A standard Hill column often reflects on some current happening (a news event, holiday, local stage production or the like), then goes twirling off into Greek mythology or perhaps recalling a Shakespeare play. He might also mention the origin behind some widely used word or seek a reliable reference for a historical incident that may or may not have occurred. Then again, the column may include all that and more without ever surpassing 750 words.
When reading Hill’s columns in the newspaper, they can sometimes seem like a bit too much packed into too little space. When read chronologically in a book, however, the breadth of Hill’s insatiably curious mind and the way he plumbs history and literature for recurring themes quickly become apparent. Hill has a new collection, titled “Books Range 2.”
Hill is a relentless reader, and one of the first things that will impress anyone who picks up this collection is the sheer volume of books he mentions in his columns. This, coupled with his strong grasp of history and an ability to draw connections across the span of centuries, allows Hill to reveal how human knowledge builds upon (and sometimes rejects) itself. In the process, some fascinating nuggets from the past emerge.
For instance, a column from Nov. 29, 2001, examines how Clement Moore outright stole his famous “Night Before Christmas” poem from an obscure writer named Henry Livingston Jr. This was revealed in the book “Author Unknown” by Vassar College professor Don Foster, who also noted that Moore was quite a jerk who could never have written such a jovial piece.
This column, along with another published three weeks later, also explores the evolution of the St. Nicholas myth, reaching as far back as the Hellenistic days of Turkey and onward to the Dutch immigrants who brought the story to 19th century America. Over the course of this time, Nicholas, eventually renamed Santa Claus, vacillated between kindness to being rather taciturn and then back to jolliness again. Top this off with some scientific facts culled from Roger Highsmith’s “The Physics of Christmas” and a thoroughly bah humbug quote from Richard Dawkins, and readers will find themselves with a new appreciation for an imaginary character they’ve probably known all their lives.
This is how Hill operates, and this is why reading these columns together offers more than can be gleaned from reading them once a week. Over the course of three weeks, readers are likely to forget the details of the first column and how they correspond to the second, but reading them a few minutes apart allows for the connections to be noted.
Hill can make plenty of wider leaps. One column opens with the etymology of the word “symbol,” which is rooted in Greek, then mentions the use of symbols by a local artist, sending Hill off to consult “The Dictionary of Symbols” (which, as he notes with so many of the books he cites, can be found at the local library). This in turn leads to a quick nod to Hopi symbolism and then returns again to the Greeks, who, Hill reminds us, “are symbols of democracy to most Westerners.” Another column ponders the possible childhood reading habits of Chaucer as a way of introducing the nationwide “Guys Read” program that promotes reading among boys and that Hill has been instrumental in bringing to Fairbanks.
These essays, each barely more that two pages, overflow with trivia, ephemera, and historical figures, some famous, others obscure. We meet Sarah Hale, a poet, magazine editor, abolitionist and early feminist who convinced Abraham Lincoln to establish the Thanksgiving holiday. We learn of the 17th century Englishman Robert Hooke, who among his many inventions devised compound microscopes, reflecting telescopes, and the universal joint still used on vehicles today, coined the term “cell,” and proved the utility of hairline sights. (Where would we be today without him?) We’re informed that, contrary to the claims of professional baseball, Abner Doubleday did not invent the sport. We also find out that in her normal life, Batgirl is a librarian.
Along with the facts and factoids come an endless supply of great quotes, such as Henry Van Dyke’s observation that “He who planteth a tree is a servant of God, he provideth a kindness for many generations, and faces that he hath not seen shall bless him.” We learn from Henry Wheeler Shaw that “As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.” Variations of the Golden Rule are directly quoted from Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist and Christian scriptures. Finally, Longfellow provides a line that could summarize this entire dizzying collection: “The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books.”
Hill doesn’t get paid for his columns (he considers writing them part of his job), and he won’t profit from this book. It’s a fundraiser that benefits the Library Foundation, and the publication of it was underwritten by an anonymous donor. All proceeds go to a good cause. Copies can be obtained at the Noel Wien Public Library for $20. While you’re there, you can freely access thousands of other books, periodicals, videos, CDs, and plenty of other things that will improve your life.
Freelance writer David A. James lives in Fairbanks.
“Books Range 2: Dipnetting in the River of Knowledge”
By Greg Hill
The Library Foundation Inc.
272 pages • 2010
$20
Post a Comment