| I was more fortunate. My parents, though not very affluent, were pretentious, and bought several book sets that I took "possession" of. Not only did they have a lot of Reader's Digest condensed books (where I first encountered a hefty segment of "1984" when I was about 10 or 11, for example), but they had a number of Modern Library volumes (not a complete set), a couple of world classics sets, an abridged set of presumed world classics, and the Encyclopedia Britannica. I was also fortunate to have been given a "How and Why" set. I also culled books from relatives, going through boxes or borrowing off the shelf. For example, I taught myself elementary algebra using my grandfather's "Algebra for the Practical Man" volume. Of course, there was the library, but also I grew up during the revolution in paperbacks. I got a full copy of "1984" about 6th grade, for example, shortly followed by a copy of "Brave New World". One could find all sorts of things, such as a copy of the Bhagavad- Gita, or a volume explaining elementary psychoanalysis. Anyway, I do have sympathy for the comparative isolation, and admiration for your initiative in getting what you wanted....... |
