Culling The Literary Herd: Where Do Books Go To Die?
	found on The New York Times (registration required) written by tomc, edited by Nick (Plastic) [ read unedited ] posted Sat 26 Oct 2:17pm
		"What do you do with all your books? We're a pretty literate group, which means each of us owns at least a few books. But what happens when you finally come to the realization that you have too many of the damn things? Libraries are faced with this problem all the time and have come up with different ways of disposing of books. 'We must conceive of the library as a channel through which books pass on their way from the publisher to the incinerator' was one librarian's opinion back in 1947. "Sacrilege or just plain Sanity? How many books do you own? How many of those have you actually read? What is your method of deciding which books must move on to 'greener pastures'? And how is that executed? Do you break it to them gently, find them caring foster parents, or just dump them in the dust bin?"

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show almost all: 84 commentsbest: 7 comments by oldest first (ignore threads) newest first highest scores first oldest first newest first (ignore threads)

1.  Oh, what to do with excess books?   by ilsa       at Sat 26 Oct 2:48pm score of 1     My favorite solution is to sell them to a used book store, such as this. Not only do you thin the shelves -- or pile as the case may be -- you end up with money! And rest assured, someone will give that book a good new home in time. Just be careful not to spend it all before you leave the store. That would defeat the purpose of getting rid of books in the first place.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

8.  Re: Oh, what to do with excess books?   by kilroy       at Sat 26 Oct 4:38pm score of 1.5 astute   in reply to comment 1     Of course, used bookstores seem to pay back at about the same rate as most recyclers: about $0.04/kilogram - handling costs. Of course, that's in credit, if you want cash, well, that's 1/3 of the credit value, minus a cash-transition fee. You think people will still be using napkins in the year 2000? Or is this mouth vacuum thing for real?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   45.  Re: Oh, what to do with excess books?   by eeksypeeksy       at Sun 27 Oct 5:11am score of 1   in reply to comment 8     But recyclers destroy the books, while used bookstores try to get them back into the hands of readers.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   66.  Or.   by andy p       at Sun 27 Oct 6:41pm score of 1   in reply to comment 45     But recyclers recycle the old books into new books, or quality milk cartons that you can be truly proud to drink from. Go ahead, skip the glass, that's Don Quixote you're suckling on! Barrels are just crates with delusions of grandeur   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   85.  Re: Oh, what to do with excess books?   by androidjruby       at Mon 28 Oct 2:57pm score of 1   in reply to comment 1     Most used bookstores are very picky about what they buy. Most of the time, if I bring 6 books to sell, I'll walk out still holding 5 of them. And I understand why they do that, too. I've walked into many used bookstores with nothing but pulp and junk. We really are accumulating too much useless paper. So, I say, lifes too short to ready any but the best books. Burn the rest.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

2.  The Suggestive Conjecture   by Anonymous Idiot       at Sat 26 Oct 3:07pm score of 0.5 clever     Fire up the kiln. Somewhere around 451 F. Insert reams of 1. Dean Koontz 2. Anne Rice 3. Robert Anton Wilson 4. Mary Higgins Clark Any further tripe that may be taking valuable shelf away from literature, feel free to bake.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

44.  Re: The Suggestive Conjecture   by Nephthys       at Sun 27 Oct 1:55am score of 1   in reply to comment 2     I have a small pile of paperback books next to my fireplace. The worst of the worst - the ones that caused me to scream and throw them violently across the room - become kindling. I get a sick pleasure from burning the horrid things that caused me so much anger and disgust. I think I will really enjoy torching "Isle of Dogs"[1] and daydream about whether I should torture it slowly, or just toss it onto the flames. [1] Hey, I wasn't thinking straight. I was at the grocery store burning up with a fever, buying cold meds, popsicles and kleenix. I grabbed it from the "best seller" shelf for something to read to pass the time by I lay dying. I would have been better off making "art" out of used kleenix instead. Cake or Death? Cake, please.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   46.  Re: The Suggestive Conjecture   by eeksypeeksy       at Sun 27 Oct 5:34am score of 2 succinct   in reply to comment 44     Burning someone else's copy of a book might be censorship, but burning your own copy is simply a review.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   58.  Re: The Suggestive Conjecture   by Tashtego       at Sun 27 Oct 11:22am score of 1   in reply to comment 44     ...something to read to pass the time by I lay dying. You should have grabbed this instead. Liberals apparently make huge sweeping generalizations without one iota of evidence to back them up.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   84.  Re: The Suggestive Conjecture   by Anoplura       at Mon 28 Oct 2:09pm score of 1   in reply to comment 58     My mother is a fish. ...er, um... nevermind then...   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   48.  Libraries (should) reflect reality   by Coffeedemon       at Sun 27 Oct 7:12am score of 1.5 astute   in reply to comment 2     But you see libraries exist to serve the interests of the communities in which they exist. This is why identical selections of books across all the libraries do not and should not exist. I assure you that much research and surveying on the part of the library as to how well it suits the needs of the community is done on a regular basis. If a library is found in a neighbourhood that has a specific racial or ethnic makeup then the books and other resources in the library will optimally reflect this reality. Similarly, if its found that people in a certain catchment area prefer romance novels or high brow literature then those books will make up a higher priority in the collection development policies. On another point if people read what you think is garbage or they are all reading the latest Pulitzer winner it matters not - point being they are more likely to use the library if the books they want are there and wouldn't you rather see that cognitive power being used for reading 'tripe' than sitting passively in front of the electric teat and absorbing radiation in the form of Rikki Lake? ... but I lied when I said that honesty was dead - NoMeansNo   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   77.  Re: The Suggestive Conjecture   by halfwit       at Mon 28 Oct 8:30am score of 1   in reply to comment 2     To whoever has appointed himself the final arbiter of what constitutes good literature: Dean Koontz, Anne Rice, Robert Anton Wilson, Mary Higgins Clark, Tom Clancy, Steven King, Michael Crichton, and John Grisham are all brain-candy type writers. They provide simple and exciting stories with no tremendously insightful theme. No, they won't illuminate the 'Human Condition'. No, they won't change your life. Be that as it may, reading books like that is a damn sight more intellectually stimulating than spending 20 hours a week zombied in front of the television. Hell, there are a lot of people who consider the guy that wrote "Pull tab to open" to be their favorite author. I've read Charles Dickens, and James Fenimore Cooper, and Shakespeare, Dante, Conrad, and even Dostoyevski. The only insight I gained was, "Wake me when it's over." I'll take my cheesy fiction novels over your snobbish classics any day.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   81.  How sad for you   by Katfish       at Mon 28 Oct 12:54pm score of 1   in reply to comment 77     ...if the only reading you've ever had the opportunity to experience has been either cheesy brain candy or unpalatable classics that are supposedly "good for you." There's a vast array of fiction and nonfiction, old and new, out there that's both delicious and nutritious for your mind. You can't put too much water in a nuclear reactor.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   92.  Re: How sad for you   by halfwit       at Fri 1 Nov 7:51am score of 1   in reply to comment 81     Oh, I happen to think that there are plenty of authors whose books are popular, inventive, thought provoking, and exciting to read. But I was responding specifically to the original post, who seemed to imply that popular literature is crap either because it is not all literary classics or simply because it is popular and anything the unenlightened masses enjoy must of course be garbage.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

3.  It pains me   by Smallest       at Sat 26 Oct 3:12pm score of 2 clever     When I buy a book, I read it then I put it on my book shelf. Then, once every month or so, i'll walk by my book shelf and think "Ahhh. I read all those books. How brilliant of me." Then my wife notices that some books are being up stacked horizontally on top of the other books, because there's no room for any more books on the shelves. She asks me to do something about the problem. I resist and I resist because I love my books and I love having a physical record of what I've read. But she's right. So I give in and carefully select a small bunch of books that I wouldn't mind not seeing again - just enough to ease the shelf situation. I take them down to the local used bookstore, trade them in and bring home new (to me) books. I feel like I've accomplished something by getting rid of some old books, even though I bring home new books that have no room on the shelves. And the circle of life continues. .sig .sgi .gis .gsi .isg .igs   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

