After the fire...

Of my three beloved collections--- books, movies and music--- the only one to suffer 100% loss was my books. (I don't count the work-copy of CliftonStrengths that was in a box in the trunk of my car.)

I remember standing at the cash register of Half Price Books within 24 hours of the disaster. I looked down at the two paperback books that lay in front of me and thought, "These are the only books I own in the world." For someone who has had at least three shelves of books for the past half century, that was an unimaginable awareness.

I may not build it back up to the size it was. After all, as 60 draws near, there's a realistic question of just how many I can seriously reread. However, you can reference them, Jerry Seinfeld. And the replacement copies can create a minor link to the copies that contained a beloved inscription or to the memories of the irreplaceable volumes lost before the mind had the chance to become aloof.

Friends have asked what can they do for me now. The triage stage has passed and all the basics have been installed in temporary housing. Now what? Well, the devastation couldn't have come at a worse time for my book collection. I had just successfully completed buying all of the scripts that comprised my father's theater-directing career and I was making headway on rounding out Claire Van Zant's Humanities reading list.

So, I offer this suggestion-list of the books I'd like to replace. If I have a picky preference, I'll annotate it. In general, I'm hoping to get as many as I can in hardcover but I'm more flexible when it comes to the issue of second-hand vs. brand new. I realize some of these may be hard to find in any form. I will be vigilant about indicating what has been purchased.

Claire Van Zant's Humanities Series Reading List