The Boy Who Saw True is a book written in the form of a diary by a little boy in 1885. Beside the message it brings, the Victorian words and phrases dance through our heads with delight. When he writes in bed he always says he writes with pencil. At first I didn't "get it." Of course, he would be using an ink well and pen which could be sloppy when used in bed. When I started school in the 30's we had desks with a little round hole to hold our ink wells. Our pens were like a wooden paint handle where you insert the metal writing part. It was delicate writing because if you pressed too hard, the prongs would spread and then your writing would scratch. The ink well was always a temptation for a little boy to insert the pig tails of the girl who sat in front of him. I had completely forgotten ink wells. OMG, I'm getting old!!!!
The little boy author, is a clairvoyant. Admonished by his Mother, he doesn't realize that others can't see what he can. His writings coincide with the brilliant teachings of Edgar Cayce. What a delightful read this book held for me. I couldn't put it down and was sorry when it ended.
I'm not recommending this book for everyone. It's a different kind of read. If for nothing more, I tell you to appreciate your ball point pen. Ha
I remember ball point pens as well. We didn't use them at school but they were still common in the home when I was a child. I wrote stories with a ball point pen and lavender ink that I bought myself. I loved that experience. Can these pens still be purchased at all? How I remember the scratch scratch, the blotting when there was too much ink and the fading out when the ink ran out and it was time to dip it into the bottle again. It was such a sensory writing experience.
ReplyDeleteI never had an inkwell, but I DID have a fountain pen - actually credited with making my writing neat!! I guess that's because it's harder to rush writing that way ...
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!!
It boggles the mind.....how in those few years (really, not THAT long ago) where we have gone from ink wells...to ball point pens...to computers.....and BEYOND
ReplyDeleteI have never had neat handwriting, and mostly now I use a pencil and a huge eraser.
ReplyDeleteI've always appreciated the ball point pen and the pencil. :-) The story sounds interesting. I'll put it on my list to check out. Thanks. I just finished a novel that used a correspondence format. It makes for fun reading.
ReplyDeleteI love my pens!! All cheap and throwaway but ever so handy for crosswords!!!:-)
ReplyDeleteThis is such an amazing book - I'm most intrigued and will look it up now!! Thanks so much! p.s. the lamp on your header is fabulous!!! Take care
x
The ink wells were still in our desks but were not being used. Must have had those pens at home for I remember spreading prongs and blotting.
ReplyDeleteThat book sounds like something I would like. I checked and it isn't on Kindle but I notified the publisher that I would like to see that.
Thanks.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteIt was always "scratch, scratch.... blot, blot." But people were mostly prettier writers.
Red Nomad Oz,
Yeah, fountain pen were hazardous too. You had to fill them with ink from your own well and they leaked. You'd see men with big black ink spots on their shirt pockets where they put their pens.
Wendy,
It goes too fast but there are so many good things about this digital, electronic time. We would never have met!!!
Carol,
If I use a pencil I want it pointy sharp so then I have a sharpener sitting in front of me too. UUgghh.... toooo many tools.
Thanks for the nice comments. Manzanita
Su-sieee,
ReplyDeleteWhat's a correspondence format ?????
Old Kitty,
I think you would appreciate this book. It was written in the UK. The lamp, thanks. Another one of my estate sale finds.
Patti,
I had totally forgotten the old ink pens until I read this book. I also tried to get it on kindle but no dice. I did love this book but so many people discard spiritualism. I think you would appreciate it. Even without that, it's still a delight.
The book sounds interesting, Manzi. I love that these types of experiences have become more acceptable. The world is a strange and wonderful place.
ReplyDeleteA novel presented in the form of letters and notes between the characters in the book. It's cool reading like the diary format.
ReplyDeleteProbably no one in our group has used a feather quill pen, but some of our important documents were written with one. My, I would hate to have to depend on one for my crosswords!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite pen was a green Sheaffer fountain pen that I used in high school. Someone thought they deserved it more than I did and relieved me of it, sadly. (I am still mad..ha)
I do enjoy Victorian history, books and movies.
