LOWE LINES: They're getting ready to celebrate at the house down the road

There’s a house a mile away from where I live that has 11 rooms, two floors, one elevator, 15 housekeepers, and thousands of tenants. Visitors come in and out every day of the week except Sunday.

I frequently go there, and I’ve observed interactions that occur. It’s Sunday, though, I wonder about. What happens among the remaining when the doors are locked and the housekeepers are gone?

What about F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, in the basement with their backs to one another? While the two maintained a long association as contemporary writers, their relationship was frequently a contentious one. Do you suppose either one has ever slipped around the corner of their shelf and invaded the other’s Sunday solitude? Perhaps it’s good there are several with names such as William Goldman who separate F from H.

Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour are down there, too. While they’re in close proximity with one another, I’m not worried about a ruckus getting started by either one. I imagine they spend a quiet Sunday evening, sharing western tales with one another. I am concerned, though, they may feel somewhat misplaced, situated as they are in the northeastern corner of the big house.

Stephen King and Dean Koontz—now there’s a pair! Wonder if either ever scares the other just being together on their shelves?

It’s always good to stop by and visit past and present Kentucky neighbors. They have much to share about our state’s history and culture. Joseph Altsheler and Wendell Berry may be somewhat separated by generations, yet they come together now, along with Thomas Clark, Silas House, Jesse Stuart, Robert Penn Warren, and others, to tell their stories from several shelves in their same section.

All manner of thinking is preserved and compressed within volumes throughout this unique house. From science fiction and fantasy, to poetry and drama, to nonfiction, and many other genres, the tenants offer entertainment and enlightenment to those who come to check ’em out.

These were the thoughts I had while shopping at the recent Friends of the Library Booksale.

The books were boxed and displayed on tables, awaiting escape from their confinement. I often find used and rare books to have a special appeal, and I was interested in discovering another volume to bring into my home library. Glancing over the offerings, I quickly spotted a book perhaps worth my consideration. Although it had been published several years ago, its writer seemed to invite my examination. Dressed in a clean and colorful dust jacket, with pages that were not marked, stained, creased or crinkled, the author must have been proud to have survived the years and be this presentable for new readers. The flap suggested an interesting reading experience, and the copyright page proclaimed it to be a first edition. Realizing it only cost a dollar, I gently placed the book in my bag and continued hunting for others that would become good companions on my home shelf.

Yep, it’s always good to visit the Mary Wood Memorial Library, and become acquainted with the many authors who reside there. We are indeed fortunate to have the house and all it offers in our community. Because of how worthwhile and meaningful the library services have been to us, we should celebrate its existence.

Come June, we can do just that! That’s when Glasgow will officially celebrate 110 years of library service.

Want to write Jimmy? Email him at lowe@glasgow-ky.com.