4.  donate them   by eidilon       at Sat 26 Oct 3:12pm score of 1.5 helpful     I get my books from the library. I pay taxes. The books are free. I'm not helping (much) cut down trees and fill landfill. I don't have to buy bookshelves, rearrange rooms, or break my back when I move. I don't have to worry about what to do with them when I'm done: I return them to the library so the next person read them. You rent movies instead of buying them don't you?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

72.  Re: donate them   by Petronius       at Mon 28 Oct 6:47am score of 1   in reply to comment 4     I get my books from the library. I pay taxes. The books are free. Think about these statements for a second. Then, next time you're in the library, get a book on economics. What rescues us from insignificance is the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers. Carl Sagan   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

5.  There's no such thing as too many books   by Decadent Sundae       at Sat 26 Oct 3:30pm score of 1.5 astute     Not enough bookshelves, ok, I can see that happening, but never too many books. However, to avoid being crushed by the piles (and because my husband is really unreasonable about this), I've had to compromise and only keep books that I think I'll be re-reading or using as reference in the next 2 years (or ones that I know are out of print and unavailable.) It's a hard line to keep, but it seems to work for me. (Well, by work, I mean that I only have a couple of full-wall bookshelves full now.) (Ok, and several free-standing shelves full.) (Ok, maybe it's time to comb through again...) As for what to do with the poor cast-outs, I'm lucky in that I live in Portland, which is the used-bookstore capital of the world. Not only do we have Powells, better known as Heaven, we've got a lot of little independent bookstores that will take what Powells won't. Powells is definitely the first stop, though. The part that kills me, though, is the way their value goes to heck... especially since the inflation rate on books seems like it's been out of sight. I remember buying paperbacks for around a dollar when I was a kid - now, you're lucky to find one for less than $7, and you'll be lucky to get $1 for it when you trade it in. Books lose value faster than new cars being driven off the lot.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

6.  Re: There's no such thing as too many books   by musiquestar       at Sat 26 Oct 4:11pm score of 1   in reply to comment 5     I've never been to Portland, but I'd like to offer up Detroit's legendary version. (Picture halfway down, link nearby). The sites don't do it justice, honestly. Your fantasies are unlikely, but beautiful.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   25.  Re: There's no such thing as too many books   by oinonio       at Sat 26 Oct 7:35pm score of 1   in reply to comment 6     And don't forget New York's!   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   50.  Re: There's no such thing as too many books   by dirty sanchez       at Sun 27 Oct 8:49am score of 1   in reply to comment 5     as someone who owns more books than I care to count, I really do believe there is no such thing as too many. The real problem is lack of shelving, and I think I know a solution. I have read multitudes of science fiction books where instead of books on paper - they are stored electronically, and viewed on a viewer not dissmimilar to a gameboy. As the net has already shown, the printed word is dying - it is easier to access it here online, because it can be continually updated, revised, and it takes up a lot less space. Living the Mexican dream; to marry an American woman   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   64.  Re: There's no such thing as too many books   by A. H. Cretin       at Sun 27 Oct 2:58pm score of 1   in reply to comment 50     It's not SF anymore. I read books on my Palm all the time. It lacks something compared to paper books, but it's also much saner to carry & store. -A Humorless Cretin   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   76.  Re: There's no such thing as too many books   by Moemi       at Mon 28 Oct 7:57am score of 1   in reply to comment 5     Precisely. Where additional shelves become a problem for the average apartment dweller, I recommend renting a storage unit. (... this then, of course, means that you'll have the painful task of sorting through which books to keep THERE rather than at your nimble fingertips, but it's a far better solution than to discard.) In addition, I consider myself "evangelical" with respect to good books and music -- if I appreciate a CD, a book, etc. I make a point of lending it to someone who might also enjoy it. When I was still insisting that "lending" implied the return of the matter at some point in the future, I discovered that in 9 out of 10 cases that simply wasn't realistic. So now that I've moved marginally beyond the starving student circles, I tend to communicate to the lend-ees that I don't expect to see the book again and that's just fine. After all, this then justifies my taking another trip to the bookstore to replace and replenish ;) - M. P.S.: Any book "heavens" in the So.Cal area? I moved here recently enough (with a lot of books in tow!) to not be completely clued into the local marvels yet.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   86.  Re: There's no such thing as too many books   by Maayan       at Mon 28 Oct 10:26pm score of 1   in reply to comment 5     I can't get rid of my books. I have books that I will never read again, but it pleases me to see them on my shelves. I was once trying to explain my passionate connection to my books -- I chided a friend, in the process of culling his collection, "Giving away your books is like putting your children up for adoption!" To which he replied, "No, it's more like sending them to college." I think his attitude is healthier than mine.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

7.  Get rid of them? GET RID OF THEM?   by Dry Brit       at Sat 26 Oct 4:35pm score of 1.5 nuanced     I don't know; I find it near impossible to get rid of books that I don't actively find crap. Part of the problem is that most of the books I buy are reference books in some shape or form, and you can never have too many references... as it is, I borrow most of the light reading from my local library. The other reason (apart from my general untidiness), is that I love books too much. Here's a story that illustrates my point; you may feel like me (I'd guess many plasticians would), or you just don't get it... I spent the summer as an intern at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Despite my passion for aerospace technology and history, the building that had the greatest impact on me was not on the national mall, nor even out at Silver Springs where they store many more incredibly rare aircraft. It sits behind the Capitol up on the hill: The Library of Congress. If there is only one thing you do when you get to DC, make sure that thing is the Library's tour. Anyway, I go on the tour, and am entranced by the beautiful frescos and sculptures with their allusions to classical knowledge. In an alcove just off the main hall, there are two glass cases. One of them contains one volume of the Gutenberg Bible, one of only three complete ones in the world. The other case contains the Giant Bible of Mainz, a contemporary of Gutenberg's Bible, but an illuminated manuscript instead of a printed book. The guide does her spiel, and mentions: "...the bible was bought in 1952 for $35,000 and donated to the Library of Congress." "Excuse me", I say, "You did say $35,000, didn't you? - Not $350,000, or $3.5 million?" "No, $35,000 is right - why do you ask?" "It just seems a somewhat low figure", I say. The guide gives me a puzzled look and says: "But what are you going to do with it [the bible]?". I just stand there, flabbergasted. What are you going to do with it? It is a priceless 550-year old illuminated bible - am I alone in thinking this is something to be treasured? Like I said, you either get this story or you don't. Books give us the ability to pass on knowledge after we have gone. They are the building blocks of civilizations. They can inspire us, entertain us, make us laugh or weep or think. That is why we will always need libraries that are open to all, and that is why I cannot bear to get rid of my books. Except maybe that trashy thriller that... I was given. Yes, that's it - I was given. Ahem. -Jakob "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." - Richard Steele "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes." - Erasmus Welcome to the internet. Where men are men, women are men, and children are the FBI.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

9.  Funny you should mention this   by Tashtego       at Sat 26 Oct 4:49pm score of 1     I am, as we speak, in the process of moving from St. Louis to Chicago, and I spent most of the night before last culling books from my spare bedroom and my basement. Oh what a sad, odious task. I think that I would rather get a crew cut using a cheese grater than do this again anytime soon. Jetsam: Some Reader's Digest condensed books that my mother gave me (god bless her, she meant well), paperbacks ordered from Scholastic Book Service when I was in elementary school, QPB selections received as a result of not returning the card and subsequently never read. Cherished friends that I am proud to have living on my bookshelves: Fairly complete sets of Dickens and Twain, a complete set of Aubrey/Maturin novels, a dog-eared copy of Moby Dick, a Foster Wallace/Barth/DeLillo/Pynchon (no, I never finished Gravity's Rainbow) pomo sampler, and a crappy paperback Stephen King collection (I can't help it, I like the guy). All in all, I still have way too many books, a fact which simultaneously makes me happy and pisses me off. Liberals apparently make huge sweeping generalizations without one iota of evidence to back them up.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

