Many years ago, before the age of the Internet, when the world was relatively simple, a teacher of mine had all his pupils learn a short piece of prose that resonated with me. It have always remembered the beginning: 'Books are masters that instruct us without rods or ferules, without words or anger'. Tonight I used a new means of finding information, the Internet, to remind me of the full quote. It is by Richard de Bury, and goes as follows:

'Books are masters who instruct us without rods or ferules, without words or anger, without bread or money. If you approach them, they are not asleep; if you seek them, they do not hide; if you blunder, they do not scold; if you are ignorant, they do not laugh at you.'

Richard de Bury lived between 1281 and 1345 and was born at Bury St. Edmunds in the UK. He studied at Oxford, and was Benedictine monk, eventually becoming tutor to Edward III when the latter was Prince of Wales. He later became Bishop of Durham where he founded a library. (The Bishop of Durham was a warrior-priest in those days!), He was one of the first English collectors of books, and his own book was called 'Philobiblon', which is Latin for in praise of books.

Book are the greatest teachers. Old Richard de Bury got it right.

Learn more about this author, Sebastian Ramshackle III.
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