The Last Coin Quotes

“His books - his good books - lined two walls. None of the volumes were worth much. He was a book owner rather than a collector. He was a hoarder. That was the truth of the matter. His books added something to his existence - a sort of atmosphere. No, it was more than that. They were a barrier of sorts. They were like a concrete foundation on a house; they kept the structure of his life up out of the dirt. They kept the termites out of the sill and kept the whole place from shaking to bits when the earth quaked. Looking at them was satisfactory, even when he was in a foul mood.”
― James P. Blaylock, The Last Coin

“We're awash in magical totems. Surrounded by little portholes looking out into infinity, at glimpses of immortality, if you bring it down to earth. The most trivial flotsam and jetsam scattered on the beach and cluttering shelves of junk stores means something, if you look at it from the right angle, through the right sort of spectacles.”
― James P. Blaylock, The Last Coin