11.  Re: Funny you should mention this   by ratnerstar       at Sat 26 Oct 5:15pm score of 1   in reply to comment 9     a Foster Wallace/Barth/DeLillo/Pynchon ... pomo sampler I read that about ten times, doubled over with laughter, before I realized that you wrote "pomo" not "porno." That would be one hell of a mind fuck. There is no.sig, only Zool....   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   37.  Re: Funny you should mention this   by Mad Ogger       at Sat 26 Oct 10:08pm score of 1   in reply to comment 9     Hey, I just moved from Madison to Berkeley and I just packed up all of my books. They take up about 15 to 20 cubic feet. Maybe you had more. I still haven't unpacked them, that's going to be a pain.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   54.  Advice from a Former Frequent Mover   by Notyou       at Sun 27 Oct 9:11am score of 1   in reply to comment 37     Hey, I just moved from Madison to Berkeley and I just packed up all of my books. They take up about 15 to 20 cubic feet. Maybe you had more. I still haven't unpacked them, that's going to be a pain. You are a fortunate soul. Pick an afternoon when you are sure to be left alone, pick your favorite social lubricant (but don't be liberal about it -- you'll enjoy the re-shelving more if you keep your wits throughout the day), and dig in. When you begin, you'll be deep in the land of the librarian, re-inventing the wheel in your Berkeley apartment; will you separate fiction and nonfiction; will you sort by topic; will you store references on the shelves with the rest, or will you tuck them onto a smaller shelf near your desk; can you devise an entirely new system of shelving using a key known only to you; can you arrange things the slashdot way with barcodes and a cue cat and an excel spreadsheet? My system is simple -- fiction and nonfiction separated, alpha by author, easy to maintain, but I only make a serious effort to arrange my books following a move. Once you've got your head around order, and you're efficiently moving books from box to shelf, don't be surprised if your pace begins to slow. Don't do anything to speed it up. And when a favorite is in your grasp, don't resist it. Go ahead, sit back and read a few pages. Think of where you bought the book in Madison, think of the people in Madison with whom you shared something from that book, think of the Mad Ogger in Madison who acquired the book. Then put it in its place on your new shelf in Berkeley and reach for another. I haven't moved in several years, and looking at my cluttered shelves, it's been too long since I've imposed myself on them. I was planning to use today's extra hour catching up on my reading for the Plastic Book Club. I think I'll re-arrange the stacks, instead. Me neither.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

10.  Getting rid of books.   by familyfamilyfamily       at Sat 26 Oct 4:54pm score of 1.5 informative     Bookcrossing... It feels both kind and a little bit fun to put books into this international book-as-treasure hunt.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

13.  Re: Getting rid of books.   by mrjeff3000       at Sat 26 Oct 5:34pm score of 1   in reply to comment 10     We've discussed Bookcrossing before, thanks to its creator. Maybe one of these days I'll leave a book or two for a stranger to find...that is, if I can find a book I can bear to part with.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   70.  Re: Getting rid of books.   by LeighBCD       at Mon 28 Oct 4:15am score of 1   in reply to comment 10     I agree, Bookcrossing is a fantastic website. I spend almost as much time browsing the Bookcrossing site as I do looking through Plastic. I recently cleared my bookshelves of a lot of books and I am slowly releasing them into the world and hoping that whoever finds them leaves me a note at the Bookcrossing site. I have released over 30 books since I joined Bookcrossing in April. I tend to release books that I do not want to keep anymore. My most successful "catch" recently was today. I read the first book in the Left Behind series as I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and because I had never tried any "Christian fiction". My curiosity satisfied, I left the book on top of a telephone at King's Cross Station in London. I assumed that the book had been found by a cleaner and thrown into a bin. But I was wrong. This morning, almost 3 weeks later, I discovered that someone had actually found the book, read it, enjoyed it and will now leave it somewhere in Leeds for someone else to find. I am really glad that the book found another temporary home and I hope it travels further... To rose-lipt maidens and lightfoot lads   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

12.  Like throwing out an old friend (or enemy)   by ratnerstar       at Sat 26 Oct 5:25pm score of 1     Back when I lived in Portland, I would just go to Powell's books and exchange my old tomes for new ones (or cold, hard cash). It was an optimal solution. But I don't live in Portland anymore, so I'm forced to find new ways to cull the herd before it stampedes over me. The best way, I think, is to donate your old books to thrift stores. Ever been in a thrift store? The ones I see usually have a huge collection of books consisting mostly of junk and outdated computer manuals. It warms my heart a little to think that my old collection of Greek tragedies (which I felt compelled to dispose of when I got a new complete set) now sits there. Poor people deserve affordable Euripides as much as anyone. There is no.sig, only Zool....   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

14.  Re: Like throwing out an old friend (or enemy)   by kindall       at Sat 26 Oct 5:37pm score of 2 witty   in reply to comment 12     Also, it gives the thrift store staff an excuse to say, "Euripides pants, you'll pay for 'em!" I'm not incoherent, you're just dumb.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   87.  Re: Like throwing out an old friend (or enemy)   by ersatz phil       at Tue 29 Oct 11:23am score of 1   in reply to comment 14     or, for those who also have a care for Aeschalus, "Euripides pants, Eumenidies pants!" Oed' und leer das Meer.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

15.  To sell or to give away?   by oddman       at Sat 26 Oct 5:44pm score of 1.5 compelling     It seems many plasticians sell their books to used book stores. Does anyone give their old books away? I try to find friends or family (usually young cousins of which I have many) to give the books to. When that fails I've found places that accept book donations like Goodwill. I do know of places that would buy back my books, but for the pittance they pay I'd rather just give the books away and at least feel like a kind hearted philanthropist for a moment. This only pertains to novels though, I never ever give away my philosophy books. I must have like 5 versions of Descartes' Meditations.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

22.  Re: To sell or to give away?   by hashashin       at Sat 26 Oct 7:11pm score of 1   in reply to comment 15     I used to be annoyed when someone would borrow one of my books and not return it, but now that I realize I have way too many books for my little apartment, I've become more easygoing about it. For one thing, I no longer lend out the nice editions that I really do want back, and for another, if I'm talking to a friend and recommend a book that I happen to have, I'll offer to "lend" it to them. Some people give them back, most don't. I just hope they give them to someone else when they're finished with them.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   59.  I ALWAYS give my books away   by lanemcf       at Sun 27 Oct 11:37am score of 1   in reply to comment 15     After reading through all the comments, I'm amazed at the number of people that cling to their books, filling whole rooms. For me, the only joy in books is in their reading. Once I've read a book, there are too many unread books in the world for me to return to the old ones. Perhaps because I own paperbacks rather than $35,000 illuminated Bibles. So I read pretty voraciously, and then as soon as I am done with a book I immediately give it to the friend that I think would take the most interest in it, based on a conversation we've had, their particular line of work, or just their personal interests in general. They get the book for free with the caveat that they too must pass it on when they are done. There's no time pressure to read - sometimes it has taken me three years to get to a book someone has given me. But what a joy when they do! My reading list is esoteric and constantly in flux. I have no idea how I decide what book off my shelf I will read next, but there's always a decision to make because I buy them up faster than I read them. And so I'm not reading the Canon of Western Civilization. Often no one I know has read the books I have. But that, for me, is a very important part of reading - discussing what you read with others. Even if it's just a shared moment of remembering a good novel, it brings back that joy of reading that you feel while you're in the moment with a good book. My friends were caught off guard when I started giving them books, but they have really taken to the idea and many now do the same thing. I don't have any trouble with accumulating shelf space, and I don't have any grandiose plans for my personal library to be important to biographers or historians (I don't usually write in my books, anyway, so they wouldn't learn anything). But I'm happy knowing there's a small but growing community around interested in reading the same stuff I am (and from whom I will learn about new, cool stuff to read). It's worth trying.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

