The other day I overheard a conversation between Spencer and Eliot.
"You know Eliot," said Spencer, "each book has a story of its own, and not just the one that it tells. Take this book for example," lifting up a copy of A History of the American People, "I bought this book at the Strand book store in New York City when I was there with your Grandpa, Uncle Aaron, and Uncle Hugo to see a game at the old Yankee stadium." He went on, pulling down different books and explaining how or why they had found their way to our shelves.
As of a few weeks ago there is a new book on our shelf with a very special story behind it. It is the product of Spencer's own blood, sweat, and tears. The dissertation that he slaved over back in the early years of our marriage, and which earned him a great deal of praise when he defended it, has been fleshed out and published as Scholarly Community at the Early University of Paris. And not published by just anyone, but by Cambridge University Press, the most prestigious press in Spencer's field.
Right now the boys are not capable of grasping the significance of their father's accomplishment or what it means to contribute to a body of knowledge, but someday they will. We're all so proud of him.
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