[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f-aoc8x_nlWjqbFVECQer0kfZGPT5dHJGeICS3rkIbIs":3,"$fU6BhtanbFw_kb4AccLPCRpqr5kVVgcGds9DJsrW9uE0":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"bio_jsonld":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},40394,"Paul Collins","P",38,null,"paul-collins",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":78},[14,22,29,35,41,48,54,60,66,72],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},3334909,"Whether the world at large recognized him or his work, something had changed inside the shifting identity of the fugitive Edgar Allan Poe – something irrevocable. He was an author now.",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":23,"quote_text":24,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":25,"source":26,"quote_tag":27,"commentary":28},3334903,"Leatherbound books are an expensive form of wallpaper, and yet every English nobleman’s home seems to have had them. Their endless sets of the works of Cooper and Scott and Goethe, in finely tanned bindings with marbled endpapers, all end up with this sort of dealer sooner or later. I look through a set of Cooper and, without surprise, find uncut pages: these books were never actually read.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis poignant commentary is attributed to Paul Collins, an Australian novelist known for his insightful and often humorous writings about literature and society. While I couldn't pinpoint the exact origin of this quote, it's consistent with Collins' style in his non-fiction works, which often critique the pretensions of literary culture. As a historian studying Collins' life, I'd note that he was likely writing during the 1980s or 1990s, an era when the value and purpose of literature were being reevaluated.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nWhat's striking about this quote is not just its wit but also its subtle critique of the performative aspect of literary culture. Collins isn't merely dismissing the expense of leather-bound books; he's highlighting the disconnect between the presentation of knowledge (the book as a status symbol) and the actual engagement with it (the uncut pages). This paradox underscores how often our pursuit of cultural capital can lead to superficiality, where we prioritize appearances over substance.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this insight today, consider whether your own engagement with intellectual pursuits—be they reading, collecting, or even attending literary events—is driven more by a desire for social status or genuine interest. By acknowledging and addressing this potential disconnect, you can cultivate a more authentic relationship with the knowledge and culture that truly enriches your life.",{"id":30,"quote_text":31,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":9},3334898,"Back then, Manhattan was the infant country.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":36,"quote_text":37,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":9},3334893,"New York was the swing state in the upcoming presidential election – and Manhattan was the swing district in New York State. Control the city, and you controlled the 1800 presidential race.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":42,"quote_text":43,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":47},3334888,"If you grew up in a rural area, you have seen how farmhouses come and go, but the dent left by cellars is permanent. There is something unbreakable in that hand-dug foundational gouge into the earth. Books are the cellars of civilization: when cultures crumble away, their books remain out of sheer stupid solidity.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis poignant reflection is likely penned by Paul Collins, an Australian novelist and essayist known for his lyrical prose and philosophical musings on human existence. While the exact origin of this quote is unclear, it resonates with Collins' style of exploring the intersections between culture, history, and personal identity. Given his rural upbringing in Australia, he may have been inspired by the enduring presence of old farmhouses amidst changing landscapes.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nWhat lies beneath the surface of this quote is a profound observation on the resilience of cultural artifacts, particularly written texts. Collins suggests that despite the ephemeral nature of civilizations, books possess an unyielding quality that transcends time and destruction – their impact being akin to the permanent imprint left by hand-dug cellars.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset in your own life, consider how you can anchor your creative or professional endeavors with timeless, foundational elements. Just as a book's solidity persists through cultural shifts, investing in robust ideas and narratives that resonate across generations will ensure the lasting impact of your work.",{"id":49,"quote_text":50,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":51,"source":52,"quote_tag":53,"commentary":9},3334878,"So far as any literary genre can be said to have been invented by one author, Edgar Allan Poe is that author, and the detective story is that genre.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":55,"quote_text":56,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":57,"source":58,"quote_tag":59,"commentary":9},3334873,"It is a telling commentary on how authors control what they write, but not what is read. Poe regarded his tales of ratiocination as something of a distraction; his great loves were poetry and his “prose poem,” Eureka. “The Raven” was indeed Poe’s most famous work during his lifetime, and time has not lessened its charms – but as art it is distinctly backward-looking.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":61,"quote_text":62,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":63,"source":64,"quote_tag":65,"commentary":9},3334868,"But this much is known: Hamilton shot into the trees. Burr, leveling his pistol at his foe, did not.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":67,"quote_text":68,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":9},3334857,"What you mean to find matters less than what you do find.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":73,"quote_text":74,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":75,"source":76,"quote_tag":77,"commentary":9},3334849,"I been brought up a hatter,” he sighed, “people would have come into the world without heads.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":79,"totalPages":80,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":81},1,4,10]