Antiquary

A mid-16th century coinage, 'antiquary' derives from Latin 'ante, ' 'before, and 'antiquus, ' 'former' or 'ancient.' An antiquary, however, not only admires or studies old objects or books; he also copies or repeats them. An antiquary ponders past things in part to restore them to the present. Peter Weltner's collection of poems and stories, Antiquary, explores pasts, both individual and historical, personal and communal, in search of what endures not as relics, not as mere collectibles or dated things, but as lasting images and values. It seeks to find those meanings, for good or for ill, which persist through time, the abiding human desires and experiences of suffering that confound then with now.