The holidays at Hicklebee’s always include the delighted refrain of shoppers who rediscover a book from their pasts. Hearing “I remember that book from when I was little” is common as cookie crumbs here in December. Almost as common—and not nearly as sweet—are the laments that occur when we have to tell a customer that a book is out of print or otherwise unavailable.
We think at least some of these sorrows are preventable: All it takes are people who love kids’ books and pay them forward to the next generation. To do our bit to help, we’re reviving our weekly Worth the Candle reviews of vintage books.
A few years ago, Candlepicking was introduced thusly:
Centuries ago, when people knew how much labor went into making a single candle, the decision to burn one involved real consideration. A night-time activity that didn't provide real value or true pleasure would be deemed "not worth the candle" needed to illuminate it.
Nowadays light is easy to come by; as are new, flashy things to occupy our time. But in such an abundant world, some wonderful things can be overlooked. Each week, Hicklebee's wants to remind you of a terrific book that was published years ago, but that remains worth your effort to buy it or find it at the library.
Before it took a break a couple of years ago, Worth the Candle toted up more than a hundred brief reviews, and there is still at shelf at Hicklebee’s where these titles
congregate. This isn’t where you’ll find a copy of Goodnight Moon or Harry Potter. Those books enjoy our love, but they thrive without special attention. Instead, the shelf is a place to find lesser-known gems—books we’d like to wave a magic wand over and turn into perennial bestsellers. So that even a generation from now, they will still be enchanting readers.
Worth the Candle—whether you’re in the store or online—is a special place to browse. We look forward to adding more titles in 2012.
