The Havard Classics

The good thing about a painting project is you have to lay hands on everything twice. First when you pack it up (do I really want this?) and again when you put it back (do I still really want this?) When your stuff is out of sight, you realize what you missed and what you can live without. And the fresh cream paint makes everything look new and better when you put it back. Now the shelves are dry, and I'm ready to tackle books. Here's my opportunity to finally act like a librarian and create some order from 25 bags of chaos.

Many years ago, I bought a set of Harvard Classics from a friend; it was a big purchase at the time. They sit on the top shelf and we never read them, but it's nice to know they're there. The Harvard Classics series was originally known as "Dr. Eliot's Five Foot Shelf." It was compiled by Harvard University president Charles W. Eliot and first published in 1909. Dr. Eliot said that an education could be obtained by spending 15 minutes a day reading from a collection of books that could fit on a five-foot shelf. I like this American idea of self-betterment through study and discipline. You think of Abraham Lincoln walking seven miles just to borrow a book.

The Harvard Classics collection was a huge success when it was first published and 350,000 sets were sold in 20 years, so thousands are still moldering in basements and attics. For this reason it's surprisingly easy to find a complete set for $300 or so on Ebay. This works out to about $6 a book. I see there are also new hardcover and paperback versions (now public domain) in print. I should check Amazon and see if I can download one free on my Kindle. Although if I have a sudden urge to dig into some Greek drama or a light volume of Voltaire, I think I'll just pull down my own dusty copy.