Destroyer of Books

I am a Destroyer of Books.

Well…only books that I take a penchant to.  Those that I don’t like stay in pristine condition.  Some have never been read.  But the ones I like, I DESTROY.

Some have been hacked to pieces, ripped, stained, torn, written on, highlighted over, and mutilated to the point where I have to buy a brand new copy just to make sure that when the old copy is too damaged to be used, I have a brand new copy to mar.

Such is the case with my I Ching translation by Wilhelm.  My workbook copy is falling apart.  The pages come undone from their bindings and fall out if I don’t hold them together.

It’s a good thing Richard Wilhelm is not around to see this picture.  He would be beyond pissed that I treat his books so horribly.

Of course, if he were to somehow come back from the yin world and visit my home, I would proudly show him only the perfect copy below the much-abused workbook.  Let’s hope he does not know how to use the internet, or he would see this picture of my battered I Ching workbook.

My brother, Derek Lin, has not fared any better.  The signed copy of his Tao Te Ching translation is beyond salvage.  I need to get a brand new copy and have him sign it again.  And then I’ll seal it up and never touch it again so it stays pristine.

I won’t show an image of his damaged book because he still checks up on my taobabe website on the occasion, and we don’t want an enraged Taoist, mumbling magikal incantations at the Taobabe.  That won’t be good.

I am the Destroyer of Books.

I am the Taobabe.