The Magic of Childhood Books
Some of you might have already known about it for a long time, but I discovered it only very recently: An Internet platform, where you can find well-loved, yet long-lost books you've read (or been read to) as a child. The Advanced Book Exchange provides an excellent service on its BookSleuth forum, where users can post more or less vague descriptions of the books they're after. The descriptions sometimes include only a picture that stuck to mind, or one single scene, or the name of the character's favourite pet, and, incredibly, there are people who are able to recognise the book described and supply the title. I am delighted. (Especially since I have indeed been looking for a favourite childhood book for ages.)
I found this website after reading an article about it some weeks ago, and said article triggered something in me. The author elaborates how children perceive books as very physical objects, and years later, all that one remembers is a certain picture, the texture and colour of the cover, or maybe a certain location which is mentioned in the book and which the child is familiar with in real life. Memories of the books are strongly connected to certain feelings (I remember the feeling of vague horror connected to one of the stories in the book I'm looking for, though I don't remember any details of the story) or situations.
So, because I'm curious: is there anybody out there who remebers only odd details of a book they used to love as a child? The scent of the book, or a single occasion when it was read, or some pictures that has haunted their dreams for years?
I have the very distinct memory of the stories of 1000 and One Nights being read to me when I was ill, although I don't remember whether it was on one single occasion or whether it was the regular book my parents would choose when I was ill. I don't remember anything about the stories as such, apart from this vague feeling of apprehension (it seems to me that they didn't have any real happy endings), but I remember feeling hot (um, because of the fever; I'm sure my parents would read the censored versions of the stories) and the small bits of apples my parents would feed me with to keep my sore throat moistened. (In Poland of the late 70s, cough drops were unheard of.) I even remember the fever dreams I used to have, which feature an earth worm. No details of the earth worm here, but in my sick mind, it has ever since been connected to Sindbad.
It occurs to me that this would have been an excellent question for the "five truths - one lie" meme: Ever since my childhood, Sindbad has been inevitably associated with an earth worm. True or false?
I think the truth-and-lie meme will come soon... Before it's hopelessly outdated and so last week.
I found this website after reading an article about it some weeks ago, and said article triggered something in me. The author elaborates how children perceive books as very physical objects, and years later, all that one remembers is a certain picture, the texture and colour of the cover, or maybe a certain location which is mentioned in the book and which the child is familiar with in real life. Memories of the books are strongly connected to certain feelings (I remember the feeling of vague horror connected to one of the stories in the book I'm looking for, though I don't remember any details of the story) or situations.
So, because I'm curious: is there anybody out there who remebers only odd details of a book they used to love as a child? The scent of the book, or a single occasion when it was read, or some pictures that has haunted their dreams for years?
I have the very distinct memory of the stories of 1000 and One Nights being read to me when I was ill, although I don't remember whether it was on one single occasion or whether it was the regular book my parents would choose when I was ill. I don't remember anything about the stories as such, apart from this vague feeling of apprehension (it seems to me that they didn't have any real happy endings), but I remember feeling hot (um, because of the fever; I'm sure my parents would read the censored versions of the stories) and the small bits of apples my parents would feed me with to keep my sore throat moistened. (In Poland of the late 70s, cough drops were unheard of.) I even remember the fever dreams I used to have, which feature an earth worm. No details of the earth worm here, but in my sick mind, it has ever since been connected to Sindbad.
It occurs to me that this would have been an excellent question for the "five truths - one lie" meme: Ever since my childhood, Sindbad has been inevitably associated with an earth worm. True or false?
I think the truth-and-lie meme will come soon... Before it's hopelessly outdated and so last week.