My Long Search for a Book

It all started a few semesters ago during PT, when I learnt from Ron about Menyelek I and the African Jews. The legend goes like this – back in the days of the Old Testament, When Queen Sheba visited King Solomon in Jerusalem, the legend goes that she went back to Ethiopia pregnant with the good King’s baby (wow, this Solomon is one smooth player).

The kid, Menyelek (or Menelik) grows to inherit the throne of Ethiopia, goes back to Jerusalem to find out the truth from Solomon. Solomon tells him the truth, and Menyelek manages to steal the ark of the Covenant back to Africa with him. Its a long and epic story, you can read a summary here. All this is found in the Ethiopian holy book, Kebra Nagast (apparently you can find it in any bookshop there today).

Anyway, the story, or legend, however fanciful it was, fascinated me, as with the many claims that the lost ark of the covenant is still kept in one of many locations across Africa.

So one day i walk into Borders and see this book by Tudor Parfitt, the Professor of Modern Jewish Studies at the University of London. He goes on an Indiana Jones-style (minus the most of the dramatic action) to trace the actual location of the Ark and verify the claims.

What follows is a fascinating story that brings him across Africa and as far as Papua New Guinea to find the fabled ark of Moses, and also the lost tribe of Israel.

I read the book and immediately wanted to buy it. Unfortunately, it was bloody expensive – about RM60. So i thought, lets wait for awhile, i maybe able to get it at least 5-10% off during sale, if the book is still around. So that was almost 1 and a half years ago. Unfortunately, i never got to buy the book – either it was out of stock during sale, or it was at full price. I even thought of getting it from Amazon and have someone bring it back for it, but it was only just marginally cheaper and probably not worth troubling my friends. After awhile i resigned not to get to read the book.

Until today – I went to BookXcess to get some books for my kids. I always thought of that place as somewhere to get cheap books, especially during their Big Bad Wolf sale – but you never really get the good you REALLY want. But I take it back – I got the book I WANTED! AT TWENTY BUCKS!

So that was my story to get this book. Kinda sad in a way, but that’s life when you love to read but too skint to buy books at full price 🙂