Bookman

Wednesday, November 17th., Comarques, Thorpe-le-Soken..

Yesterday morning, barber's. 

Then to Reform for directors meeting at noon of New Statesman, Shaw, Webb, Simon, and Clifford Sharp. Shaw said we ought to attack Asquith. Said we ought to make Haldane P.M. Shaw has no conception of public opinion at all. Afterwards, in the street, he told me he had talked like that as a "hygienic operation", and that it was necessary to exaggerate in such hygiene; he wanted to stir Sharp up. No idea what he meant. The fundamental decency and kindliness of Shaw was evident throughout.

Today in my library I was browsing in my set of "The Yellow Book". Enjoyable. Surprisingly interesting. I have put my book plate in each one and was musing on what some person years from now would make of it if they came across the set in a second-hand bookshop somewhere. Would the fact that they used to be mine add to their value and desirability. I would like to think so, for vanity's sake. Also I dipped in to a history book I picked up somewhere. The original owner had made numerous annotations in the margins of the text; tiny pencilled lettering but still perfectly legible. I like to see good annotations. It is almost like a conversation across time with another reader. However, I can't do them myself. The idea appeals to me strongly but simply cannot bring myself to write in a book; it would be like spitting in church.