Quote of the Day: Josiah Wedgwood

Wedgwood was a fascinating man: selling expensive wares to the elite, while supporting the French and American revolutions, campaigning against slavery, conducting thousands of experiments and mixing with the scientific and political radicals of his day. He was also quite a funny man, as was his wife. Here's an extract from a letter which echoes things which have been said to me:

My wife says I must buy no more books 'til I build another house and advises me to first read some of those I have already – What nonsense she talks sometimes!

I'm not as bad as my colleague Martin, who had to dispose of a third of his books because the structural joists were giving way, or Mark, who has 16,000 books and myriad videos/DVDs/TVs etc etc 'in case' of… something.

Anyway, I got no books in the post today at all!