Our house has a few thousand books stored in a variety of bookcases in virtually every room. But as I get older, the desire to keep every book that I enjoy has started to fade. I want to have access to books (through libraries or online) and I want to keep certain reference books or hard-to-find books or books that I have extensively underlined. But do I still need to keep my collection of 66 Agatha Christie mysteries scrounged from used book stores during a decade of searching? All those John Dickson Carrs/Carter Dicksons that I want to reread "when I get old" - do I need to keep the books themselves? I don't know. But I do love seeing people's libraries/bookshelves when I visit homes of neighbors and friends. They tell me a lot about what the people are like.
Via The Centered Librarian.
Addendum: Seabass suggests that those who like libraries and books should visit the Bookshelf Porn tumblr (SFW).
This made me think of a tumblr I came across recently
ReplyDeletehttp://bookshelfporn.com/
Despite the title, it's completely safe for work.
Excellent. Added to the post. Thanx, Seabass.
ReplyDeleteA home full of books is like a Temple to me. Reading old outdated novels or children books can reveal so much about past generations!
ReplyDeleteI once visited a friend in France who lived in an old manor. He had a huge and dusty family library containing every kind of publications from modern novels to classics, references, cartoons, newspaper, etc.
There were old newspapers going back as far as 1812 and reporting day to day events during the Napoleon Russian Campaign. I even found an old prayer book in latin dating a mere 50 years or so after the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg!
Truly awesome!
The internet is great, sure! But it will never replace the value of printed books.
The links are great - love the bookcases that are floor to ceiling and go over windows and doors.
ReplyDeleteI have 14 large boxes full of books in a friend's house due to shortness of space. I hate it - I feel like my home is sort of not a home right now - it's missing something.
Books just make a house a home.
I read somewhere on teh interwebs that houses have less insulation now because most houses don't have book cases.
ReplyDeleteApparently book cases helped insulate your house.