There’s a great article in WORLD magazine this week by Gene Edward Veith about reading and why it is vital to us as Christians and as witnesses to our culture–which is becoming increasingly a-literate. One of his points is that “many people can read but never do.” Veith has some of my favorite quotes about reading included in his article. For instance, this from C.S. Lewis: We must “keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can only be done by reading old books.” (I just finished reading the Odyssey for the first time for a class I’m teaching in our homeschool co-op, so I feel properly virtuous in this regard.)
Veith also quotes Milton recommending “the benefit which may be had of books promiscuously read.” I never heard this quotation before, but I certainly believe in following it. Lately, I’ve read Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Under the Banner of Heaven by Krakauer, Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey and the afore-mentioned Patrick, Odyssey and WORLD magazine. This list seems fairly eclectic–even though Lewis recommends reading one “old book” for every three “new books.” I wonder if Age of Innocence counts as an “old book”?