Should I Buy Sic et Non? Yes or No?
Sep. 19th, 2010 11:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
labingiThis evening I have been made happy by thinking (vaguely) about Abelard. I'm not sure why; it was just shade of difference from my daily world and preoccupations to pleasantly divert my mind.
I did some searching for his book, Sic et Non, and discovered that it is not cheaply available. I suppose, once again, one can bless copyright that the e-text is available free in Latin but not in any English translation (even an old one, so far as I found). The cheap translation is about $30, and I am mildly amused that it is published via Lulu, the patron publisher of quacks who can't find a real publisher. (I say that with my tongue thoroughly in my cheek.) I also discovered that the book is 1 millionth and something in Amazon's sales stat's. Well, you can't stay popular forever.
So should I spend $30 on a book I probably won't enjoy very much but am curious about due to my interest in the author? This question would be easier if I hadn't recently been spending a ton of money on books and such whilst going through about two months of unemployment with very little income coming in. (Employment will start again next week, but it still won't be great money.) Anyway, this is a rhetorical question. I'm not going to buy it now. I might get it from the library or wait till I've saved up a little more.
Meanwhile I will think with vague happiness about Abelard, who was initially put in my mind a couple of days ago by yet another discussion of yet another Fail. You may conjecture about the connection if you wish.
I did some searching for his book, Sic et Non, and discovered that it is not cheaply available. I suppose, once again, one can bless copyright that the e-text is available free in Latin but not in any English translation (even an old one, so far as I found). The cheap translation is about $30, and I am mildly amused that it is published via Lulu, the patron publisher of quacks who can't find a real publisher. (I say that with my tongue thoroughly in my cheek.) I also discovered that the book is 1 millionth and something in Amazon's sales stat's. Well, you can't stay popular forever.
So should I spend $30 on a book I probably won't enjoy very much but am curious about due to my interest in the author? This question would be easier if I hadn't recently been spending a ton of money on books and such whilst going through about two months of unemployment with very little income coming in. (Employment will start again next week, but it still won't be great money.) Anyway, this is a rhetorical question. I'm not going to buy it now. I might get it from the library or wait till I've saved up a little more.
Meanwhile I will think with vague happiness about Abelard, who was initially put in my mind a couple of days ago by yet another discussion of yet another Fail. You may conjecture about the connection if you wish.
