Required reading
Lectures to my students by Charles Spurgeon (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 5 (Cyclopaedias of anecdotes and illustrations).
My summary
This week Spurgeon continues giving advice on where to find anecdotes and illustrations.
This time Spurgeon suggests the use of books that collate anecdotes and illustrations.
Thus the chapter is spent giving reviews of such books that he has found helpful.
What grabbed me
Apologies to Mr Spurgeon, but I'm not one for mining illustrations, I prefer to use my own.
But I was amused with Spurgeon's account of people plagiarising his work: '‘When a certain gentleman produced his first volume of anecdotes and illustrations, there was a man of the name of Spurgeon, who was a decent fellow in very fair repute, so the compiler took a number of that man’s thoughts, and put his name, “Spurgeon,” upon them. Here and there in the book was the name, “Spurgeon,” “Spurgeon.” It was very kind to use the poor man’s illustrations like that, and to put his name to them; it was very kind, indeed; I ought to take my hat off to the gentleman, and I would, only it is not on my head. But during the time that the second volume was being compiled, the aforesaid man committed himself in a most disgraceful manner, through speaking his mind about the teaching of the Church of England. Such action, in some people’s estimation, is a sin unto death. Therefore, the compiler was unable to put the name of this wicked man into his second volume; but he was unwilling to refrain from taking the wicked man’s illustrations, so he took them, and inserted them without the author’s name, and there is the first volume disgraced and degraded with my horrible name; here it is in any hand; but the second volume has my thoughts and illustrations without my name. No doubt that is thought to be a very neat improvement; but I do not quite see the justice of it.'
Not everyone would be so gracious!
Next week's reading
Commence Chapter 6 (Books of fables, emblems, and parables) by reading up to the heading 'The lemons and the soda'.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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