The Unchaining of Ideas
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THE UNCHAINING OF IDEAS The Chained Library begins in England about 1320...books were rare, and so was honesty. A book, itTHE was said ,REMNANT was worth as much a TRUST,s a farm; unlik eINC. a farm, it was portable property that could easilyT beH puEr loUNinedC. VHAaluaIbNlesI NGin all aOgeFs rIeDquiEreA prSot ection. Books, therefore, were kept under lock and key. In the Middle Ages books were originally kept in cupboards, cal l ed aTheTlmhe e CChainedrhiaeisn e(da LrLibraryimbraarry iba ebegins)g,i nas nind inE in ngEngland lacndhe asbtso uabout,t o13r20 th1320....e.byoo wk.booksse wrer e c wererharaei, narare,nedd s o to andw ads e sosk wass in a church. The old-honesty.htoinmestey li. bAAr babook,ooryk ,w itit aw swasa sc sao said,nidc, ewa iwasvse w dwortho,r ntho a tass am smuchu ach s a tsaso are af arfarmromo;m ;u nunlike lfioker abo faa rfarm,okm, sit, w itba uwass tpo a rportablesta bal eno ble reading- property that could easily be purloined. Valuables in all ages require protection. Books, room. A libraprryop wertasy th, aat ndcoul dwa eassil ym be apuntrlo itnoed b. eV,a lau athbleisn ing a oll fa gbese raeuqutiyre –pr oatendction o.f Buosoek.s , When Sir therefore,therefore ,were were kept kept under und erlock lo candk a ndkey. k ey. InIn thethe MMiddleiddle AAgesges bbooksooks wwereere o originallyriginally k ekeptpt in in Thomas Bodley, in 1598, was working out his scheme for a University Library at Oxford, he cupboards,cupboards, calledcalled almeriesalmeries ((armariaarmaria),), andand inin chests,chests, oror theythey werewere chainedchained toto desksdesks inin aa church.church. wrote to the Vice-Chancellor asking for the nomination of a committee to consult with him, so TheThe old-timeold-time librarylibrary waswas conceived,conceived, notnot asas a storestoreroomroom forfor bobooks,oks, bbutut aass a nonobleble rreading-eading- that they mighroom.troo “smoo. An lilibraryeb rearsyo was,wlvase , andavndpo was wan s tmeant hmee abnt eto stt obe,, b ae ,as a thingw theinl lgof fo ofbeauty rb esahuet y–w –ande a nda ofn o duse.f usst ea .When t lWyh fe onSir rSm iThomasr e, as for capacitie and strength anBodley,Tdho cmoams inBmo 1598,dodleyit, iiwasne 1s5 9oworking8f, wstaus dw outeonrk tshisin.g” schemeo ut his sforche ma eU fniversityor a Uni vLibraryersity L iatb rOxford,ary at O xhefo rwroted, he to thewro Vice-Chancellorte to the Vice-Ch askingancello forr as theking nomination for the nom ofin aa tcommitteeion of a co mtom consultittee to withcons ulhim,t w isoth thathim ,they so In England, for more than four hundred years, design was dominated by the practice of mightthat th e“sooney migh tresolve “soone vpon resol vthee v pobest,n t hase bwellest, afors w sheell fweor sandhew statlye and sforme,tatly f oasrm fore, a scapacitie for capa canditie chaining books. A chained book cannot be read unless there is some kind of desk or table on strengthand stren andgth commoditiesand commod itofie students.”s of studen ts.” which to rest it within the length of the chain; that fact conditioned the structure of the InIn EEngland,ngland, fforor mmoreore tthanhan ffourour h hundredundred y years,ears, d edesisigngn w wasas d odominatedminated b yby th ethe pr acpracticetice of of bookcase. Agachainingchinai,ni sinng books.bceoo kas . c AAh acchainedhinaienedd bbookooookk c cannot acnanont nob bee tr ea readbde u mnunleleossvss te hthereder et ois is tsho somemee w k iikindnnddo of ofdwe desks,k t ohr e ort awb tablelein odon onw must be near the book; whichwthhiacth dttooe rterestestr itm itwi niwithintheidn tthh ethe ele np glengthltahn o f ot hfofe t chhtheeai nbuchain;; thialdt fin athatcgt c. on factdit ionconditioneded the stru cthetur estructure of the of the bookcase. Again, since a chained book cannot be moved to the window, the window must be Chainingboo, tkhceasne,. iAng ain,c siniecent a l cihbarianerdie bso oiks cnoannot at bne imnotveerde tsto ithneg w inrrdoewle, vthaen wceindo. wTh muest f baec t that some nearnear thethe book;book; thatthat determineddetermined thethe planplan ofof thethe builbuilding.ding. anthropoid ancestor began to employ his front paws for grasping instead of for walking Chaining,Chaining, then,then, iinn aancientncient llibrariesibraries isis no nott a nan i ninttererestingesting irr irrelevance.elevance. Th Thee fa factct th thatat s osomeme conditioned the