Lightning, read about Dick Bong, and I was off.

Japan v USA off one coast, Germany v USA off the other. Horrific tales of combat from both. That was enough.

I picked it up in the Junior High library. A classmate’s mom was the librarian. She made the place feel like a special club for regulars who dropped in on their own time.

I didn’t ask her to explain the Holocaust, or war crimes. I read the stories and believed what I read at twelve years old. To be honest here, I’m glad I learned about the inhumane cruelty man delivered on his fellow man early on. The later the learning, the longer the lie that it never happened.

Keep that in mind you Millennials and GenZ. Click this link to the English Daily Mail to catch up. It’s an educational experience, and you love experiences. Prepare for a shock if the Holocaust is new news to you.

The Book Chop Search Method

Sharp readers with excellent recall will remember a post from a few years back. There’s a reminder at the bottom of the page. I’ll save you the eye-time with this link.

Since my first library, I’ve visited them like a wayward pilgrim thinking the ‘right’ church will give them salvation. (In other words, churches and libraries are at the top of the list when my wife and I travel. Honey, I’m joking. Lol?)

College libraries, medical libraries, museum libraries, church libraries, Library of Congress, Philadelphia Library, Portland Library, British Museum Reading Room, legal libraries, bookstores, book tables in Central Park, the riverside bouquinistes in Paris, castle libraries.

If there’s a book out there that needs you, where to start?

Go to Amazon and search, but don’t buy. This is more research than search. Find your book by title. If nothing shows up, search for the author. Still nothing, search on the topic.

Make a list of the books you find, then go to your local bookstore. If they’re not there, find another local bookstore, or have that one order the books for you.

It’s a small step, but worthy.