Book Snob Pinnacle

[Zeno]

By divine providence I reached the snob book pinnacle today just in time to post about it. I just received, today, my new Oxford Thesaurus of English (one volume) Limited Edition. It matches my Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (Two Volumes) set. I ordered the same limited edition number for the thesaurus as the dictionary set, so I get extra Rich Nebiolo anal nit points. The added bonus is that I have and will use these wonderful reference books.

I have easily surpass Natedogg and even John Cole in the book snob club. And there is no way Andy Fox has these volumes in his library. So I ace him also.

-Zeno: Ultimate Book Snob

P.S. - All volumes are bound in Nigerian Goatskin.

[MMMMMM]

Hrm, I'll bet my poetry library is longer than yours--and none of it that limp stuff, either, which forlorny passes for poetry amongst pseudo-highbrows.

Of course, I might be on the wrong side of this bet, as I recall you have the same Dickinson book--and perhaps the same Buson book too (The Path of Flowering Thorn?

Well, anyway, measure it and get back to me.

[Zeno]

M,

Same Dickinson book, yes. The other poety stuff was from a library book I had checked out. I had not heard of Buson until then.

I don't know if I measure up and am unwilling to unpack old boxes of books, so I'm willing to call a draw in overall 'snobbery' and concide the poetry 'measure it and get back to me' thing. I am rather limp in the poetry department anyway.


-Zeno

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

http://m-w.com

[scrub]

[ QUOTE ]
and concide [sic] the poetry 'measure it and get back to me' thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the high point of the thread.

scrub

[MMMMMM]

Hi Zeno:

Perhaps this will be of interest:

From the Preface to The Path of Flowering Thorn: the Life and Poetry of Yosa Buson:

"Yosa Buson is a towering figure in the history of haiku. In the minds of most Japanese his only rival is Matsuo Basho, the very "father of haiku", who almost singlehandedly elevated the 5-7-5 verse to a mature and poetic form. In Buson's own thought, Basho was less a rival to compete with than a teacher to learn from, although there is evidence Buson did worry that the influence might be too strong."

My first encounter with Buson was in high school, when I was immersed in the library, reading for pleasure, as was often my wont. Perusing the pages of Sun Buddhas, Moon Buddhas: A Zen Quest, I stumbled on the following verse:


I know not from what temple
the wind brings the voice of the bell.

-Buson

[Blarg]

Why the hell would anyone want to make a reference book a limited edition? That does seem hilariously snobby.

[Popinjay]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
and concide [sic] the poetry 'measure it and get back to me' thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the high point of the thread.

scrub

[/ QUOTE ]

That is pretty f-ing funny.

[John Cole]

Zeno,

Yes, you do surpass me. I only have the Shorter Oxford along with seven or eight others. However, I do have online access to the complete OED, thereby obviating the need for removing my glasses to read the damn small print version or resorting to a microscope.

Of course, the Nigerian Goatskin makes me jealous.

[John Cole]

Re: Limited Edition.

Think: How many people will buy the thing anyway? Hence, limited edition.