They arrived! Two of the three books ordered were left lying on the passenger's seat of the car. Quaintly, the postman sometimes just can't be bothered to walk the extra ten metres to leave mail in the porch. There is something naively personal about this habit in Shetland that would be annoying elsewhere in a larger city, where the act would carry a sense of carelessness; be seen as a brash, lazy rudeness. The intimacy of island life is very engaging and necessarily forgiving. One is closer to the everyday of everyone, in a relationship where a grittiness does not create pearls, merely outcasts.
The books were in a sense connected: both involved Eric Gill.+ The introductory text by Eric Gill had been found in the 1954 edition of Anand's The Hindu View of Art. It was in the same publication that the reference to Eric Gill's Art-nonsense and other essays had been discovered. A different, older edition of Anand's book had been seen listed and was purchased. It is a book that I want to have with me always, so the lovely tatty copy with the Gill-inspired original cover was ordered to take with me. A copy of Art-nonsense had been located too, and acquired from a different seller: it will be difficult to leave behind. That both of these books should have arrived together seemed appropriate.
A third book, Coomaraswamy's The Bugbear of Literacy, had been procured at the same time, but it had not arrived.# This book presents a case that appears an enigma to our much-praised era of literacy that sees itself as 'progressive,' far superior to the 'dark ages of illiterate ignorance.' Our missionary arrogance and blind certainty seeks to educate the world, to transform it with literacy; anything else is seen as primitive, backwards. Coomaraswamy notes the inherent problems with this position.^
Anand had referenced Coomaraswamy in his writings, stimulating an old interest in this scholar's work. Coomaraswamy has been an inspiration for many years with his articulate scholarship that bridges cultures. His name was first heard at a lecture given by Sydney architect, Peter Muller, at a public lecture at the University of Queensland in the first year of study there. René Guénon and Frithjof Schuon were the other names mentioned that memorable evening where Muller spoke of the Japanese love of moss on rocks, their contemplation; and contrasted this with how we 'treat' the ‘problem’ aggressively, dismissively, with bleach, to keep things clean, free of grime.
It took years to discover the writings: the local library knew nothing of the authors or their books; but as the 1960’s world opened up with an interest in different religions, and later, with the Internet, the publications became easier to reference. The scrappy note with the names remained in the wallet for years as a reminder to maintain the search. The first book discovered in a small, local bookshop, was Coomaraswamy’s The Christian and Oriental Philosophy of Art published by Dover; then a Schuon publication was found; the next was by Guenon: the journey has continued. Anand has included an essay by Coomaraswamy titled The Principles of Asiatic Art at the end of his 1954 book, further rekindling old interests.
The two parcels were retrieved from the car. They were nicely packaged - a good beginning. One is always a little nervous about receiving books in the mail: but these had been sent by booklovers. The packages were opened to reveal the contents: the Anand book and the Gill book; both secondhand books had been thoughtfully wrapped prior to being packaged for posting. The first, published in 1933, had its beautifully worn and torn cover that showed good use, and care in maintaining some coherence in the fragile, loose pieces. It was inscribed with a pencil signature and had black and white plates intermingled with the text. We tend to forget that the choice in writing implements was once limited to pencil or pen, and that duplicates were made using sheets of carbon. The copy of Anand's book purchased in a tiny village in the Scottish borders some years ago, was published later, in 1954, and has a larger format.*
Gill's book was a modest, faded grey, with title, author and publisher printed in a gleaming, but worn gold on the spine: it was a 1929 first edition. Opening the book revealed the lovely, ad hoc randomness of roughly cut pages that looked like a shuffled collection of loose papers. It was a delight to hold such a beautifully produced book. The seller had pencilled a note inside the cover: 'This book was the first to use Gill's Perpetua type.' Perpetua is a font designed by Gill. As one flicked through the book, admiring the even, open texture of the text, its subtle difference, a handwritten note fell out. It was a copy of lines taken from a book on typefaces, An Atlas of Typeforms by James Sutton and Alan Bartram, talking about Perpetua - 'an influential, if rather chilly type.' One sensed how special the Eric Gill book must have been in 1929. Surprises such as this stimulate one’s one love of secondhand books.
Typefaces seem to have been belittled by the Internet, made too familiar; here thousands of typefaces have been made freely available to everyone, Tom, Dick, and Harry, to use willy-nilly, whenever; however - the more the merrier. Our advertising is full of every variation; see - https://voussoirs.blogspot.com/2018/12/graphics-making-zombies-with-spirit-of.html One begins to take things for granted in this anonymous world of digital perfection with its infinite variety. We forget that typefaces are designed by individuals, and were once carved by hand. Gill designed many beautiful fonts, including the astonishing Gill Sans, that is still popular today. One is always amazed by the skill displayed in managing the precise shaping of a new typeface, especially in times remote from our digital world of easy magical mysteries.
So, later in the day, with both books in hand and the daily distractions sidelined, one could settle back and enjoy publications from 80 to 90 years ago: renewed ideas. Why do we get so smug with ourselves and mock other older times? It was a sheer delight to be handling books that lacked the posh precision and perfection that our digital world produces - as if this technical wonder was better than anything previously produced. It was a pleasure to handle 'scrappy imperfection' and to enjoy the reading of old ink. One is soon captivated by the Gill text in Art Nonsense, recommended by Coomaraswamy as a guide to understanding art of other eras. What a joy to read straightforward thoughts and ideas expressed clearly and honestly. One can only be grateful to Mr. Anand, for his research and writing that reinvigorated this lagging interest.
+
On Eric Gill: Fiona MacCarthy’s biography Eric Gill published by Faber and Faber should be read by all.
#
NOTE:
The Bugbear of Literacy ‘instant print’ edition was returned; it had careless, smudged misprints: a first edition copy was ordered. The missing element with computer-printed text is the texture, the tactile imprint of the letters on the printer’s block having been pushed into the paper page. One also sees the untouched ‘perfection’ of ink on glossy paper in architectural CAD prints that all give an illusion of excellence no matter how muddled or irrational the images might be: see - https://voussoirs.blogspot.com/2019/12/appearances-education-2019-abedian.html
^
In this regard, one has to remember that Carmina Gadelica Hymns and Incantations (from the Gaelic) by Alexander Carmichael - a book of nearly 700 pages - records hymns and incantations that were transmitted orally; memorised and passed on over the centuries. We have little idea of what it means to have our culture rooted in memory and transmitted. Now even books are neglected, with information being freely available instantly on the Internet; we are literate and see ourselves as superior. With our instant digital retrieval, being able to forget, to keep an 'open mind,' is seen as a modern luxury. It might be better described as an unsettled, 'empty mind' that is constantly seeking distractions as attractions. One should read the ‘clearance’ speeches made by the illiterate crofters who argued for the right to stay on their land, to not be moved off their settlements at the will of the laird, and be humbled.
*
The wiles of chance and circumstance allowed this discovery. The bookshop had been passed earlier in the day, but it had been closed. Without planning or foresight, the drive home took us through the same village later on the same journey. We entered the bookshop just as it was closing, and found the Anand book, much to our delight and that of the bookseller. It had been the only sale that day.
The stories that attach to our lives are as critical and vital as our self-conscious intentions – as significant as life’s rational resolves and their scheduled outcomes. These narratives, no matter how trivial, all play a part in shaping emotions, feelings, and understandings. Architects seem to have forgotten this, and treat life as a schematic diagram for bespoke manipulation of personal expression. Coomaraswamy points out how such variations are seen as individual foibles, aberrations, faults in traditional art.
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