A few days ago I was walking by Anthropologie near Union Square when I saw their window displays. More than anything, I was surprised by how many books they managed to find in order to create it. For a Back To School display, it was ironic that they were treating the books as nothing more than decorative objects. Isn't that where the knowledge lies?
In a way, it kind of made me sad. Knowing how long it takes to write anything, it seemed a shame that so many people's work had been reduced to, quite literally, window dressing. Even worse, there was a stamp on the binding of a lot of the books that read "Brooklyn Public Library."
In this digital age I'm surprised that we aren't hearing more about Ray Bradbury's Farenheit 451, the science fiction novel (and movie) from the 1960s in which it was illegal to own books. I'm also a little surprised Hollywood hasn't planned a re-make of it, since the first movie was a little campy, but its message it rather topical these days.
Note Brooklyn Public Library stamp on bindings.
