There are many famous quotes about books, such as this one from Ernest Hemingway, “There is no friend as loyal as a book,” or this from John Steinbeck, “I guess there are never enough books.” Certainly, each of us has some/many favorite novels we have enjoyed through the years to go along with at least a few Baker Library memories. And who among us is not thankful for this timeless classic: The Freshman Book: 1985. On top of that undoubtedly, we all appreciate the works of Dartmouth’s most famous author, Theodor Geisel, class of 1925.
What’s with the book talk here, you may be asking. In case you flipped directly to this column (as certainly so many do) and did not grasp the theme of this DAM issue, go back to the beginning, where your answer awaits.
If you’ve read the columns through the years, you will recall updates about the many authors in our class. In my case, many means two. Matthew Dickerson has written numerous books, several involving his scholarship of J.R.R. Tolkien, as detailed in his (Dickerson’s not Tolkien’s) Wikipedia page. Of course, our own Dan Fagin won a Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 2014 for his bestselling book, Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation. Perhaps a made-for-Netflix movie may be in the works! In addition, our classmate Patrick Byrne has also written many books, including his most recent, Danger Close: Domestic Extremist #1 Comes Clean. All you other class of ’85 authors, share your stories!
Here’s an interesting question (why don’t you ask it first and we’ll let you know how interesting it is): If you’ve read a book you really enjoyed, can you get the same or greater satisfaction and enjoyment from a re-read or is it better to try another book? I eagerly await the flood of responses this is sure to generate.
Shared to me from cosecretary Rebecca Osborne was news about Hans Williams, the son of Jenny Archibald Williams. Hans is a budding musician and has his own Spotify playlist and website—hanswilliams.com. Check it out for yourself.
Things I am now wondering: What book would I re-read? Maybe To Kill a Mockingbird, though I did really like all the Hardy Boys books about 50 years ago. I also wonder if I could write a book that anyone would read. I also wonder how great it would be if you sent in news and updates about your lives. Finally, I wonder how many of you are thinking “when will this column ever end”?!
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing,” said Benjamin Franklin.
—John MacManus, 188 Ringwood Road, Rosemont, PA 19010; (610) 525-4541; slampong@aol.com; Rebecca Blake Osborne, 42 Olive St., Newburyport, MA 01950; (603) 381-4164; rosborne29@comcast.net