The Golden Treasury of Wisdom: Great Thoughts of Great Minds (An Old and Rare Book)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

A writer has aptly remarked that when a book raises your spirit and inspires you with noble and manly thoughts, seek for no other test of its excellence. It is good and made by a good workman.' Nothing illustrates this truth better than this volume which is a gold-mine of elevating thoughts and choicest expressions from books of lasting human interest.

In the Preface the compiler has given the genesis of the book. An avidly keen and voracious reader, he not only extensively read the books as a hobby but also kept a regular note of choicest observations/quotations that came his way And he continued to follow this practice for over half a century during which some twenty diaries/ note books came to be filled in his own hand. As stated in the Preface, he had initially no intention of collating and compiling these immortal aphorisms/ expressions in book form. But later, considering that the quotations preserve the wisdom of the wise and the experience of ages', the edifice of the book took its present form. It is now placed in the hands of the readers who will themselves testify how far it has elevated their minds and thoughts.

We hope the wisdom of ages as condensed in this volume, will make it not only a precious acquisition to public and private libraries but will also be venerated, no less than a scripture by book lovers, both old and young.

B.N. BAHUGUNA (b. 1920) graduated, with Honours in English literature, from the undivided University of Punjab, Lahore in 1942. After retirement as Class I officer from the Government of India in 1978, he worked for over twelve years as Editor of Mittal Publications, Publishers of Scholarly Books, New Delhi. From the very beginning, as a student, he was fond of reading and writing. He was awarded the prize for best contribution to College Magazine in 1942 From time to time he has been writing articles on miscellaneous subjects which have been published in sundry papers/periodicals. His second book "Layman's Philosophy of Life" is in the press.

I believe that reading of good books is the noblest of human activities, next only to worship of God.

During my college days in the early forties of this century, I chanced to read an excellent book HINTS FOR SELF-CULTURE by Har Dayal. It was then a very popular and widely acclaimed book. The following passage in it made a deep impact on my mind:

Keep notes and summaries of what you read, otherwise your studies will be like rain-fall on a sloping roof. Revise and repeat your memory frequently; like Macaulay, have all knowledge instantly available. Know exactly what you know, as you know how much money you have at your Bank and as a housewife knows what she has in the pantry.

Pursuant to this advice, I had been keeping regular notes and summaries of passages/ expressions/quotations from books which most appealed to me. This practice helped me sustain my interest in reading. In course of time I gathered a formidable collection of choicest thoughts and expressions of noted writers as enshrined in their writings. They covered some twenty diaries/note books in my hand.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages