Dave Astor wrote  a very inspiring column over the Thanksgiving weekend.   I met Dave through cartooning.  Dave was the Syndicates reporter at Editor and Publisher. Though the years of attending various NCS events, it was always a pleasure running into Dave.  And, through social media and the internet, I’ve been able to stay on touch with Dave.

Anyhow, Dave’s Facebook page lead me to his latest column.  As I read it, I recalled my own leap into literary adulthood.  The big jump came in Junior High School.  My English teacher assigned  Great Exectations by Charles Dickens.  I can still recall her telling the class, emphasizing to us, the need to slow down from our hectic 20th century pace when reading this novel.  Dickens required patience and attention.  He’s a very detailed writer.

Now, wonderfully, I’ve rediscovered all these great literary treasures.  I’ve been reading a lot of Mark Twain.  I blogged about Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee In King Artur’s Court.  I recently finished Mr. Twains two volume work Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc.  I agree with Mark Twain, this is his greatest work.  If you read only one book by Mark Twain, Joan of Arc is the one to read!

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is also in the wings when I want to go on an adventure with Holmes and Watson.  I also discovered the early 20th century named James Oliver Curwood and his love of nature.

All these and more are right at my fingertips thanks to The Kindle and Project Gutenberg.  For the price of four hardback books, you can get the newest Kindle.  Once you have a Kindle, all these classics books can be downloaded for free.  No need to gas up the car and drive to a bookstore.  No more buying boks online and paying for shipping.  You can even borrow E-books from your local library!

But the really big selling point is the thousands of free books available from  Project Gutenberg (and even amazon.com!  Just use the search term “classics” in their Kindle store).

Rediscover a good book.   Sit down with classic literature.  Get a Kindle.