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Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Archives for Steve Laube » Page 13

Steve Laube

What Is the Oldest Book in Your Library?

By Steve Laubeon May 13, 2024
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I love books, especially old or rare ones. Back in college I spent a couple months working in the back room of the university library repairing their rare book collection. I’ll never forget the awe of holding a copy of a book by Theodore Beza, a student of John Calvin, dated in the 1600s.

I also recall one summer in Washington D.C. around the now-defunct CBA booksellers convention when a friend and I wandered the stacks of the Library of Congress, discovering extremely rare treasures.

The other day, I wondered what was the oldest book I owned in my library. I have a few from the early 1800s, which are really fun to examine; but it was the one pictured below that is oldest by more than thirty years.

old book title page

Looking Unto Jesus: A View of the Everlasting Gospel or the Soul’s Eying of Jesus, as Carrying on the great Work of Man’s Salvation, from First to Last by the great puritan Isaac Ambrose. This leatherbound edition is dated 1772 and was published in Glasgow, Scotland (in roman numerals it reads M,DCC,LXXII).

Think of the history. This book was printed four years before the founding of the United States. The author, Isaac Ambrose, died in 1664; but this particular book of his was so well loved that some who lived in that time mentioned it along with Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress as their favorite. (My copy is 636 pages long. Here is a link to a PDF of the book.)

But what makes this even more special is the signature of its first owners, signed with a flourish on August 1, 1773. See below:

old book signature page

Two hundred and fifty-one years ago Susannah Powells wrote her name as the proud owner of this book. Four months later, in December 1773, a little “tea party” occurred in Boston Harbor. A few years later, a group of men signed their names to the Declaration of Independence. The popular music of that era is illustrated by the fact that in 1773 Mozart celebrated his 17th birthday and Beethoven turned three.

All this feeling of history flows when holding an old book.

Your Turn:

Tell us in the comments what is the oldest book you have in your personal library. Let’s celebrate old books together.

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Category: Personal, ReadingTag: old books

Fun Fridays – May 10, 2024

By Steve Laubeon May 10, 2024
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A word can have a completely different meaning when placed in a different context. Take the word patience in the two examples below:

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Category: Fun Fridays

Today Is a Great Day to (re)Write

By Steve Laubeon May 6, 2024
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James Michener, the bestselling novelist, once said, “I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” And today is your day to follow suit. No one knows your work or what you are trying to accomplish better than you. In that sense, you can be your own best editor. In a 1958 interview with The Paris Review, Ernest Hemingway was asked, “How much rewriting do you do?” Hemingway replied, …

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Category: Craft, Editing, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Writing Craft

Fun Fridays – May 3, 2024

By Steve Laubeon May 3, 2024
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Photo fun for today. Can you come up with your own caption? Here is mine: “The Journey to Publication”  

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Category: Fun Fridays

The Goofy English Language

By Steve Laubeon April 29, 2024
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I stumbled over this poem about odd plurals in the English language. There was no attribution. If you know who wrote it, please let me know so I can give proper credit. Very clever! We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes, But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes. One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, Yet the plural of moose should never be meese. You may find a lone mouse or a …

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Category: Grammar, Humor

Fun Fridays – April 26, 2024

By Steve Laubeon April 26, 2024
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Today’s six-minute video explores the making of paper, from forest to scribe. I have visited large printing press operations and seen the warehouses stacked with massive rolls of paper waiting for use. I eventually learned that different types of paper are key to different types of books. Think about the difference between thin Bible paper and the glossy paper in a magazine like National …

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Category: Fun Fridays

Music to Write By

By Steve Laubeon April 22, 2024
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Some write in silence. Some write with music in the background. Some write with music playing through their headphones (or earbuds). I’m curious to know what you, our readers, listen to while writing or if you write in silence. In the comments below, let us know your favorites. Maybe we can discover some new musical inspiration together. I read somewhere that Stephenie Meyer, author of the …

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Category: Creativity, Personal, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, music, Writing Craft

I Was Wrong

By Steve Laubeon April 21, 2024
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“I was wrong.” Three words that are really hard to say…especially in public. In the business community and the marketplace, it takes courage to admit mistakes. A Famous “Oops” One of the most famous business mistakes came when Coca-Cola tried to retire the “old Coke” and release a “new Coke” flavor almost exactly forty years ago in April 1985. They shocked the world with a reinvention of their …

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Category: Career, Communication, TheologyTag: Career, Communication

Fun Fridays – April 19, 2024

By Steve Laubeon April 19, 2024
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Clever video about a seemingly lowly device. Avoid connecting the metaphor to theological ideas, but they are present. Instead, think of your journey as a writer and the calling you have to use the gift you have been given and leave God’s mark on the world with the work of your hands. Do any of you use a pencil to write your thoughts? If so, what kind of pencil do you use?  

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Category: Fun Fridays

Deadlines and Taxes

By Steve Laubeon April 15, 2024
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Two certainties in the life of a writer. Deadlines and taxes. You know what a deadline is. It has the word “dead” in it for a reason. In addition to the reality of taxes, the April 15 income tax filing deadline for those living in the United States is intrinsic to the reality. (And since today is April 15, I thought it appropriate to revisit some key bits of information.) What about those taxes? …

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Category: Book Business, Legal Issues, Writing CraftTag: Book Business, Contracts, taxes, Writing Craft
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