"Is a gentleman’s library of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves anything more than a vanity?" -- Billy Collins, former Poet Laureate of the U.S.
Well, um. This article at the NY Times blogs has a few philosophies of weeding through books, and one holdout who refuses to get rid of any (Joshua Ferris, whose latest, The Unnamed, is on my to-read shelf), but vanity? Books I've read work as mnemonics for me. Not sure I'd remember them as well if I didn't keep them. The co-owner of The Strand in New York says honestly that it's a matter of how much space you have, and if you haven't got it, to send your books to him.
So do I need to get rid of some books or can I just get a bigger house? I have culled through books in the past before moves. It's never pleasant. I seldom miss what I toss, tho I have replaced a few discards.
And I do have a fantasy of a permanent residence with lots of storage space.
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2 comments:
Thanks for the article. I'm with Joshua Ferris: What?! Me get rid of books! Not on your life. Only when/if we move. Although I admit I box up a few every now and then to create a credit slip at our local used bookstore... so I can get MORE books!
I know - it's hard! I'm trying to get rid of a few that I really didn't like or won't read again. But it's pitifully few compared to the never-ending cascade of incoming.
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