Scattered about on my bookshelves are a couple of atlases, four volumes of quotations, six poetry anthologies, collections of esoteric subjects ranging from newspaper obituaries to a non-encyclopedia, and stray compendiums like “The Columbian Orator” and a two-volume set of Civil War military correspondence.
Add to these similar books that I keep for the edification and enjoyment of my grandchildren—several of the excellent DK books, a set of the old “My Book House,” collections of verses for the young, three volumes of fairy tales, and so on—and you have an inventory of what I call my dipper books.
