Books (was RE: Downtown and Midtown Re: [OT] Hotel suggestions for downtownLondon)

[IvorW]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Costello [mailto:cos at indeterminate.net]
> Sent: 04 May 2007 19:49
> To: London.pm Perl M[ou]ngers
> Subject: Re: Downtown and Midtown Re: [OT] Hotel suggestions for
> downtownLondon
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, 4 May 2007, Nicholas Clark wrote:
> > On Tue, May 01, 2007 at 02:07:43PM +0000, Caroline Yates wrote:
> > > Any advice on how I can explain to someone that books 
> should live in
> > > bookcases, preferably in every room of the house, not in "storage,
> > > because you've already read them" ?
> > 
> > I'm confused. That position isn't logical. Why spend money 
> storing them,
> > if that someone isn't going to read them again. Why not sell them?
> > 
> > [or is that a dangerous idea that should not be suggested 
> to the someone]
> 
> The idea is very dangerous.  It suggests that books should be 
> read only
> once, and not read or referred to again.  While it might be 
> appropriate to
> 'weed' books that have fallen out of favor, why would you get 
> rid of books
> that you like (barring extreme financial difficulties)?
> 

I disagree. Why cling on to the physical deadtreeware manifestations of others' experiences and stories?

While I have the physical room, I am storing books that I want to get rid of, and in many cases, can't sell. I can understand others selling off or ditching their books because they have to move house, or don't have the space.

Don't get me wrong, I love books! I have a large TBR (to be read) shelf, and I have over 300 books I want to get rid of, see http://bookmooch.com/inventory/ivorw

Many of these are a legacy of a contract at Penguin in the early 1990s, where they offered pulp copy remainders to staff, to a maximum of 2 per day! Since joining BookMooch, I've shifted my attitude, adding many books that I'm never going to read. Then adding books that I want to pass on to others to read.

I'm in the position where I can obtain any book that I want, including those I have already read. So, I don't need to cling on to the books I have read once.

Ivor.