upright posture of man and his use of tools --- and so his whole future anthropoidanthropoid ancestor ancesto rbegan began toto eemploymploy hhisis frfrontont ppawsaws f oforr g rgraspingasping i ninsteadstead o f offo rfor wa lwalkingking development. conditionedconditioned thethe upuprightright postureposture ofof mmanan aandnd hhisis u susee o fof to otoolsls --- ---and and so hsois whisho lwholee futu refuture development.develo pment . Brian Bex, FouBrnidane rB ex, Foun der RichardR Riecchhtaerr,d T Rrusteceeh ter, Trustee THE REMNANT TRUST THE REMNANTTHE RAE TMRANVAELNTI NTRUST,G TLIRBRUASRTY INC. A TRAVELING LIBRARY From 1778 to 1798 James Lackington, the bookseller, had a shop From 1778 to 1798 James Lackington, the bookseller, had a shop at No. 32, Finsbury Place South in the southeast corner of Finsbury at No. 32, FiTnsbuHryE P laceRE SMouthN inA thNTe sout hTeaRst coUrnSerT o f Finsbury Square called “The TAe TmRpAleV oEfL tIhNeG M LuIBRsesA,”R iYn London. Later in the early Square called “The Temple of the Muses,” in London. Later in the early 1800 sF, rpomrio 1778r to tthoe 17deat98 hJ aomfe Ts hLoacmkaings Jtoneff, etrhseon book, thseeller boo, khsatdo rae s whoaps sold to 1800s, prior to the death of Thomas Jefferson, the bookstore was sold to Jaton Neso . a32nd, FCinosmbuprayn yP lacefor Sdouisthri buin tithone soofu ththeaeistr cobookrners oaf ndFi nosbutheryr works. Jones and Company for distribution of their books and other works. TShquisa rTe calleravelid “nTgh eL Tiebmraplrey o, f “thAe MCusreious,”s i nMi Londonniatu.r e Late Edri tiinon th e( teaherl ys mallest 1800This sT, rpavrioelir ntog thLei bdreataryh, o“fA T hCoumriaous sJ eMiffenrsiatonu,r eth eE dboitioonks t(othre wsmasalle sosldt to ever printed), combining the advantages of portability with clear and Jeonvere sp raindnte dC),o mcopmabniyn ingfor thdeis tardvibuatinontag eosf otfh eiporr tabookbilitsy awndith oclethearr wandor ks. beautiful printing, embellished with fine Portraits of Authors, and Tbeahius tiTfurlav pelirinntigng L, ibemrabrelliy, s“hAed Cwuriithou sf inMie nPiatorturraitse E doift ionAu t(hthoers ,s manalled st Vignette Titles in Silk Binding, with gilt leaves: the whole complete in eVviegnr etteprin Titleted),s cino mSilbkin Bingind tihneg , awdvitha ngtailtg eleas voef s:po trhtae bwilhoityle w ciotmh pcleletea ri na nd a case, at a very trifling additional expense, forming a portable Traveling ba eacaustie,f uatl ap vreinryti ngtrif,li ngem abddelliitsionheald ewxpitehn sefi,n feo rmPoingrtr aitsa po rtaofb leA Turthavoelirs,ng a nd Library.” VLiibgnraettery.” Titles in Silk Binding, with gilt leaves: the whole complete in st a caseT, ahte a Rvermy ntraifnlitng Tr auddst itcionaltinu exepse ntsheat, f oprmeceingd ean pto arsta tbhlee T2r1av elicengnt ury The Remnant Trust continues that precedent as the 21st century unLibforaldrys..” The works, within our Athenaeum, for centuries available only unfolds. The works, within our Athenaeum, for centuries availast ble only t o theT phrei vRileemgneadn tf eTwru shta cvone tibnueeens ltohatck perdece ind venatu altss t hane d21 hi cdednetnur yin private to the privileged few have been locked in vaults and hidden in private cunollectifolds.on Tsh.e Twhoerk Rs, ewmitnhainn out Trr Austht esnhaearuems ,… fo ra ces nwtuer ibeelis aevvailae …ble Gonrelya t Ideas Great Ideas tcoo llectithe ponrivsile. Tgheed Rfeewm nhaanvte T breeusnt slhoacrkees d… in a vs awuelt sb elianedv he i…dd en in private Belong To Everyone. cBoelllectiong onTos .E Tverhey Ronee.m n ant Trust shares … as we believe … Great Ideas Belong To Everyone. There is a principle which is a bar against all knowledge; There is a princip le which is a bar against all knowledge; whiwchh iisc phr oiso fp argoaoinsf at galal insargut malel nat;r guandm wehnitc;h a cnadn nwoth fiacilh cannot fail There is a principle which is a bar against all knowledge; to kteoe pk aene pin dianv iidnudialv inid euvaelr liansti engve irgnlaosrtiangnce .i gn Thoisr ance. This which is proof against all argument; and which cannot fail prinpcripinlec isip cleo ntise mcopntt permiopr tt op erxiaomr itnoa teixona.m ination. to keep an individual in everlasting ignorance. Th--isH erbert Spencer principle is contempt prior to examin--atHioenrb. ert Spencer --Herbert Spencer The Remnant Trust, Inc. • 1101 Park Avenue, Winona Lake, IN 46590 • Phone 574-376-4130 www.theremnanttrust.com • info@ theremnanttrust.com.