And, Manzi, I enjoy your blog. Happy Valentine's Day! Gerry
Sending Love your way, Manzi!
ReplyDeletexoxoxo, cd
Wow, that book looks pretty interesting. Since I love writing, I am so intrigued by ink wells. I bet they were challenging to use. I definitely appreciate my ball point pen!
ReplyDeleteI remember those holes for the ink well. We got to use ink when we started grade five, but we didn't use the ink wells.
ReplyDeleteDid I tell you about the book I loved a few months ago? "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle", about a boy born without the ability to speak, to a family breeding and training special dogs? I think I may have told you about it. A FABULOUS read.
Rosemary
Oh, those ink wells and pens we had in school. I started in the mid-40s and we still had them. The book sounds lovely.--Inger
ReplyDeleteI remember inkwells and nib pens. I still have an old nib pen somewhere, but I no longer have the bottle of blue ink that I used to do my homework with. That dried up years ago.
ReplyDeleteI remember different students being chosen each week to be "Ink Monitor". They'd get to mix the ink from a big bottle of either concentrate or powder, I don't remember which, but I'm fairly sure it was powder, and each week the ink would be a different colour. One person used to make it so weak it was like writing with water.
Once we learned to write without blots, we were allowed to graduate to fountain pens.
Remember sheets of blotting paper? I tried to buy some about a year ago, so I could show my grand daughter how the pen and ink was used, but it's impossible to get. So I used a piece of chalk as a blotter and blue food colouring as ink. She said why didn't we just buy a proper pen and was surprised to hear that ballpoints hadn't been invented yet.
Teresa,
ReplyDeleteIn one way, yes, people are open, but as I remember, spiritualism used to be more widely accepted wen I was young. It's swept under the table now and most everyone thinks this is their one shot at it.
Su-sieee,
Thanks. Thats kinda like this book. I think. I guess I just didn't know the proper name for it.
Gerry,
If you wrote with quill pen you couldn't do cross words in bed, either. Schaffer made good fountain pen. I guess they are still in the pen business? That's sad when people take things that are a sentimental value to you. Shame of them. Think of all the bad karma they are building up.
JJ,
Thanks. Hope your Valentines Day was filled with lots of love and chocolate.
Love your description of the desk. I realize time moves on; however, I know too many people who can't write script. They print if forced to write anything. Only 10 out of every 100 applicants to Harvard last year could write a required essay in script. Er, the others (90) were born and educated here, in the States. All that money for a Harvard education, and the majority can't write their native language in script. I find that very sad!
ReplyDeleteI've read "The Boy Who Saw True" and agree it's a super read. About theosophy and the akashic records, hmmmm, don't know. But the akashic records anchor much in the media these days. "Avatar" comes to mind.
Oops, should've said "increasingly anchor much"...sorry, Manzi.
ReplyDeleteClare,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by.
Shelley,
Maybe they were. Can't really remember, it was so long ago. I guess it was an improvement over "turkey feathers." Ha
Rosemary,
I don't think so but I wrote the name down and I'll look it up. I've been studying karma for so long that when I hear of people born with afflictions, I strongly believe it's from past karma. Have you ever noticed how kind and caring the parents usually are when they have been given handicapped children. Is that word now incorrect? Seems like I've heard physically challenged. I can't keep up with political correctness.
Ingar,
So you're one of the "ink well crowd too."
River,
Boy, you really do remember ink wells..... and you're so young. You remember the ink mixing better than I do. Perhaps the teacher did ours. I do remember having to stay after school and clean chalk erasers.... and we thought it was a privilege.Ha
Kitty,
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy you read this book, too. I was beginning to feel like I was the only one in the world who has read this. It's been written so long ago and in a Victorian style. That's probably why.
Love, Manzanita
I have never heard of it. Sounds like an interesting read. I will have to look for it.
ReplyDelete