Cuparius.com

The headline alludes to my latest book purchase, The Holy Bible 1611 Edition, King James Version, a leatherbound "word-for-word facsimile of the original 1611 Authorized Version," which means the first chapter of Genesis reads:

In the beginning God created the Heauen, and the Earth. And the earth was without forme, and voyd, and darknesse was vpon the face of the deepe: and the Spirit of God mooued vpon the face of the waters.

Now I need to find good hardbound copies of the complete works of Edmund Spenser and John Milton that preserve the original spelling. Being able to see the original spelling of a work is very important to me, because it enables me to immerse myself more easily in the historical period in which it was written and the mind of the writer. Spelling, punctuation, and grammar all evolve, and it's interesting to trace the evolution and witness the choices that writers have made. At a time when English was not nearly as standardized as the teaching of Latin, writers (and editors) made bold decisions about how to use the written word to frame thoughts and direct speech. This book is a vital part of the evolution of literature in the English language. That, in a paragraph, is my justification for the amount I paid for the book. *Ahem*

I have also purchased these books recently:

• The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene
• The Quantum and the Lotus: A Journey to the Frontiers Where Science and Buddhism Meet by Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Xuan Thuan
• The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard
• The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester
• The Official Rock Paper Scissors Strategy Guide by Douglas and Graham Walker ("Leaders of the World RPS Society") [Do you know these guys, Catie?]

I have not been listing every book I buy in these updates, by the way. There are too many, this isn't a database of my personal library, and I accumulate books faster than I can find time to read them, which is embarrassing. I'm just filling space here. Sorry about that.

Two weeks ago Linnville brought over the DVD The Whole Wide World, a 1996 film starring Vincent d'Onofrio as the pulp writer Robert E. Howard and Renée Zellweger as the schoolteacher Novalyne Price (later known as Novalyne Price Ellis) who wrote about their relationship in the memoir One Who Walked Alone. I think I might read that book. I remember when Linnville first told me about the movie. My reaction was, "What?! Someone made a movie about Robert E. Howard, the writer?! And he's played by Vincent d'Onofrio?! I must see that movie!" Well, now I have, and I'm glad I did. It is an offbeat movie about an offbeat romance with some very good acting.

The computer on which I am typing is behaving oddly, so I shall post this now before I lose everything. Expect the next update within nine days!