The Back Page

Have you found yourself wondering about that strange statement on the back page of Start2Finish Books? Is it chicken-scratch? Poor handwriting? A cryptic Klingon message?

ὥσπερ ξένοι χαίρουσι πατρίδα βλέπειν

οὕτως καὶ τοῖς κάμνουσι βιβλίου τέλος

It's actually an ancient Greek proverb. A long time ago, when faithful scribes copied the biblical text by hand, they would often add it to the end of their manuscripts. For them, writing was an arduous process, the successful completion of which was an occasion for great rejoicing. Loosely translated, the statement reads:

"As strangers rejoice to see their native land,

so also is the end of a book to those who labor."