18.  Ahhh, books....   by ddp42       at Sat 26 Oct 6:48pm score of 1     I regularly give thanks to the universe that I was born after the invention of the printing press. It probably sounds either corny or pathological (or both), but books are almost sacred items to me (I hardly ever even write in them, though post-it notes have proved a wonderful way to "interact" with my tomes). I've spent many, many hours over the years toting books from room to room (and the laundry room is the only room in the house that is book-free). It might seem like wasted time, but I regularly rediscover books I had forgotten I had and get a lot of pleasure out of just handling them. I reckon I own at least 1500 books (I actually started making a database of them at one point and got up to 1000 without dealing with any in the attic), of which I may have read 1/3 completely, another 1/3 partially. My nightstand always has 5-10 books I'm in the middle of. The fact that another third of them await my attention is rather comforting. Perhaps books are a security blanket of sorts for me. I lose all track of time in either bookstore or library (family members are remarkably adept at arranging themselves between me and any bookstore if we are out shopping); in short, I just plain love books. As you can imagine, then, getting rid of books is difficult (except for novels, which I hardly ever buy new anyway and very rarely hold onto after I've read them). When I do part with them, I give some to friends, sell a few at a used bookstore, and give the rest to church flea markets and Goodwill. Burn a book? You've got to be kidding! Perhaps I've thrown a half dozen in the trash owing to their condition (either literary or physical), but even then I feel a bit criminal.... Not all flowers open in the morning.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

73.  Re: Ahhh, books....   by bosco       at Mon 28 Oct 6:48am score of 1   in reply to comment 18     I remember reading Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose" where a whole different world of reading was conjured. Before the printing press, the mere physical possession of a book was something in itself. As books had to be hand copied, they were very expensive to make (the book of kells) and depended as much on the copier as on the original author. Indeed, in the Middle Ages, if you got access to a good library, it would have been possible to read everything. As such, books in themselves were considered sacred objects. Readers would die (as they did in the Name of the Rose) to read a hard to find book. And of course, ownership of a book was tantamount to possessing whatever arcane secrets were buried in the book, read or not. As such, a book was seen to have arcane powers of influence.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

19.  A story...   by Ernest Scribbler       at Sat 26 Oct 7:00pm score of 1.5 clever     A month ago I was at a party with some fellow students. Someone had the bright idea of digging a hole in the lawn for a bonfire (renting the house probably made them more comfortable with this idea). We gathered in the backyard as they burned plywood, newspapers, and (strangely) one member of an old pair of painted stilts. Eventually, they ran out of wood, but no one seemed in a hurry. But what else to burn? The fire shrank and some were getting cold. So someone broke out some books. An introductory text in psychology from the 80's. Various pieces of forgotten fiction. Yet, somehow it made my skin crawl to see that done, and I was not alone, though the owner seemed to relish ridding herself of them. The classics (?) were snatched from that fate; someone grabbed William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, and I won Plato's dialogues. But have I read my unexpected gift? Well, no. Do I plan to? The truth is I prefer fiction hands down. Somehow, it just felt wrong. We discussed this as home repair guides crackled, and came to the conclusion that this vague feeling of violation has its roots in the worst acts of the 20th century, which we don't need to discuss here. In reality, I have plenty of books that I will probably never read again. Some I keep to give away, but others I simply have no plans for. But, to shift topics, I would argue that another value of well produced books (especially older ones) is their sheer physical qualities of workmanship and general attractiveness. This has no electronic analog.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

39.  Re: A story...   by mrjeff3000       at Sat 26 Oct 10:32pm score of 1.5 astute   in reply to comment 19     When I remember to think about it, the written word never fails to astonish me. Until the invention of writing, humans had no permanent way of storing knowledge outside their brains. Perhaps the reason that burning books arouses such a visceral reaction in us is that it's the symbolic equivalent of cutting out a piece of our brain.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   40.  Perhaps   by tomc       at Sat 26 Oct 11:46pm score of 1   in reply to comment 39     "Perhaps the reason that burning books arouses such a visceral reaction in us is that it's the symbolic equivalent of cutting out a piece of our brain." Or maybe it's a stark reminder of what we once were and may never be again! An appropriate book would be Elias Canetti's Auto da fe. fruity pebbles No Pussyfooting   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   74.  Re: A story...   by bosco       at Mon 28 Oct 6:58am score of 1   in reply to comment 39     But what is lost is the oral tradition and all the skills pertaining to them. Anthropologists who have studied pre-literate studies have found that these people have incredible memories, which we have substituted with different skills. Entire Epic poems were rote-learned and the use of the spoken word occured with much more creativity. Just the other night, I heard an Ertitreyan poet (which has not been phoneticized for that long) - he performed half in Eritreyan and half in English. I was struck by how much Erittreyan had more vocal punch and arresting rhythms. And indeed, various writers have said that in the oral world, there's a kind of magic that still exists simply because of the absence of an permanent record of history.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   71.  Re: A story...   by wallfly       at Mon 28 Oct 6:15am score of 1   in reply to comment 19     I think another reason that book burning makes me feel dirty, is just the degree to which we take them for granted. For so long, things had to be memorized, not because there was no written language but because there was so little to write on. Now, we have so much paper we throw it away on a regular basis. But to take for granted our abundance of books that are so readily available to most of us in better off countries, and to actually burn them, is wrong. For anyone who hasn't read Fahrenheit 451 and this topic strikes a chord with you, I highly recommend reading it. Maybe I'll go read it again.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

20.  I used to love my personal library   by SteamboatDreamboat       at Sat 26 Oct 7:07pm score of 1     I used to love my personal library, but after the 15th move in 10 years, I decided that I had enough. I sold books on half.com. I gave books away. I donated them to the library. Now, when I want a book, I go to the library. A few simple facts drive my decision to do this. The first was the frequency with which I move. I haven't settled down yet (although it looks very promising you know who), and I'm tired of boxes of books around. Except for reference books, I don't tend to read books more than once. I was spending too much money on books. Look, the library is an amazing thing. There is a state wide system integration of libraries in Colorado, so if my local branch doesn't have what I can use interlibrary loan. Unless someone else wants the book I'm reading, I can keep it as long as I want (as long as I remember to renew it). Videos and books on CD (for long car trips) are available too. Why spend cash on books when I can read everything I want for free, and don't have to worry about moving them. So many of us were brought up with the teachings that books are sacred things to collect and treasure. I agree about books being sacred, but I disagree with the collecting. "When life hands you lemons, make coffee... and then you'll have the desire to make lemonade." --Jon Friedman   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

27.  Re: I used to love my personal library   by wallfly       at Sat 26 Oct 7:39pm score of 1   in reply to comment 20     Oh, I'm the exact opposite. Whenever I had to move into or out of my dorm (that's twice a year for 4 years) I always made sure my box of books was nestled and secure, while i only made sure the tv and vcr wouldn't go rolling. i love my books and enjoy having a collection of them. i don't hoard them for the sake of keeping them for me me me and never letting them see the light of day. i loan them to friends if i can persuade them to read them, and if i get a duplicate for real cheap i'll give it away. but i like getting great books that strike a chord with me and i know i'll read again. i'm patient and frugal, waiting until i find a specific book at a half priced bookstore or i'll know ahead of time that i plan to buy a book for full price. it's my collection, much like some people with sports cards, and i always enjoy improving it, whether that means adding to it or pruning, but i'll never get rid of it. especially in the age where there's constant talk of getting rid of paper books and going only electronic, i think it's important to keep some set aside, kept in good condition. i envision having a modest den library someday, and introducing grandchildren to some of my favorite authors... but i'm a literature romantic i suppose. :)   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   53.  Gasp!   by JKConsult       at Sun 27 Oct 9:05am score of 1   in reply to comment 20     I haven't settled down yet (although it looks very promising you know who) You're living with Voldemort?!   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

