The Great War as seen by a Canadian...

Image from here.

As I was walking home from the store today, for some reason I decided to stop and look at the books for sale in the rack outside the used bookstore. I walked past there just the other day, not bothering to check them out. As usual, I was immediately drawn to the rather aged looking hardcovers, and about the second or third one I picked up, I found this book by this gentleman. I then looked at the sign taped to the side of the rack and found that all those books were $2.00. Without being familiar with the book or the author, and without even having read a part of it, I already knew that I was going to get it. I flipped through the pages for any major damage and found none. The book even had its original jacket, which as would be expected, was slightly ripped in spots. I checked the rack for some other hidden treasure, but found none. I went in and paid the young man working at the counter, who offered a chipper "Have a nice day!" to which I responded also rather cheerfully, "You too!" I walked home and set the book down. I think in my mind I had already determined that I was going to sit outside and start reading it, so soon after that, I grabbed the book and the magnifying glass and went to the backyard. The sun was hot on my back. My right eye not working, I closed it and used the left eye with the magnifying glass. Now that I think about it... any passerby would have seen me doing that and wonder what the heck I was looking at so intently. Anyways... I was only able to read a small portion of it, and didn't make it into the personal recollections at all. I was however immediately moved by a few things in the introduction, first, a poem, which seems familiar:

and this:

The odd thing about that part of the introduction is that a month or so ago, I made this comment on a blog relating to a "thumbs down" to a movie set in the Great War:

"My way of thinking is that IF a movie gets one person... someone... interested enough in an era or period in history to look further into it when they otherwise wouldn't even have bothered, then it is a good thing."

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On a side note, one of my most personally valued items that I managed to procure at an auction two years ago is a photograph contained in a very worn textured black wooden frame, of Canadian soldiers from WWI. On the bottom of the photo, in faded letters are the words “4th Divisional Train” C.E.F. C.A.S.C. (VANCOUVER, BC, 1916)". The interesting thing about the book is that it wasn't published in Toronto or Montreal as one might expect, but ... in Vancouver, BC.

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Yes, it is after 3AM and I know I should be sleeping, but I had to finish this while it was fresh.