Features Editor

Dec. 28, 2000 10 PM

Anything worth having is worth waiting for and the Pike County Heritage books are certainly worth having and many people have been patiently waiting for them to arrive.

Hopes were that the books would arrive in time for Christmas. But, according to a representative of Walsworth Publishing Company of Missouri, a tight publishing schedule kept them off the printing press along with heritage books for four other counties.

However, the Pike County Heritage Book Committee has received word that the books should arrive within the next two weeks, said Patsy Lucas, committee chairperson.

"I can’t give a specific date because we haven’t been given one," Lucas said. "All we have been told is that the books should be here in a couple of weeks. We could get them sooner but we’re not counting on that. We are hoping to have them in two weeks."

Members of the heritage book committee have seen the blue line book and Lucas said everyone was well pleased.

"The Pike County Heritage books will be well worth the wait," she said.

Lucas said the blue line book is a finished copy of the book except it is printed in blue ink instead of black.

"It was our last chance to make any necessary changes," she said. "Everything looked fine except one picture needed some attention and the publisher corrected that for us. The book

is one that we can all be proud of."

The 750-page book is bound in red with gold lettering on the cover.

"The book has specially treated pages, which means that the pages won’t turn yellow or rot," Lucas said. "If the book doesn’t get wet or burn or some child doesn’t tear it up it will last through many generations. We are extremely proud of the book and appreciate all of the hard work that has gone into it. We know that everyone is anxious to get the books in-hand and we are just as anxious to get them out."

Lucas said the committee should receive a copy of the book two days before the full shipment is to arrive.

"As soon as we get that book, we’ll know that the others are on the way and we’ll get the word out to everyone through the news media," she said. "Hopefully, they’ll be here soon."