Many people are familiar with the author, Michael Korda and
his books such as Power! How to Get It,
How to Use It (1975) or Horse People (2009). As a librarian, I am particularly fond of
his Making the List: A Cultural History of the American Bestseller,
1900-1999 (2001).
However, since starting this blog in January 2014, I have
discovered another of his works, Marking
TIME: Collecting Watches—and Thinking about Time (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2004). It’s a real gem, or should I say cabochon! It has just the right take on time, sensible
yet strikingly passionate in its discussion on watches, collecting, and being taken
in by time.
Two passages absolutely captured where I am in my journey
as this blog’s writer. I’m sharing them
with you, even if you are not enamored by watches, let alone wristwatches or
think you are not interested in collections or collecting.
“A collection,
whatever its nature, not only comforts and pleases, but stabilizes, pins the collector down in time and space, anchors him, so to speak, and provides a
readily available source of order and purpose, even during moments when life is
at its most meaningless and difficult.” (p.110)
“The key to collecting is desire, the desire to possess certain
specific objects that stimulate our interest, our
fantasies, or our preconceptions about beauty.
But desire alone is not enough; desire must be accompanied by a strong
sense of personal choice, a reason to pick or value one object instead of
another, an informed choice of
period, style, and aesthetics, a certain structure and order.” (p. 110)
One of my ongoing goals is to decide what it is in the world of
wristwatches that will define my collection, if I move on to collecting.
Do either or both of these passages resonant with you? If so, let me know how and what you decided
to collect whether it be related to horology or another area you enjoy.
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