Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Hollowing a book - suggestions

Last night I got locked out of my own room. I stepped out of the master’s bedroom to get a book from my shelf when my hyperactive son (he’s three) slammed and locked the door behind me. My wife’s out (working late) and my spare key was in my wallet, inside the room! Well, my son panicked a bit since he’s having a hard time unlocking the door (it’s a bit stiff), so I had to talk him into slowly turning the lock knob counter-clockwise.

Because of this little episode, I decided to have another set of readily keys available during minor emergencies. Since my son already knows all the nooks and crannies in the house where I can hide the keys, I decided to make a hollow book like they do in movies. According to this online guide, it has to be hardbound and preferably thick. Also, it should not stand out from the other books in my bookshelf (a Tami Hoag hardback would look out of place in my shelf). So I looked at my shelf for a good candidate, and here’s what I found:

Thick hardbacks

From the bottom up: a) Asimov’s Guide to the Bible, b) Christian Theology, c) The New Oxford Annotated Bible 2nd Ed., and d) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

I’ll probably not choose Asimov’s book. It’s out of print and a bit hard to find locally. So that leaves me with three. Of the three, I haven’t read the Harry Potter one, so that’s off the list as well. Which leaves me with two choices: the bible or Erickson’s theology book. It’s kind of hard since they’re both great references. I use the annotations in the NOAB whenever I read a bible passage, and Erickson when I want to find out a typical evangelical position on a certain doctrine.

Maybe I should nick a Gideon bible when I stay at a hotel next time, and use that instead? Or if anyone out there would send me a thick hardback, I would really appreciate it. It’s for a good cause. :-)

9 comments:

  1. I wouldn't want to cut up those books either. The Gideon idea doesn't sound too bad. Maybe you could find a evangelist to give you a free copy of something like Josh McDowell's "Evidence That Demands a Verdict." You could think of it as, "A Book That Demands To Be Hollowed Out To Hide A Key."
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  2. In my opinion, those books are too good to waste.
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  3. Thanks for the recommendation guys. I saw a hardback of ETDAV at a used book shop for $2. If it's still there, I'll buy it. As for freebies, Jehovah's Witnesses hardbacks are small, pocket-sized things, and Mormons do not give books unless you allow them visit your house a couple of times.
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  4. Drats, ETDAV is no longer there. I did see a hardbound copy of Michael Drosnin's The Bible Code for $8. Too expensive for pseudo-scientific crap, but if nothing better comes up soon, I'd be forced to buy it.
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  5. That really is a shame, I was hoping for ETDAV. Wish you were a bit closer, I'd give you my copy! Yeah, $8 seems a bit steep...
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  6. Such a shame. Maybe you could do it yourself. After the incident, I've come to the conclusion that EVERYONE needs a hollow book. Believe me, you need it.

    As for the book, I finally bought one for $5. Again, not cheap but it gives me something to do this weekend. I'll post pics once I'm done.
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  7. That is funny !
    Why not just get rid of locks on doors in your own house ??
    Seems there has to be a deep moral in that question too.
    Smile
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  8. @Sabio,
    I don't know about your experience living in Pakistan, but here in the Philippines security is a requirement. Ours is a culture of impunity and violence, the murder capital of Asia, and perpetual basketcase. We seldom lock our doors, but always do before going to sleep. Whole families have been butchered either by malicious burglars or by drug-crazed youths. My parent's house has been burglarized several times, and thankfully the only casualties have been the watcher dogs.

    I look forward to the day that there will no longer be a need for locks and keys, but the reality is vastly different. I'm just trying to keep my family safe.
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