21.  Old Books Never Die, They Just Get Passed On   by expostulator       at Sat 26 Oct 7:10pm score of 1     I still cannot put a book in the trash; it was instilled in me in childhood as sacrilege. When I left the country for extended foreign travel, I took a thousand books to a used book store and think I got about ten bucks for them. Funny how things that bring so much joy depreciate faster than a Yugo. On the road, I carried 3 or 4 favorite books always (practically miniature editions; I travel very light) and would always have one book that I was reading. When I finished it, that book would be passed on to the first person who saw me reading it and said, "Oh, I've always wanted to read that!" Then I'd find the next one at a used English bookstore, found almost everywhere along the Gringo trail. Giving away a book is the only good way to part with it, especially to someone you've enjoyed meeting on the road and knowing they'll get pleasure from it. cogito ante dico, audio ante cogito   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

42.  Sacrilege   by tomc       at Sun 27 Oct 12:04am score of 1.5 compelling   in reply to comment 21     I had the same disease - biblia sacriligius.I was cured, though. I worked in a book store and was in charge of returning unsold books to publishers (a grotty task). When I say "returned", I mean hardbound and quality paperbacks were returned. With mass market paperbacks, we were only required to return the covers. The rest of the books were thrown in a dumpster, since it was cheaper for the publishers to throw them away than restock them. And, of course, it was illegal to sell or even donate mass market paperbacks without covers. I shall never forget the first time I was required to rip a cover off a brand new paperback. But like most things, you get used to it. fruity pebbles No Pussyfooting   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   78.  Disgusting   by vorfeed       at Mon 28 Oct 11:21am score of 1   in reply to comment 42     And, of course, it was illegal to sell or even donate mass market paperbacks without covers. Am I the only one who sees pathological levels of societal insanity in this policy? As a society, we are at the point where making money from books is considered more important than the knowledge therein. So much so that we'd rather destroy a book than allow someone to read it for free. Books are the most complete representation of the canon of human history that we have, and they're treated not with respect, but like some sort of luxury item that consumers should be glad to pay a minimum of $8 for. Hell, if libraries weren't grandfathered in, there'd be nowhere you could go to read a book without paying. How utterly, shamefully pathetic. Vorfeed's Black Metal Reviews   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   79.  Re: Disgusting   by Sapphireblue       at Mon 28 Oct 12:13pm score of 1   in reply to comment 78     So much so that we'd rather destroy a book than allow someone to read it for free. Ah, if that's really what the publishers wanted, they'd require that each Page 32 be returned, rather than the front cover. That really would destroy a book. Books without front covers are ugly, but perfectly readable. Required to go into a dumpster or no, I've bought many a "returned" paperback book, from sidewalk sales and the like. (Surely somewhere in my sordid confession is the basis for a new "I helped murder families in Colombia" commercial. When you buy black-market books, just where is your money going, hmmmmm?)   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   82.  Re: Disgusting   by vorfeed       at Mon 28 Oct 1:41pm score of 1   in reply to comment 79     Ah, if that's really what the publishers wanted, they'd require that each Page 32 be returned, rather than the front cover. That really would destroy a book. Agreed, but my problem isn't with ripping the covers off - so what, that doesn't damage the book so badly it can't be read. My problem is with the totally asinine practice of throwing the books away after they've had the covers removed. You shouldn't have to dumpster-dive for these books, they ought to be freely available to those who either can't or don't want to pay full price for undamaged books. It's the waste that I find disgusting, not the practice of tearing the covers off to make them worth less than intact books. We should fight this... and you, brave black-market book buyer, are the soldier in the front lines of the paperback battle ^__^ Vorfeed's Black Metal Reviews   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

23.  friend of library...   by ktlyst       at Sat 26 Oct 7:13pm score of 1     At my public library, there is a bin for books you don't want. They sell them every so often and use the proceeds to buy more books. The second to last time I moved, I got rid of everything I wasn't going to read again, or didn't want on a shelf for people to know how smart I am :-) I have about 1.5 full length shelves now, instead of 9. I think I gave well over a thousand books in that dump, and now I do the same thing every 6 months or so.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

24.  some suggestions   by velo       at Sat 26 Oct 7:33pm score of 1.5 helpful     I work at a public library. Our public library is happy to get donations of books in good condition. I find that about 10 to 20 percent of the donated books should be added to the collection. The less desirable books we then pass on to a volunteer group which runs our booksale, the proceeds of which benefit the library. I bet your public library would be happy to see donations of decent books, as well. Of course, we get more than our share of outdated science textbooks, 1970s yogurt cookbooks, and companion books to 1980s public television series, but those can just go straight to the booksale. Moldy books go to the dumpster. Readers Digest Condensed books go to the dumpster, posthaste. I hate it when I see people selling recent and decent paperbacks for $.25 at a yardsale; they'd get more $$ for them at one of our local used book stores, and if they just want to get rid of them they could donate them to the library. Personally I have lots of books, kept in good condition, and I do NOT have them displayed where visitors can see what I own. How do they move on? 1) give to friends 2) donate to the library 3) sell to used book store 4) use to prop up short end of the divan ----------- velo where's the glory   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

26.  The perils of paper...what to do?   by spiderfarmer       at Sat 26 Oct 7:37pm score of 1     When we built this house, we built a library room to hold my rather extensive, some might say ridiculous, selection of books. :) Then, naturally, we got pregnant, and since it's the only other bedroom sized room downstairs other than the master suite, I'm having to convert it into a nursery. We've been moving shelves and books all over the house trying to find room for them all. Since some of the books are very old and rare, they take precedence in finding new spots. But the paperbacks that I probably won't read again...I took about 5 boxes worth to half price books...a local chain of groovy used book stores. Then, I discovered http://www.bookcrossing.com. A truly great way to send your books out into the world to be enjoyed by other people. If you have extra books, and you don't want to sell them, but instead would like to set them free to find new homes, this is a pretty neat way to do it. Also, I've found myself not using the bookcrossing system, but when finishing a paperback that I probably won't read again, I just leave it somewhere with a note on the inside that says "Please take me and read me!" But throw a book away? Good lords, perish the thought! ---------------------------------------------- "Oh Bother," said Pooh as he stared into the unspeakable visage of Cthulhu.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

28.  donations, etc...   by oinonio       at Sat 26 Oct 7:45pm score of 1     Living in Baltimore, I would periodically cull my collection by using the book donations drops around the city: these largish boxes, like those at some libraries, would donate the books to charities, etc.. Since College I've attemtped to keep a one-bookshelf policy, which is a goodthing in Manhattan. I agree with all the advocates of the public library system, but I wish that my local branch would stop trying to compete with the Barnes and Noble and be a little more selective in what they carry: 4 copies of Danielle Steele and 0 copies of Marcel Proust is a shameful scorecard... And having worked on the killing florr of a library, I can confirm that it is an agonizing task, and I saved several items which would otherwise have seen the dumpster.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

29.  My Back Pages   by mrwarmth       at Sat 26 Oct 7:47pm score of 2.5 interesting     I rarely get rid of books, unless they are cookbooks or computer how-to books, which I rarely buy anyway. I'll also automatically give away any book by Joyce Carol Oates someone is foolish enough to give me. But that's about it. At first, I hung on to all my books out of sheer laziness. Then as the years piled up, I realized many of the books I loved had gone out of print - after only a decade or so - and I was very glad I hadn't given them away. I have another reason for hanging onto my books. It dawned on me about a decade ago that the vast majority of ancient books that have survived to our day did so because they were part of someone's private library. All the great centralized libraries of the ancient world wound up being burned or sacked, and the same will happen to our modern versions, such as The Library of Congress. So if you think by donating your books to a public library you are ensuring their survival, think again. History shows you the odds are very slim that they will. I plan to hang on to my library, in the hope that one day, centuries or millennia from now, someone will dig up my cache and learn from it. I consider that one of my few responsibilities to the future. -Niall Where is Ratko Mladic?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

