What is Book Haven Manor? It is, quite simply, a house. But no house is just a house when human beings live in it. More than just a house, Book Haven Manor is, of course, a home and all that that word encompasses: a haven, a sanctuary, a tranquil resting place. As its name implies, Book Haven Manor is indeed a haven for books, yes, but a haven too for the souls that dwell in it. Book Haven Manor is a dwelling place.
It is a place where lives will be lived, and thus where another great experiment of the art of gracious living shall occur. It is a place where books will be read and ideas discussed, a place where vegetables will be grown and meals prepared and shared, a place where craftsmanship will be practiced and enjoyed. A place where memories will be made.
So Book Haven Manor is a physical place, a locus, a certain small patch of earth, in a certain county, in a certain state, in a certain country belonging to a certain person. But it is also still very much a place that resides in the imagination.
Because before it was a house or a home or a haven, Book Haven Manor was, and still is, an idea. An idea that germinated many years ago in the mind of a child who loved to read. A childish dream that refused to be forgotten and instead took nourishment and shape over many years lived, places travelled and through many pages read. Book Haven Manor has taken tangible, concrete form now, but it is still at play in the realm of the inchoate because it is still in the process of becoming.
What will Book Haven Manor become? A pattern of living? A way of life? A mental habit? A set of values? A philosophy? An artistic style? It is a mystery. And on the precipice of this mystery is where the grand adventure begins.
These dispatches will chronicle the history and evolution of Book Haven Manor, as it moves through time and fulfills the multi-faceted purposes of its denizens, including those purposes yet unimagined and yet unknown. On these pages will be recounted all the experiences of Book Haven Manor, from the most quotidian to the most rarefied, from the disappointments to the triumphs, the happiness and the sorrows.
So, without knowing what the future holds or where this experiment will take us but notwithstanding these uncertainties, fearlessly and resolutely, we begin.