Books constitute capital. A library book lasts as long as a house, for hundreds of years. It is not, then, an article of mere consumption but fairly of capital, and often in the case of professional men, setting out in life, it is their only capital.
–Thomas Jefferson
Viveka of My Guilty Pleasures is acting as this week’s challenge host. She is an avid traveler, and has posted some lovely and varied shots of world capitals she has visited. She invites us to interpret this challenge however we choose, though, and since I haven’t got any digital photos of the world capitals I have visited (Washington, London, Edinburgh, Paris, Rome, Mexico City, Nassau, Budapest, Vienna), I am going in a totally different direction, following Mr. Thomas Jefferson’s lead in the quote above.
Nine years ago, I moved into a bookstore. I have been sharing a roof with Scholar & Poet books ever since.
In economics, capital consists of assets that can enhance one’s power to perform economically useful work. For example, in a fundamental sense a stone or an arrow is capital for a hunter-gatherer who can use it as a hunting instrument, while roads are capital for inhabitants of a city. — Wikipedia
Books are assets that have enhanced my entire life. They have definitely enhanced my power to perform economically useful work, like cooking. How many cookbooks do you have? When did you first make a meal using a recipe in a book? 
Did you learn anything about parenting from a book? Or about the skills that you are paid to perform? 
I sometimes wonder whether books will become obsolete as technology advances. Perhaps in my country, that is a possibility. But globally, I think books will endure as long as human civilization does. 
I look forward to the day that I can read a book to my grandchild and pass on the pleasure, the investment, and the treasure of reading a book.
I love books… so I love your post!!! 🙂
I knew I’d get some bibliophiles to salivate with this one! Thanks, Ana.
What a lovely saga and post … wow!!! Magical!!! Once I had 1400 books and I had read them all … but compare to this = ZERO. Thank you so much for sharing and playing.
There are probably about 50,000 here. Can’t say I’ve read them all, that’s for sure! Thanks for hosting, Viveka.
Living with 50.000 books that must be a world record – it was my pleasure. Lovely to meet you.
Fab post, Pricilla! 🙂
Thanks, Jamie!
Fabulous…50 000 books! Lovely take on.
Thanks, Ann-Christine!
Very creative post Priscilla – and you found the quotes to support it. Marvelous. Personally I don’t think e-books will ever displace the printed page. Even my 13-year-old granddaughter loves the scent and feel of the paper page. And younger kids learn from books by touch and color. Don’t know that I’d need 50,000 but don’t try to take away my own book collection!!!
Thanks, Tina – so glad to hear of a young woman who loves books!
Outstanding interpretation. I love pictures of books, whether rooms full or multi-storied libraries. Excellent quotes too. I just read a 1345 A.D. extract from Richard de Bury: “Truth latent in the mind is wisdom that is hid and treasure that is not seen, but truth that shines forth in books desires to manifest itself to every impressionable sense.” https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/memory/bibliophile
That is a gold mine of praise for books! “All the glory of the world would be buried in oblivion unless God had provided mortals with the remedy of books.” Not sure that’s entirely true, but it certainly is enthusiastic!
Love your take on, Priscilla! 50,000 books, Wow!!
Thanks, Amy! Yeah, it’s a dominant feature in the house, for sure. 😉
Wonderful interpretation! I love books. In fact, my must-see stops in Paris and Inverness included bookstores. (Shakespeare & Company & Leakey’s Bookshop, respectively).
Gotta admit, I haven’t been to those stores, but I’ve heard of Shakespeare & Company — very famous. Thanks for your visit!
Lovely post. When I moved country the things that I definitely couldn’t let go of were my books. They all came with me!
Of course!
I would be completely different person if I read different books. Another proof that we were born just in time, when the right ones could find you. Hold to them.
An interesting thing to ponder. If I had grown up reading different scriptures, how would I be different now? Do they influence you more than the people in your life?
They are people in my life. 🙂 Just mostly dead. I bow to Pippi the most. I’d never be nearly as fierce if it weren’t for her. 😉 She had a really strong moral compass. I’m so glad I got to know her when the time was right.
Do you still wear the braids? 😉
Hahha, very rarely. It’s not in the hair. 🙂 And neither it’s red.
Find me here. 🙂
https://manjamaksimovic.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/pippi-heads-unite-and-take-over/
Oh my heart. So many beautiful books, captured so respectfully!
So many….and they are valued. 🙂