32.  Re: My Back Pages   by blisspix       at Sat 26 Oct 8:48pm score of 1   in reply to comment 29     So if you think by donating your books to a public library you are ensuring their survival, think again. well, obviously. I'm a librarian, and I get really pissed off at people who think libraries should never throw anything away. Libraries are meant for active use, they're not archives, people. They are there to have people fold back the pages, photocopy stuff, and actually read things on the shelf. That said, I do wish people would treat stuff they borrow with a little more care. Replacement costs suck. Private libraries are very important. Bequests and estates are where libraries get most of their good stuff from. They sure can't afford to buy most of the stuff received from bequests outright. My fiancee has upwards of 5000 books, why else would he decide to live with me. ;) He has lots of penguin classics paperbacks, turn of the century poetry books, and a massive SF collection. Kind of a pain however, that we live in a two bedroom flat. I'm forevr paranoid about floor ratings.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   38.  Re: My Back Pages   by ratnerstar       at Sat 26 Oct 10:18pm score of 1   in reply to comment 32     That said, I do wish people would treat stuff they borrow with a little more care. Replacement costs suck. This is the main reason I don't patronize libraries often. I confess: I treat books abysmally. I spill coffee on them, bend their spines, dogear the hell out of their pages, and often fall asleep on top of them, causing untold amounts of damage. After years of enduring the dirty looks of librarians, who can be quite fierce in defense of their charges, I learned that it's better to purchase. Besides, I'm frightfully bad about returning things on time. Also, I hate reading hardcover books. Give me a paperback any time. For some reason, libraries always seem to carry mostly hardbacks. Why is that? There is no.sig, only Zool....   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   52.  Re: My Back Pages   by mrwarmth       at Sun 27 Oct 8:51am score of 1   in reply to comment 32     I don't think book owners have any special responsibility to keep their books pristine. They are after all, extensions of themselves. When I buy a used book, I want some sign that it had a former owner. I love to find underlining and marginal notes in used books. A used book that is in mint condition is a book that has never really been a part of someone's life, and that's sad. Obviously, this conflicts with what libraries want, which is another reason not to donate to them. -Niall Where is Ratko Mladic?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   61.  Re: My Back Pages   by Bintang       at Sun 27 Oct 12:21pm score of 1   in reply to comment 38     Hardcover books are bound differently, and tend to last longer. They can take a lot more abuse than paperbacks. It's more expensive to make a hardcover book (which explains the difference in price). I agree with you though -- a paperback is much more comfortable to read (I always bend the spine, dogear pages, etc. as well. This is why I tend to not borrow books from folks who like to keep them pristine. Just the way I hold a book does some damage.)   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   65.  Re: My Back Pages   by blisspix       at Sun 27 Oct 5:57pm score of 1.5 informative   in reply to comment 38     For some reason, libraries always seem to carry mostly hardbacks. Why is that? 1. Hardbacks are marketed to libraries exclusively in many cases. All the catalogues I get focus on hardback, eg Oxford, Yale, Harvard catalogues. 2. Over time, repair costs are lower due to durability of boards, strength of stitching etc. Often better paper is used in hardbacks as well. 3. It can be easier to security tag a hardback. 4. When a paperback has lost all its glue, it can be very hard to repair in house. Most book preservation classes still focus on hardbacks because they can be repaired in house. There's a hell of a lot of eyelet hooks, thread, special glue, etc available in standard library catalogues.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

30.  Paper or Plastic?   by chancaca       at Sat 26 Oct 8:41pm score of 1.5 interesting     Maybe sliiiiightly off topic, but I find an interesting parallel between disowning one's books and music CDs. For me, doing either produces equal measures of sadness, for I am parting with a part of myself in each case. But it makes MUCH MORE SENSE (ain't I rational....) to relinquish books than CDs, for the simple fact that one tends to re-listen to one's music much, much more often than one re-reads a book. And this makes selling off an old Zappa CD a greater gamble than that old copy of Slaughterhouse Five. Or maybe I just enjoy music more than books. Killing Confusion by Eliminating Options   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

33.  Tecno-Solution   by squeaktoy2000       at Sat 26 Oct 8:53pm score of 1     Scan, OCR, index, burn to CD & donate paper copy. Your storage burden is YOU paying the cost of publishers' piracy defense. -Despite it all, I'll pity them the day they realize.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

34.  Once a year...   by Billbill       at Sat 26 Oct 9:37pm score of 1     I have to root out a few books and give them a new home. My libraries get first choice, of course. They are a little picky (they have shelve space issues as well), but they also have book sales on occasion. Goodwill and hospitals will take some, but they prefer popular, light novels. I've tried Amazon used selling for some tech books, but it's a bit of a pain. You could just set the book free.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

35.  Books as "found objects"   by Symmetry       at Sat 26 Oct 9:58pm score of 2 funny     The solution, of course, is to decorate with books. Think how easily a box of books in front of your favorite easy chair becomes a foot-stool; put a cushion on top, and viola'! Easy comfort! For a more artistic effect, drape something elegant - looking over it - like a favorite towel. Cats love this too. Pile book-boxes singly or in balanced groupings throughout your house, cover with cushions or towels, and sprinkle liberally with catnip. Your kids can even paint pictures on the sides.       Books in the bedroom can easily be converted to bedside tables with the simple addition of a board or heavy piece of carboard topping a pile of your favorite books. (Be sure to pile the books levelly.) Add your bedside lamp and alarm clock and forget about sorting those books for another month or two.Two good-size boxes stacked vertically can always double as a gentleman's "valet". Also, under-the -bed books, tightly packed, serve to prevent dust-bunnies, and make cleaning even more irrelevant than usual.       Books in the bath: books left on the bathroom floor may become damp and damaged. Fortunately most storage units designed for bathrooms work very well for books, and towels can always be kept somewhere else. Baskets work well for both.       Books can serve as deterrents to many forms of undesirable behavior; books piled liberally on the ironing board, for example, can eliminate hours of wasted time, as can books placed strategically close to answering machines, exercise machines, and unpaid bills.       I actually have some ideas for a special line of furniture for the book-afflicted: an entire living room set in which the seats are all designed with built-in shelves underneath. This concept could, of course be extended to buffets, end-tables, speaker stands, and grand pianos. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a carpenter, so my ideas remain untested.       But, get rid of a book? Wouldn't that be making a statement which promotes a false set of values? "He had but one eye, and the popular prejudice runs in favor of two" - Charles Dickens   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

41.  Re: Books as "found objects"   by tomc       at Sat 26 Oct 11:54pm score of 1.5 funny   in reply to comment 35     Books can also be used as placemats. And short thick paperbacks can be rested upright on their spines and used to file letters and bills. fruity pebbles No Pussyfooting   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

