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While Amazon is doing well,
the total number of book stores in the USA is declining.
The US Census report shows that we now have 19,275 retail
stores focused on books, periodicals and music, down
approximately 3,500 from 1997.
And more people are writing
and publishing books. More than 170,000 titles were
published last year – 465 per day.
Here are the top 10 most
literate cities in the USA based on US Census data,
newspaper circulation rates, magazine publishing,
educational attainment levels, library resources, and
booksellers.
1. Minneapolis, MN
2. Seattle, WA
3. Pittsburgh, PA
4. Madison, WI
5. Cincinnati, OH
6. Washington, DC
7. Denver, CO
8. Boston, MA
9. Portland, OR
10. San Francisco, CA
To see how your hometown
stacks up, see the entire list of 79 cities at http://www.uww.edu/npa/cities/allrank.html
Famous motivational
speaker, Charlie Tremendous Jones, frequently tells us
that five years from now, we’ll be the same people we
are today except for the people we meet and the books we
read.
Here are some quotes from
Tremendous Jones’ “Life Changing Classics, Vol III –
Books are Tremendous.”
“The reading of good
books is one of the most helpful ways in which young
people can develop themselves. One of the saddest mistakes
I made in years gone by was utter neglect of reading. I
realize now what I have missed by not having read and
studied more.” department store guru JC Penney
“A classic is something
that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to
read.” classic 19th century American author Mark Twain
“A good book is the
precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and
treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life.” classic
poet John Milton.
“Some books leave us free
and some books make us free.” 19th century American
writer Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“A man who buys a book is
not just buying a few ounces of paper, glue and
printer’s ink; he may be buying a whole new life.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“If a man can purchase
but very few books, my first advice to him would be, let
him purchase the very best. If he cannot spend much, let
him spend well. The best will always be the cheapest.”
American author and theologian Charles H. Spurgeon
“The average salesman
doesn’t read a book a year. That’s why he is the
average salesman.” Anonymous
So, what’s the moral of
the story? If you are not reading several books a year,
you’re missing out on a rich part of your life. Grab a
book off the shelf and get started. A few minutes a day
will shoot you through a book so fast you’ll wonder why
you procrastinated.
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About
The Author
Dale
Collie - professional speaker, former US
Army Ranger, CEO, and a Fast Company top
50 innovative leader. Author of
"Winning Under Fire."
(McGraw-Hill) collie@couragebuilders.com |
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