Purple and Black

I found myself earlier this evening lamenting about book. You see, last week I had the fortune of taking the most beautiful hardcover I own with me on a business trip. It was not skillfully crafted or delicately ornate. It was, like so many in my collection, of machine construction. Nevertheless, I found this one particularly delightful for its simple composition.

The cover was two toned. Purple on each side, tooled with a subtle diamond pattern. The binding was a woven black that buzzed when you ran your fingers across it. The title was embossed in purple metallic paint in the very center of the binding. The book, of course, came with an illustrated cover. I had set it aside when I was packing last week. Dust jackets are an annoyance with me. They seem to have a habit of snagging on something when I least expect it. I thought it best to leave it home.

This was not my only excuse, of course. I felt slightly embarrassed to make it obvious what I was reading. I doubt that anyone would care, much less criticize me for doing so. To my surprise, I enjoyed having that purple tome on my hotel nightstand. While I had read it before, I had done so so quickly that I failed to retain any of the story. I read it every night for hour before bed.

This afternoon I had found myself not but a 100 pages toward the end. I certainly could not have this! It would only take me an hour or two to complete it even at my savoring pace. If I had brought it with me, I would be without a book -- or two if I were to buy a second -- for nearly all of the two weeks I would be traveling.

I plowed through the remainder of the book with a sense of expectation and relief. I was in sight of my goal. 50 pages. 40. 30. 25. 7. 3...

Done. I had no more than put down the book before I left my apartment for a nearby department store to acquire the next and final volume. It was sleeting as I walked across the parking lot. I realized at that moment just how much I resembled the purple book at that moment: I was wearing dark jeans, a black T-shirt, and holding a small umbrella colored the same exact shade of purple.

I was disappointed when I finally picked up the book in the store. Again, I had seen the illustrated cover, but not the simple color composition beneath. I wanted it a surprise. Ultimately I was disappointed, after such a beautiful book as the former book was, this was a uninteresting combination of yellow and pale green. The title was embossed in metallic red.

Well, hopefully the contents of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows will be more interesting than the cover.