This is either volume seven or volume eight of the collected wit and wisdom in "The View From Here."

I don't know which because when I count those that have gone before I'm never sure whether or not I've missed one. I could get someone else to count for me but I don't have either the time or the inclination. All you need to know is that these are the best of "The View" from the years 2000 to 2002.

You shouldn't be turned off by the fact that none of these collections have won any awards. I expect these will come posthumously so the value will no doubt increase beyond my lifetime and perhaps yours. There are your grandchildren and their financial security to consider. Forgetting modesty, perhaps I should point out that the columns themselves have won several awards over the years. Except for a nine-month hiatus for rest and recreation after a car accident, "The View" has been appearing in provincial newspapers for more than a quarter of a century. Someone must be making money off this stuff.

It isn't me.