36.  Over My Dead Body -- My Books, My Life   by VocisInritare       at Sat 26 Oct 10:00pm score of 3 compelling     During the textbook buyback week at the end of every college semester, I remember practically foaming at the mouth with greedy glee, my entire upper body bent and lost inside a huge barrel of books, as I tornadoed through the heaps of discarded volumes headed for recycling. These sad, lonely books were the ones that the university bookstore had refused and pissy students had tossed. And they were free for the scavenge. FREE!! That memory pretty much sums up my attitude toward accumulating books: Take what you can, when you can, and if they're free (or cheap), rent a truck. Unfortunately, I live in a miniscule studio and don't see much of a space upgrade in my immediate future, but I won't be reducing my stock. Like many others who've posted, my books are as much of a staple in my space as a bed. I hoard them and don't think I've ever gotten rid of one that wasn't a statistics textbook. Sure, there are those I'll probably never read again, those that didn't move me in any even quasi-profound way. But every time I think about downsizing, I think of my mom's great collection, how it tells her story. She never gets rid of any of them. I've spent hours poring over her books, ones she read in college, in childhood, or when I was growing up, thumbing over the pages with maybe her maiden name and an old address written on the inside of the cover. It always fascinates me to see what and when she read, and there've been countless conversations about her college life, her classes, her learning, and who knows what that have arisen from simply browsing those shelves. I even had the absolute pleasure of finding an old love letter in one of them, holding it up, asking what it was, and seeing her snatch it away and run into her room with it, giggling. It's no different for me when I go to any person's home -- the bookshelves are almost always the most telling conversation piece. Has anyone had the experience of picking up a book from someone's shelves and the person not wanting to tell their story of reading (or buying) it? There's a tremendous connection when bonding over a book, and if I get rid of a book, there's one more story of mine gone with it, however trivial the story might be. I look at my collection, and I think about how much it will say about me in 20 or 30 years, about where my head was when I was living in some cramped, dank, one-room apartment in grad school, finding myself. I want to remember, and I know I'll want to share it with my kids, if I have any. If something has to go, it's going to have to be the bed. ....stand absolved behind your electric chair, dancing.... -- Jeff Buckley   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

43.  Bookaholic   by onnel       at Sun 27 Oct 12:16am score of 2.5 compelling     I'm firmly in the *never throw a book away camp* (as is, happily my wife). We also fall in to the book as decorations, as every wall of our living room that isn't covered with windows is instead covered with books (when we moved to Germany from California, over half of what we moved was books...expensive, but I could never leave them behind). I certainly haven't read all of them and I probably never will, but one of my main imperatives is something I haven't seen anyone else mention: I want my library for my (not yet born) children. When I was growing up, my parents had (and still have) every wal lined with books. They would never throw away a book. There was everything from the classics to trash, automotive repair guides to reference material, modern art guides to comic books. As my brother and I were growing up, those books were our best friends. you could pick a book out of the shelf and you never knew quite what you would find. Not all of it made sense to me as a young child, but it was all magical. I want to recreate this for my children. sure, the public library will always have a bigger collection, but there's something to be said for having a private collection, especially when you know that you can go in at 2 AM and find a new book you've never read, or on a sunday morning when the kids are awake and you're still sleeping. I consider books probably the greatest treasure that I own, and my children will be the inheritors. Onnel -- I'm not a thief. I'm a peeping tom.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

47.  Laundry lending library   by smackspice       at Sun 27 Oct 7:10am score of 1.5 novel     I'm not reading so much now as I once did, so I don't go to the library as often. Luckily, my building has a lending library in the laundry room, with people leaving their unwanted books there instead of putting them in the recycling bin. There's quite the turnover, and it's fascinating to see what people are getting rid of. So far I've found a John Le Carré (Single & Single), a great book by the guy who wrote The Colour of Money (Queen's Gambit), and a history of the Hope diamond. Oh, right, back to the question at hand. It takes me forever to actually get rid of a book (thirteen years after graduation, I still had all my linguistic textbooks), but when I did, it was second-hand stores first, then Goodwill for what couldn't be sold (said linguistic textbooks, for example). From here on, it'll be the laundry room first. But throw a book out? Never! You can't be a non-conformist if you don't drink coffee. - Trey Parker   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

51.  'puter books   by oysterboysal       at Sun 27 Oct 8:50am score of 1 intriguing     Anyone need a copy of Sun Java JDK 1.1.8 programmer's reference? First Edition "Learning Perl" written for perl 4? MS-DOS 5.0 Power User's guide? Word Perfect/Mac 2.0?   I have tons of old computer books, many for systems that haven't been in use for a decade or longer. I used to have a web page listing all those old books; with an offer to give them away free to some poor geek forced to maintain/upgrade some God-forsaken SCO Xenix project that time forgot. After a year an a half, I didn't get a single email about it. Yes, the web is big any my page is small, but it was listed on google.   As much as I respect bookcrossing, what I'd really like to see is a web site where people can list old tech books that they would be willing to part with for the cost of shipping and handling. There has to be someone, somewhere that needs a JDK 1.1.8 book.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

55.  From The Front Lines   by uncarved block       at Sun 27 Oct 9:13am score of 1     This subject hits me directly, as I work at Bookmans*, a small chain of used bookstores; actually, the name is misleading, as we sell everything from books (obviously) to CDs, tapes, DVDs, even plates, toys, and knick knacks of all shapes. Almost everything (97%+) comes from trading with people who just show up and offer us their things, books mostly. The volume is large, to say the least: for books alone, we staff three people a day, 7 days a week, thirteen hours a day, just for trade (and the others stock), and they're usually busy all day long.       One thing I've learned over the year is that the book saving attitude expressed here is exceptional. There are lots of folks out there who have no qualms at all about throwing books away-- in fact, sometimes it's work to have them take their books back, once informed that all we can do is throw them away. (Hell, folks even give us movies to throw out, which is quite shocking to someone who remembers beta, and considers the technology still recent).       Several Polymers have already commented on the low cash offers for books. Well, it's all about supply and demand: we take in two to three thousand books a day, and easily reject three times that much. You don't have to be Adam Smith to realize how much leverage a store has over any customer-- especially once you factor in charities and library sales. The next time you bring books to the corner bookstore, remember that you may well be the 50th person that day to do so . . .       Well, I could ramble on all day, but I just wanted to get folks thinking about the book biz from the other side of the cash register. The profit per unit isn't very high, I can tell you.       *There was a website, but I'm not sure it's still up, and it was non-interactive anyway (and not very interesting, either). Eschew Obfuscation Assiduously   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

56.  Don't forget EBAY...   by chiaroscuro       at Sun 27 Oct 9:30am score of 1     I agree with a lot of the previous posts, i.e. used bookstores, libraries, etc. I used to live near a great bookstore in Berkeley CA (Moe's Books), that actually gave a pretty good deal on buying books - especially if you took it in credit. I also lived in a large complex, where folks would put unwanted stuff (including books) in a small room where the mailboxes were. The stuff would vanish quickly. When I moved to Europe, I had to get rid of a lot of books because they were just too heavy to ship. I had some odd-ball stuff, and those I put up for sale on EBAY. I sold them all, and for a good price. Examples: an old Tom Swift book, an Arabic-english dictionary, an old catalog from the '40's for oilwell equipment, Dali's cookbook, ect. There are people on EBAY who collect almost anything you can think of, and are willing to pay for it. If you have unusual books, give it a try. You can search for similar items to see if there's a demand. I found there's a whole cult following of the Tom Swift stuff, and by reading previous sales, I saw what was prized, and what was not, and learned how to describe it properly.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

57.  obsessive passivity   by stephen dedalus       at Sun 27 Oct 10:12am score of 1     While I love to read books, I can manage to complete barely one a week. (Though I may start or browse several.) Unfortunately, at my local transfer station, I gather an average of five or so "must haves" a week - this in addition to Amazon buys etc. Though some return to the dump after a quick taste, many are stashed among their kin that they might be close at hand should a reference in some other book or media or conversation incite a desire for it. The problem here at my home is, like UMass Amherst's original library, the architect did not include books in the structural plans. The walls beneath my stacks have developed cracks and one door no longer closes. I have weeded so many times that I can't count, but each effort becomes an excercise of sorting, not weeding. This topic has provided me with inspiration to attack the shelves yet again, but I will likely lose the typical insignificant number of books. From the outset, my purpose will be to clean them, read first lines and let my legs sleep beneath me as I sort. how dreary-to be somebody!/how public-like a frog-/to tell one's name-the livelong june-/to an admiring bog!   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

