My Reading History: The Early Years

My Reading History: The Early Years

I never had parents who read to me. I never saw them sitting around reading books. They were too busy working for any of that. Yet I grew up loving books and reading. Why?

One answer I come up with is the bookshelf we had in our living room. It had a complete set of the World Book Encyclopedia and a collection of classic books for young people.

I loved reading through the encyclopedias. I learned about countries I wanted to visit. I loved looking at the maps and studying odd place names. I think these books helped me to become a fact-based person. As a young boy, I always challenged the nonsense we were taught in church because I could tell the difference between fact and fantasy.

Some of the novels made a lasting impression on me, even though they were probably geared toward an older age group. I loved Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. And the drawings inside of the pirates and old Ben Gunn were fantastic. Who could ever forget Long John Silver?

Stevenson also wrote my first poetry collection reading: A Child's Garden of Verses.

Other books I remember from our bookshelf were Robin Hood by Howard Pyle, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, and King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Howard Pyle. I learned about animal rights from Black Beauty. I still remember Robin Hood shooting an arrow out of his window as he lay dying. Where the arrow landed would be his burial spot. King Arthur taught me about the importance of an orderly government, something we could use drastically today. He was probably my first great fictional hero, and he still is a fictional hero to me.

These were exciting books filled with action. They took me on adventures without leaving my home. I loved being in my own world.