Decaying classics

The summer has been so humid that it took my breath away. I was found to be an asthmatic. Dusting through old books I put off often. It leaves me breathless. Putting on a mask, I tried it recently. To my surprise, many books were damp and were infected by a fungus. So Dust was not the only threat.

The books I like, often rest beside my pillow of the bed. They shift between my hands so often that they are dust free mostly. The one that begins to gather dust, I shift to the racks. Where it could decay like this year.

To my surprise, the decaying lot consisted of a few classics too. But the greater shock was to find the same book twice among them. It was the reputation of the author and the book, that I purchased it twice, but never read it. There is something decaying about these classics, like their copies in my collection.

I have to muster courage to dispose them and not buy them again. But I will have to make a list first.