Recently, my husband was flipping through a catalog and came across a clever gadget for the bookworm in the family: a “Book Torch”. The torch, a reading light that clips onto a book cover, was touted as a lamp that provides ample wattage for nighttime reading without disturbing anyone in the vicinity. All this for the bargain price of $29.98, plus shipping and handling.
Based on the image that accompanied the copy, I thought the book light could, in a pinch, double as a beacon for ships trying to pilot into a foggy harbor from rough waters.
If only Captain Smith would have had this handy book light on the Titanic’s maiden voyage, disaster could have been averted and countless lives saved. To my untrained eye, the book torch looks like it’s part of the position lights on a taxiing 747.
Can these book lights really be so effective? I thought the whole point of them is to allow your bed partner to slumber on without interruption while you do your nighttime reading. If I fired this sucker up after crawling into bed, I’d not only singe my husband’s retinas, but most probably blind any and all neighbors in a 2-mile radius.
Book, Line, and Sinker 