Old books

I happened to run into a very old Children’s Encyclopedia in my parent’s house in Calcutta. I’m on vacation here for a week, and this has been quite an interesting find. It is one of a set of volumes from my father’s collection. 

Children’s Encyclopedia

There is absolutely no indication of the date of print on this book. I find it a bit frustrating, as I can see from the brittle yellow pages that it is quite an old book. But sadly, there is nothing - no date of publishing, no date of printing or any other indication. My father is also not very sure, but he thinks it’s most likely from the sixties. Looking at the style of illustrations in the book, it does remind me of the 1960’s.

Illustrations.

 

Another clue are the pictures in the articles. They seem to be, again, very sixties’ish.

Photographs.

There are also some articles which suggest a marked difference from the norms of today. One article, titled, "Is tobacco harmful for health" shows the difference in attitude towards smoking during the time the article was written and today. The article seems to suggest that while smoking is a vice, it is still an acceptable vice, unlike drinking which is to be completely avoided! It also cites that there is some research showing that smokers are less prone to malaria than non-smokers. Compare this with today’s norms, where drinking in moderation is acceptable, but smoking is absolutely a "no-no".

Attitude towards tobacco use.

Overall, the book is pretty interesting, as it serves as a time-capsule of the knowledge, norms and societal attitudes of the sixties. It’s not everyday that you find a fifty year old book. More interesting in this digital age with silicon threatening paper.