Arrant Idlers
On London, libraries, and Latronico
As per usual, it’s books on my (scattered1) mind. Last week I was in London, which means that I spent most of my time in bookstores and even in a library working a bit. I usually give myself a ten-book purchasing limit when I’m there, but somehow I ended up with NINETEEN BOOKS on the flight home.
I blame the really good charity shop near our Kensington hotel and the discovery of John Sandoe Books in Chelsea:
So yes, I own a lot of books. It is my most toxic consumerist trait, but I find it isn’t as bad as owning a bunch of sports cars or private jets so I tend to go pretty easy on myself about it.
Quite miraculously, I have even managed to make a career out of talking about the things I read in books (i.e. teaching), and in preparing for a lecture titled “A Library of One’s Own: Reading Radical Renaissance Women” at the British this Wednesday, I came across this quote by Seneca:
“You will find then in the libraries of the most arrant idlers all that orators or historians have written—book-cases built up as high as the ceiling. Nowadays a library takes rank with a bathroom as a necessary ornament of a house. I could forgive such ideas, if they were due to extravagant desire for learning. As it is, these productions of men whose genius we revere, paid for at a high price, with their portraits ranged in line above them, are got together to adorn and beautify a wall.”
Touché, Seneca.
While I do not feel particularly called out as we’ve just established that I need these books for work—no “arrant idlers” here (ahem)—some Renaissance collectors could definitely be accused of amassing books for primarily aesthetic purposes. Come to the lecture on Wednesday (online or IRL) to find out who I am talking about.
On a final “aesthetic” book note, I hope you will join us on Zoom for our spring book club discussion of Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico (translated by Sophie Hughes) next Monday, March 2nd at 6pm CET. The author will be at testo this weekend and while I am unable to attend, my co-host Lauren will be there and will share all of her insights during our meetup. The book club is free to attend, please register here. I cannot wait to talk about this one!
I am stretched thin. Deadlines on top of deadlines, travel, and general life “stuff” has left me with very little time to write today’s post. Hopefully you will forgive me if I keep it short and sweet and mostly about upcoming events.
Even when stretched thin, you pack a short post with punch!