The Pleasure of Books

[CzarJerson]

You missed 'Galsworthy'.

[TheRestlessMinds]

@TheRavenOfPoe Beautifully read, and in my opinion, this is still relevant in 2010. The way Phelps compares borrowed books to guests, and the pleasure of having your own books, it's exactly how it is for me. What's odd, is that I just recently started to highlight passages in the books I've been reading. Even the metaphor that he uses, when he wrote about revisiting those highlighted sentences. Reading's a great thing, and it's a great way to self-educate yourself.

[All4YouProductions]

i think you forgot Galsworthy.

[downcherrylane]

anyone know the context of this speech?

i'm doing my hwk btw.

Thanks!

xx

[All4YouProductions]

yes, it's on the internet.

[Broatch6]

great vid Jennifer...I notice one of the books here was by Martin Amis...he's not to everyones taste but hes probably my favorite author...he once famously said that he never wanted to write a single sentence that just anyone could have written. And in books like London Fields and The Information I think he does out-sentence practically every other writer

one of the most harrowing but beautifully written books I have ever read is The God Of Small Things. I think you'd like it too

[ghostwriter511]

"...and then someday, although this is seldom done, you really ought to return it."

I love the smells and the colors of old yellowed pages. The older, the better. I have only around a thousand so far, but hey, I'm only 25. Give me time.

[PhillipLWilcher]

That wonderful feeling when you pick up a book - even for the first time - and it feels like you are holding the hand of a friend....

[koryargonic]

very well read

Was this guy an american? just wondering

[campocat]

I bought a button in a cute shop in a California beach town that says; Reading is sexy!

Raven please keep up your fantastic work. You are inspiring in a way I thought was lost. best

[tallhorseman40]

Amen...

But always remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, "I had better never see a book, than to be warped by its attraction clean out of my own orbit, and made a satellite instead of a system." Books are there to exercise the mind, not to dominate it. I only say this because I know so many people who are this way...they let one book make them its slave, rather than using each book as a small vessel to pour knowledge into the larger vessel which is their mind.

I love your work.

[marycatherine11]

that was great!

books have become like my life =]

[DarylVHorne]

My library is the only room in the house that has a fire alarm and two fire extinguishers, even the door is fire proof - I value books more than my own life... crazy that

[proff1999]

What a cool speech. Very apropos.

[sciure]

I was a reader, I read a lot. Maybe too much, I lost myself. Some books are really bad. I stopped reading, I think we should live too... becoming actors more than spectators

[oldbaldy129]

Wonderful!

[TheRavenOfPoe]

thank you! =)

[malleebull75]

Quite brilliant.

But then again, being in a band called 'The Pleasure of Books' you would have to say I am rather biased, wouldn't you?

Well done.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you! And I think that is a fantastic name for a band! Let me know if you decide to upload any videos of your band's music to YouTube, it would be fun to hear =)

[AcquaDiParma]

That was really good. I love books and agree with everything Phelps says..Mind if I put it in my Favs?

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you, Bri! =)

[irock61]

i love this... found the speech and got a copy... might do my own verson of this hope u dont mind it just reflects my own feelings so thanks

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you so much Em! I wouldn't mind at all if you made your own version, it's one of my favourite speeches! Send me a link of the video if you make it, I'd love to see it! Maybe you could make it a video response to this one too =)

[irock61]

yes u will deff do it and add as responce... thanks xx

[slippereal]

awesome. as a bibliophile i thank you.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thanks slippereal! =)

[CrowbarUpsideTheHead]

Fantastic! I'm a subscriber on the basis of this video alone :D I spend so much time reading! I think I can recall a report in one of our papers fairly recently that just 17% of adults in the UK read books. Astonishing!

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you very much for subscribing! =) That is great to hear that you also spend a lot of time reading! I'm always quite shocked by statistics on how many people read books as they are far lower than I would ever guess.

[absinthedrunk]

i never have enough room for all my books. i enjoyed this, thank you. saved.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Yes, bookshelves seem to fill themselves as soon as they arrive, hehe ;) Thank you for watching!

[kuhlbreeze]

All I can say is wow. Jennifer, you cease to amaze me. I wish that it were easier to find more people as intelligent and wonderful as you.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

You are very kind ;) Thank you for brightening my day, Nate!

[kuhlbreeze]

No, thank you, Jennifer! ;-)

[Aaroncast86]

Now I have something to refer to when people ask me why I buy books.

[13thDimension]

Yes!

[FunToRelate]

That was a great essay. I'm not familiar with William Lyon Phelps, so thanks! Nice reading voice too.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you! It is one of my favourite pieces of writing by Phelps =)

[ThreeofThree]

Love it! ^_^

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thanks Ashley!

[FGAlxPx]

Wonderful, Jenny.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Danke schön Alex! =)