Ah, 'twas another day in customer-land at the bookstore.....
Gentleman came in the store today looking for a specific bible. Well, when I say specific---
He entered the store with his own personal bible, showing us the publication date to be 1979. He was in search of a bible that had a publication date earlier than 1979....
Okay--- we tried to tell him that the books we would currently have in stock would have much more recent publication dates---- they would be revised and reprinted and reissued. We might have a bible on the shelf that had an "original" publication date much earlier than 1979, but it would still be a reprint. Even our replica copies of the 1611 King James Bible have a publication date of 2010.
Then, he clarified..... he wanted a copy of the New King's James Version of the bible with a publication date earlier than 1979.
Sooooo, he didn't really want the oldest publication of a bible he could get. He wanted the oldest publication of the newest-old English version he could get.
Did some research, guess what? It seems that 1979 was the earliest publication date for the New King James Version of the bible, at least for the New Testament, anyway.... he already had what he wanted and didn't even know it. I guess if he really wants a bible older than 34 yrs, he's going to have to become acquainted with his "thee's" and "thou's".
How many times have we done this? How many times have we looked for/wanted something only to find out that what we were searching for was with us all along?
It felt very much like a modern-day telling of Coelho's The Alchemist... our customer's quest from bookstore to bookstore in search of his "treasure"--a holy text he already had in his possession.
I guess it's days like today when I'm reminded that what we think we want, isn't necessarily what we need and that greener pastures aren't always greener...the sun's just a deceptive and malicious trickster that makes all the "treasures" we don't have, sparkle all the brighter.
Happy "treasure" hunting, everyone!!
Gentleman came in the store today looking for a specific bible. Well, when I say specific---
He entered the store with his own personal bible, showing us the publication date to be 1979. He was in search of a bible that had a publication date earlier than 1979....
Okay--- we tried to tell him that the books we would currently have in stock would have much more recent publication dates---- they would be revised and reprinted and reissued. We might have a bible on the shelf that had an "original" publication date much earlier than 1979, but it would still be a reprint. Even our replica copies of the 1611 King James Bible have a publication date of 2010.Then, he clarified..... he wanted a copy of the New King's James Version of the bible with a publication date earlier than 1979.
Sooooo, he didn't really want the oldest publication of a bible he could get. He wanted the oldest publication of the newest-old English version he could get.
Did some research, guess what? It seems that 1979 was the earliest publication date for the New King James Version of the bible, at least for the New Testament, anyway.... he already had what he wanted and didn't even know it. I guess if he really wants a bible older than 34 yrs, he's going to have to become acquainted with his "thee's" and "thou's".
How many times have we done this? How many times have we looked for/wanted something only to find out that what we were searching for was with us all along?
It felt very much like a modern-day telling of Coelho's The Alchemist... our customer's quest from bookstore to bookstore in search of his "treasure"--a holy text he already had in his possession.
I guess it's days like today when I'm reminded that what we think we want, isn't necessarily what we need and that greener pastures aren't always greener...the sun's just a deceptive and malicious trickster that makes all the "treasures" we don't have, sparkle all the brighter.
Happy "treasure" hunting, everyone!!
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