這是 John Stuart Mill 那部影響深遠的名著 On Liberty，嚴復譯為《群己權界論》，是自由主義（liberalism）的奠基之作。此書初版出於1859年，我的那本是第七版，相距不過十二年而已。Mill 卒於1873年，我擁有的這本書印刷時，他還在生！想到這點，我把書拿起，摸著那黝黑樸拙而有點殘破的硬皮，心裏竟有種奇妙的感覺，彷彿和 Mill 的時空相隔突然縮小了很多，不那麼覺得他已是作古之人。（雖然我很愛用我的 Kindle，裏面也藏有 On Liberty 的電子版，但電子書就不可能給我這個特殊的經驗。）
這本書是我大約十二年前在 Berkeley 一間二手書店買的，因為不是初版，所以不值錢 *，只花六美元便買到了。書頁內有題字，應該是第一手書主簽上名字，並記下買書的地點和時間（我也有這習慣）：
英國哲學家的著作，美國的讀者，在哈佛大學於1873年1月相遇，一百三十多年後這個相遇為我所知，書落入我手；這期間，環繞著這本書不知有沒有發生了些動人的故事呢？
* 從上圖可看到書頁右上角有兩行字：（1st Edition was 1859 ）This Edition 1871，應該是二手書商寫上，以資識別，因為兩個版本價錢相差極大。
//書頁內有題字，應該是第一手書主簽上名字，並記下買書的地點和時間（我也有這習慣）
回覆刪除我也有這習慣，同埋會撕下書背的價錢紙。
Yan,
回覆刪除我也會撕下價錢紙。
Yan,
回覆刪除謝謝你在willsin那邊替我說好話。
Wong,
回覆刪除我的說話沒有善良的動機，我只希望說些我所觀察到的事實。
Yan,
回覆刪除你至少沒有不良動機吧。我就謝謝你說了公道話好了。
//你至少沒有不良動機吧
回覆刪除應該冇。除希望說出事實，仲想做些腦部娛樂，呢個算唔算？
Yan,
回覆刪除娛己不損人，唔算。
雖然不是初版，137年的書也很寶貴了。
回覆刪除我最舊的書是John Milton的詩集，要到2014年才夠100年。
Chris,
回覆刪除我還有另一本，剛過了一百年，是1909年印刷，William James的Pragmatism。
過百年的古書，我家有很多。昨天老公才又買了一本，講世界各地的人種的。
回覆刪除readandeat,
回覆刪除過百年的書在美國其實很容易買到，不過超過一百三十年的則較少見。
I have a copy of Karl Marx's Capital, the first American edition, 1906, and a copy of Little Women, printed in 1886. I bought them when I was an undergrad. That gave me the idea that it would be so cool if I started collecting antique books. But, I soon realized I had neither the money and the space to really to take up such a hobby.
回覆刪除lin,
回覆刪除Were the two copies expensive?
The price written on Little Women was $40 and Capital was $17. I remember getting a discount on them though. It was probably 1993 or 1994 when I bought them. They were kind of expensive to me at that time.
回覆刪除I checked e-Bay and saw a copy of the same edition of Little Women is being sold for $200 now.
I have forgotten about how I got those books but now my memory is coming back. At my undergrad university, they had a holiday fair at the end of the Fall Semester with vendors selling mostly holiday gift items, like candles and scarves, etc. I remember that I wandered around, found this booth with used books and saw the Little Women and Capital. I really wanted the books but agonized if I should buy them or not. I went home and mentioned it to my roommate how much I wanted them... And eventually, I went back, and was so happy that they were still there, and bought them.
回覆刪除This has completely buried in my memories for a while!
Lin,
回覆刪除//I checked e-Bay and saw a copy of the same edition of Little Women is being sold for $200 now.//
- Not a bad investment at all!