Monday, March 31, 2014

Knowing When to Quit: The 1964 Smoking Report



I really should quit reading haphazardly.  As a collector it is bad for my financial health and shelf space. This habit occasionally sparks a willpower failure and results in the purchase of something totally unexpected.  On reflection, it is not the reading itself that is dangerous but easy access to online book searching while I’m reading.  However, books happen and the postal lady—named Judy, now a close friend--just dropped off this latest addition.  It is I think a great association item and I imagine long after I’m gone it will assume its proper place in the book pantheon, perhaps foundationing a future collection that I would admire but probably couldn’t afford.  I’m just glad I got to it first.  As formidable English collector Michael Sadleir said, ”In nature, the bird who gets up earliest catches the most worms, but in book collecting the prizes fall to birds who know worms when they see them.”
            The catalyst was a glance at the January 11, 2014 news headline, “Historic Smoking Report Marks 50th Anniversary.” 

I read the first few paragraphs of the AP story: