When I was a child our family had a short walnut bookcase in our narrow, ell-shaped hallway. The top shelf was filled with a brightly colored ChildCraft collection put out by World Book Encyclopedia. The bottom shelf held the more “adult” brown and black encyclopedia set. The bookcase, and its noble contents, arrived mysteriously. No brown packaging to herald an unpacking and no plaid clad encyclopedia salesman at our door….

Read the rest at Dappled Things.