I find it hard to throw _anything_ away, let alone books. But like you, I'm format-shifting to ebook, to make space and be more mobile. I find bookmooch helps me let go of books, knowing that someone will appreciate them. I want to keep books to lend and share, but like redbraids says, common books that libraries and many friends will have can be dispensed with.
Pertinent question, as I am just packing books to move them and I'm questioning my motivation to keep a lot of them - some I have hoiked through three house moves now without ever re-reading them. I plan to do a harsh cull. I think the reason I have been keeping what are basically non-functioning ornaments is a sense of wanting to be the type of person who has lots of books. Which is a narcissistic, pointless exercise. I think I'll keep the absolute favourites plus the sentimental childhood ones, the rest can go.
I've just never got into ebooks. They hurt my eyes, and I like the smell of books (but not the dust).
I guess you could pick the literate-ness of the person by either the wear evident on the books that they have, or the books that they have on display... but I still think literate households have a fair few more books than those that aren't peopled with readers.
My sister doesn't read a lot. She has a single bookshelf in her house - it's about a metre wide max, and half the height of the wall. A lot of that is filled with ornaments. About a quarter of the books are popular cookbooks, and there's a few table books (large format art books), and maybe a shelf or two at most of actual reading books - and most of those are young adult or super-pulpy pulp fiction. You can tell at a glance she's not a reader. Compare and contrast with you guys, all talking about culling entire bookshelves!
Even if I only kept the favourites, I'd still have at least a full shelf of full-length novels.
Foley and Van DamjohnfredceeSeptember 12 2011, 22:20:12 UTC
Amazed your copy is mint: most I met were well thumbed, with the odd coffee stain for good measure. I suppose rasterisation algorithms aren't terribly relevant any more..
Re: Foley and Van DamshrydarSeptember 13 2011, 03:03:59 UTC
I take very good care of my books :)
But yes, between knowing the fundamentals well and the industry having moved on in various other areas I've not had much cause to consult it for quite some time.
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I plan to do a harsh cull. I think the reason I have been keeping what are basically non-functioning ornaments is a sense of wanting to be the type of person who has lots of books. Which is a narcissistic, pointless exercise. I think I'll keep the absolute favourites plus the sentimental childhood ones, the rest can go.
Reply
I guess you could pick the literate-ness of the person by either the wear evident on the books that they have, or the books that they have on display... but I still think literate households have a fair few more books than those that aren't peopled with readers.
My sister doesn't read a lot. She has a single bookshelf in her house - it's about a metre wide max, and half the height of the wall. A lot of that is filled with ornaments. About a quarter of the books are popular cookbooks, and there's a few table books (large format art books), and maybe a shelf or two at most of actual reading books - and most of those are young adult or super-pulpy pulp fiction. You can tell at a glance she's not a reader. Compare and contrast with you guys, all talking about culling entire bookshelves!
Even if I only kept the favourites, I'd still have at least a full shelf of full-length novels.
Reply
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But yes, between knowing the fundamentals well and the industry having moved on in various other areas I've not had much cause to consult it for quite some time.
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