Four letter word “BOOK” has a world of meaning hidden in it. Its first letter ‘B” announces “behold” and last letter “K” announces “knowledge”, with two wide open eyes in between the letters “B” and “K” they do not bloom on its own in the branches of time. “Books we know are substantial world, says the great author Willian Wordsworth. It is the result of deep concentration, experience and suitable expression. A common artist sees only the external features and copies a very living soul to see the light that shines the features for others to see.

Thus books are the best companies of old age and the best inspires of youth. “Books wind into hearts and verses slide into the currents of our blood. We read them young, we remember them when old; we read there what has happened to others, we feel it will happen to us.”

Books possess an essence of immortal. Temples crumble into ruins, pictures and statues can decay but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they were first passed through author’s mind ages ago. Book has made man the most interesting to men.

One cannot imagine how enormous moral influence books have exercised upon the general civilization of mankind. There was no Muslim country, which had no rich libraries. This reflects the love of Muslims for books; the library of Baghdad was called Bait-ul-Hikamh, the house of wisdom. It contained 10 million books. In Andalusia there were innumerable libraries and at the time of its devastation ten billion books were taken out from homes, which continued burning for ten days.

Books introduce us to the best society. They do not die even in this mortal world. Embalmed in books their spirits walk abroad. We feel that we ever remain under the influence of such great minds. How is the world of books? The humblest and the poorest can enter the society of these great spirits without being thought intrusive. All who can read have entry there, as it is the most patient and cheerful of all companies. Have it, love it and read it. Words are the only things that last for ever. An ounce of love for books is worth a period of knowledge.

 (Author is Research Scholar and Columnist)