What Would Blackbeard Say

Arr, me hearties! Here be the tale of a youngster (meself) questioning an old sea captain about the worth o' a book, and here be the wise words me heard in return.

"Ye be not payin' that hefty sum o' gold for a mere bundle o' blank pages with scribblin's upon 'em, bound together in what we call a book," says he. "Nay, ye be payin' that paltry sum in exchange for near twenty years worth o' research by this here author on this particular subject. He ventured and parleyed with hundreds o' leaders from different realms, and then distilled all that knowledge down into the basic fundamentals on the subject. That be what ye be payin' for. Even if ye dared to, ye probably couldn't parley with, and go to interview even one o' those individuals for less gold than the price of the book."

I had to concede, says I, "If ye look at it that way, the book be worth a treasure far beyond its sellin' price."

He went on, "If ye bought it in a used bookstore for a mere doubloon and took it home to gather dust, then it weren't worth it. Ye squandered a doubloon. But if ye not only read it, but apply those principles to yer life, it'll change the outcomes ye garner, vastly increasin' yer booty, and the book will be worth hundreds or thousands o' times what ye paid for it. The crux o' the matter in the value of a book lies in the soul that reads it. A book holds little inherent worth, or inherent value."

That were a fancy term I must've missed, says I, "Inherent worth, what mean ye by that?"

"Physically, a book be just a bundle o' papers bound together. There ain't many things it could be used for. Ye could use the paper to start a fire, but that wouldn't warrant the price o' most books. Ye could use a book to prop open a door, but ye could also use a brick just as well for less gold. Since there be scarce uses for a book outside o' readin' it, we say it lacks inherent value. Gold, on the other hand, holds great inherent worth for there be thousands o' practical uses for it. In many applications, gold be the finest metal that could be used, by virtue o' its inherent qualities. So, even beyond its use in coins or jewelry, it still holds great value. We say it holds inherent worth."

"If I were to ever become a collector", says he, "seekin' profit, I'd choose to collect things that held inherent worth. I'd choose gold or silver over seashells, by virtue o' the inherent value o' the metal, outside o' its worth as a collectible. If ye remove the value to a collector, or the mere pride o' ownin', the only inherent worth I can see for seashells would be for decoration', or to fashion 'em into a necklace, or for a small lad to amuse himself for a spell. I ain't disparagin' those who collect seashells, art, or anythin' else, for they clearly don't do it for the inherent worth. And that ain't why I buy books. I buy 'em cause they can alter the way I think, they can better me life if I let 'em."

After we'd had that discourse, I never gazed upon books the same way again. I always took the books when we plundered a ship. But before takin action on a book, remember to check the fruit on the tree. Make sure the author is credible to teach on what he be proclaimin'. Ye don't want to take a sixteen year olds advice on how to live a long life, unless he be interrogatin' shiploads of old timers, and passin' on their advice. Arrr!