Author Eileen Dreyer posted this on her Facebook page recently. I commented that this was especially apropos, as I’ve recently taken all the books down from my library because I’m having built-in bookcases done this week. There are boxes of books in storage and piles of books scattered all around my home.
No chance of my being murdered in my bed, as it’s virtually surrounded by books.
I think the front door is sufficiently booby trapped.
Which brings us to the title of this post – Do You Get Books? If you’re a voracious reader, an author, historian or a bibliophile, then you get books. I get books. Hubby does not get books.
“Do you really need all these books? Can’t you weed out some of them?”
“Yes. No.”
Honestly, get rid of them? They’re like children. How would one decide? Why should one have to?
Then there are the people who have no conception of what a specialist library is. I told a friend that I had to empty out my bookshelves and that it was a massive job as I have over 600 books.
“Yeah,” she said. “I have alot of paperbacks, too.”
“No, no. These are reference books. Hardback. Some from the 19th century.”
“Oh,” she said. “Maybe you could give some to Goodwill.”
Sigh. Obviously, she doesn’t get books.
Personally, I need to live surrounded by books. I refer to them. I re-read them. I browse them. I like to look at them. I love them. And the odd antique. Like my Victorian stuffed pheasant.
Strangely, Hubby has never complained about the pheasant.
He does complain about my ‘hoarding.’
“You’re a hoarder.”
“How can you say that? I’m not a hoarder.”
“Look at all these books. Hoarding.”
“No, it’s a collection of books, otherwise known as a library.”
“Hoarder.”
“Library.”
“Hoarder.”
Do you get books? If so, do leave me a comment. Preferably something pithy that I will be able to use against Hubby when next we argue about my books. And we will.
I love Eileens commeny. I have close to 400 books and most of them are paperbacks. I've given a lot to friends to read. And when done they return them. 🙂 Even though I don't ask them too. My older children all ask, Why ? And I say, what does it matter why, I love books and their in my home on bookshelves and in Neat piles on the floor.Not everyone will get it. In your case you do research and it should be an understanding that you have them should you need them & don't have buy them again. Besides I can use my neatly packed piles to balance on, lay more books on etc. :)They create a sort of cacoon around us.
Carol L
So I have about 3,000 books; it used to be be more but I moved 6 years ago and had to weed out. Now I am moving again and trying to weed out again. About 1/3 are reference. My best argument for keeping my books is the fact that I would go crazy trying to locate an out of print book to read again or fact check again, if I didn't keep it. About 1/2 to 2/3 are paperbacks, and 75-80% are out of print. Chances of needing to find it again are very good since I reread favorite books. Sometimes I remember a line or event and need to figure out where it came from, in all those books I've read over the years. Also, not everything can be found on the internet. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
3,000!?! You're a better man than I, Gunga Din. I've got all the books up – they all fit. I'm determined to go through them at my leisure and, like you Cynthia, keep the ones that have useful information. And I like your story – I'm going to stick to it, too!
Give them to Goodwill??? Sacrilege!! When my brothers moved me into this house they took bets on how long it would take for the floors to cave in under the weight of the books. Hasn't happened yet. And if it did I would simply jack the house up and put concrete blocks under it from one end to the other. I would love to build a house on my acres one day and the only real requirement I have is a large library to house my books. Every other room is simply an accessory to the library.
I began cataloging my books on Library Thing about 8 years ago. At present my library stands at 2698 books. Of those, 261 are Regency era research books.
I have not even begun to catalog the books I owned BEFORE I joined Library Thing. I have an entire bookcase with my herpetology research books. I have another devoted to my ornithology research books. Down the hall are several small bookcases housing my Native American studies books. In my music room I have a couple of bookcases devoted to my music history research books and one devoted to my foreign language dictionaries and textbooks. I have a bookshelf over my washer and dryer with my books on gardening and landscape design.
Hoarder? You? Never!! Libraries have been responsible for the keeping of our histories, our cultures, our religions and every memory of human existence.
Besides, you could be the sort of woman who collects ceramic clowns, expensive art, shoes, lava lamps or … dead husbands in the basement. BWAHHAHAHAH!