Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0000226, Thu, 7 Apr 1994 09:54:01 -0700

Subject
Re: Unlikely Nabokov citations (fwd)
Date
Body
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 06 Apr 94 16:09:23 CDT
From: Gene Barabtarlo <GRAGB@MIZZOU1.bitnet>
To: Multiple recipients of list NABOKV-L <NABOKV-L@UCSBVM>
Subject: Re: Unlikely Nabokov citations (fwd)

Besides everal practical reasons there are a few philosophical ones why card ca
talogues must never be destroyed. But, curiously enough, when Nabokov peered in
to the future through the wrong side of a spyglass in "Time and Ebb" he saw,
among the odd "hesperozoa" and "simple allobiotics", library cards still being
filled by hand -- around year 2020! - not, of course, because he could have any
opinion of the matter under discussion but because it did not occur to him
that the old system could, or indeed should be improved upon. If pressed, I
would say that he would be more appalled than awed by the idea of a totally
electronic reference vasculature, and not only because of its inherent
technical flaws. GB