60.  literary identity: "i am a reader"   by Bintang       at Sun 27 Oct 12:13pm score of 1     It's time to be a little honest with myself: I keep all of my books and find them to be sacred, etc etc. I freaking love them, tis true. However, there is something more going on here. Whenever someone visits my apartment, there stand my towering bookshelves, stuffed to the gills with Derrida, Don DeLillo and Descartes -- a testament to the fact that I am a reader. A thinker. It's like some loaded literary status symbol. Most of my friends read; I have a difficult time imagining existence without these books that so stimulate the life of the mind. I probably spend more time with my books than with said friends. When you first visit someone's living space and you see a collection that rivals yours, it says something about them. I should visit my library more often -- my buddies up in Oregon recently sold all of their books that their local library branch currently holds. (And so a brief glance at their bookshelves would not betray their passion for literature, though the stack of library books on their nightstands and coffee table do tell.) I guess I'm a little selfish (I love to write in a book's margins, to read in the bathtub, etc). I want all the privileges of book ownership.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

62.  faulty today-is-the-only-thing-that-matters logic   by mrradon       at Sun 27 Oct 1:16pm score of 1     I find it sad that libraries and the administrations that run them have such bad attitudes toward old books, and are eager to get rid of them. The same thinking it what makes a corporation like Blockbuster such an embarrassment; if the video hasn't been rented for some time, they feel the need to sell it to make room on their shelves for more copies of single current titles. Just because a video hasn't been rented for, say, two years, doesn't mean that it won't one day be rented again. Instead of building more shelves to house videos that aren't currently trendy, the shelf space remains the same, and anything not immensely popular gets the boot. I know comparing a library to Blockbuster isn't exactly the same thing, but it adds up to a reprehensible modern mentality that if it isn't new, it isn't worth anything. I have a hard time understanding a notion that physical space is so limited, that older things just absolutely have to be gotten rid of. I mean, look at all the open, unused space in Iowa! If a library or video store decides that something is, according to their own faulty logic, no longer of value to anyone else, they should just ship it all to one mammoth depository. Or, they should send the items to thrift stores or used book/video/record stores, where the items can one day find new homes. The trash however is the worst place to put a book just because one person or group of persons thinks that it can't possibly be desired by anyone else.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

69.  Re: faulty today-is-the-only-thing-that-matters   by stevetherobot       at Mon 28 Oct 1:32am score of 1   in reply to comment 62     I find it sad that libraries and the administrations that run them have such bad attitudes toward old books, and are eager to get rid of them. Most libraries and librarians don't have bad attitudes toward old books and are not eager to get rid of them. It is often quite difficult to get a librarian to get rid of any book. Most librarians are book lovers who feel like most of the posters on this thread. I have a hard time understanding a notion that physical space is so limited You have obviously never worked in a library. For most libraries the only thing that is in shorter supply than space is money. With limited funds it is difficult to buy new books, much less build more space to house that 1955 copy of "Jello Cookery" that was checked out once in 1956. If a library or video store decides that something is, according to their own faulty logic, no longer of value to anyone else, they should just ship it all to one mammoth depository. And who is going to pay to build this mammoth depository? Who is going to pay to organize it? All these things cost money.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   89.  Re: faulty today-is-the-only-thing-that-matters   by maml       at Tue 29 Oct 2:56pm score of 1   in reply to comment 69     Hey, are you in Local Processing too? Harvard University, with it's endless money fountain, has constructed a fantastic book depository: temperature and humidity controlled, high density storage, 24 turnaround on requests from remote locations, plenty of space to expand. I work for MIT, we rent space from them, so I can often convince my librarians to ship it to HD (Harvard Depository). They don't want to, but it's easier than just giving it to Gifts to be sold (or if unsellable, recycled). But most libraries do not have the funding of MIT or Harvard, and MIT is looking at a budget crunch soon if the economy doesn't perk up or the government doesn't start pumping out more research grants. I've blocked AI. I'm happier now.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

63.  The plastic method   by fluff       at Sun 27 Oct 1:38pm score of 1     Plastic's comment filters are fab. The plain truth is that not everything everybody has to say is worth listening to---even if a publisher once put them into print. We have an abiding optimism that an author's work has lasting value, but the book business (like any other) produces a lot of crap with a short shelf-life. This has been true for centuries. I'm ignoring the play value of books or the fashion statement owning lots of books entails. They do feel good. But as for content, I think it's incongruous that we filter information from all other media as a matter of course, but for books we so often cling to any piece of crap that comes our way. Libraries are repositories, and should filter as little as possible; the rest of us should keep our book collection in line with the rest of our media, with a filter level set not at zero but at a reasonable level.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

67.  what i do with my "old" books   by neitzert       at Sun 27 Oct 7:13pm score of 1     I'm an avid collector of odd, rare, and other books, although first editions are my bread-n-butter, I've found the most effective way to pass along old books is to pass them to a friend with the instruction 'when you are done, pass it along to another friend' Sometimes i write my name in the cover, and although i've found my name in local used bookshops, I know that they've have a good read by a few people. All Your IMAP are belong to US   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

68.  can't throw'em out.   by mudfoot       at Mon 28 Oct 12:08am score of 1     i've only thrown one book away in my entire life. it was a crap-u-mentary about communist china. it was the worst book ever written. aside from that i sell or give away all the books i don't want anymore. aside from goodwill and libraries, v.a. hospitals will always accept donations.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

75.  Surplus books   by Dop       at Mon 28 Oct 7:44am score of 1     There's a saying among science-fiction fans. "The one who dies with the most books wins." As for myself, I have limited shelf-space without putting up far more shelves than I actually want, so every now and again I'll have a book cull - weed out those books I bought some years ago, read once, and don't have any particular desire to read again. If none of my friends are interested in them, I'll give them to a charity shop. That way, someone else may happen along one or more of these books and offer them a new home, and it raises some money for a charity. Don't dump them, definitely don't burn them, just try to pass them on. I don't know exactly how many books I own, some people would call it 'an awful lot', whereas I know some people with several times as many (We're back to the one who dies with the most books, again). but I have read every one, and most I have read several times over and will read again in the future.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

80.  the deluge   by graywyvern       at Mon 28 Oct 12:49pm score of 1     i too am an avid hoarder of books. (i work at a used bookstore, which has been less help than you might think...) i think of our system as a way of finding homes for unwanted pets, rather than the simple extrapolation of the capitalistic "food chain" it is in actuality. but there are permament & impermanent members of my library. being quite familiar with the transition in book manufacture from durable to ephemeral paper (say, 1860-1880, though acid-free books are still being printed, in micro-quantities), it saddens me to realize that most of even my favorite volumes will become barely legible & falling-apart to handle, within 75 to 100 years of their printing. in truth, the real life of books for the foreseeable future will be, not so much their reprinting (since the big publishers are abbreviating their "back-lists" almost daily), as their incorporation into the electronic noosphere we call the Internet. by the middle of the next century, what 18c. & early 19c. books remain will be cherished rarities: & not one book from that logorrheic age, the 20c. glut-storm of publishing, will be left unless somebody typed it into a textlife & uploaded it. so cherish your collections while you can; spread the word about those that're worth rereading--& plant a tree, & unput a whole book, AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

88.  Ah, the printed word...   by slavdude       at Tue 29 Oct 1:09pm score of 1     As the proud(?) owner of around 3000 books including my wife's, I find it hard to give away books or even to lend them out. I'd rather keep all the crap (cheesy Soviet-era propaganda--American and Soviet, studies of politics etc. that were outdated the moment they hit the printing press, and so on) than give it away, even though I know I'll probably never even read them. If I find a book somewhere that I've been looking for for years, no matter how beat up it is, I'll buy it. When I lived in Cambridge, Mass., I used to go to my grad school library's monthly book sale. Over the years I acquired quite a few gems as well as lumps of coal. I figure that no matter how worthless the material is now, it may have some use in the future to show either a) how stupid the author was to write it or b) how stupid I was to buy it. In any case, I have some nice, interesting books, including first editions of Karl Mannheim's Ideology and Utopia and some really funky nineteenth-century tomes. "The best reason for buying a book is that it gives you an excuse not to read it."--Arnaldo Momigliano Tomorrow I will be sober, but you will still be ugly.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]