<p class="quote"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;">One afternoon in Cape Town I sat in my little room at University House and took inventory. This must have been in June, winter in the southern hemisphere, and it had been raining steadily for most of a week. I was virtually alone in the student residence; the others had packed off for vacation. With an umbrella and plastic slicker I'd ventured out once or twice to the Pig and Whistle, where I favored the Ploughman's Lunch, but to sustain life I'd laid in a supply of tinned sardines, cheddar and swiss cheese, Hob Nobs, apples, Carr's Water Biscuits, ginger cookies, Hershey bars, biltong, sausage and a pot of jam. I had a little electric coil that would bring a cup of water to a boil, a jar of Nescafe, a box of sugar and some Instant Postum.</span></span></span></p> <p>&#160;</p> Roger Ebert | Chicago Sun Times roger ebert, life of books, useless clutter, erasmus, chicago sun times the-feed 0 2009-10-09T16:51:05-04:00 <p>"When I get a little money I buy books, and if any is left I buy food and clothes." -Erasmus</p> 7 6115 roger-ebert-on-a-life-of-books 2009-10-09T16:51:16-04:00 true false false false false 2009-10-09T16:51:16-04:00 http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/10/books_do_furnish_a_life.html 84 0