About November the first
Ned Brooks
4817 Dean Lane
Lilburn, GA 30047-4720
nedbrookds@sprynet.com
Dear Ned Brooks:
I have for many years enjoyed your letter “It Goes on the Shelf,” in which you describe your adventures in collecting rare books mostly of the fantasy genre. Your careful attention to the condition and artwork as well as the content of your treasures is always a welcome relief in a myopic and hasty world. So I was much surprised to realize that I was just recently reading the November 2012 issue. Have I really been in flat out crisis mode that long?
You mentioned that you were not a politically minded soul and then plunged into discussing politics with your customary astute style. I am disposed to agree that you are not into politics; every thing you say I agree with so it must be that you are interested in Truth, eh what?
I used to send you my Wild Surmise letter by way of thanking you for your intellectual generosity, but alas printing costs ran amok, and I am now reduced to my web site. I doubt it has comparable impact. So I have cast around to see whether I could make a gesture again. As it turns out I myself have written a book that might be considered fantasy, The Newton Enigma, and of course it tries to showcase my obsession, which you already know about. It has no artwork and indeed there has never been a print run. If you would like to have the kindle version, let me offer to pay for it. If you would prefer, I could print out a copy, bind it somehow and send you that. What do you say?
Oh, yes. I also got a scientific article published this year. I’ll attach a copy.
All the best and thanks again for the regular mind workout.
Sincerely,
Linton Herbert
END LETTER
I sent that letter to an old friend who, as you gather, collects rare old books and reports on what he has found. He responded at once and we have since than had a most pleasant exchange. I’ll not tell you his latest thought because that’s his property and I think it’s so good he might be able to make some sort of use of it.
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