I thought this was interesting, and I realised we don't really have a thread about the collecting of books for their own sake. I have multiple copies on Lord of the Rings that I have never, and probably will never read, simply because I enjoy owning and looking at them.
"Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity." – A. Edward Newton, author, publisher, and collector of 10,000 books.
So true! I wonder if that is part of the magic and allure of libraries, even just private home libraries - just all those books together. Or perhaps we might like the appearance that having a lot of books gives about who we are.
I am likewise guilty? of buying certain books in used shops for the beauty or nostalgia of their covers as much as for their contents. And I certainly have more books than I feel I could reasonably read at the moment (but if I get on it, I'm sure I could make a sizable dent) I still have dreams of renovating the hallway that runs beside the stairs in my house and turning it into a miniature library with an under-stair reading nook.
The dumbest thing I've ever bought
was a 2020 planner.
"Does anyone ever think about Denethor, the guy driven to madness by staying up late into the night alone in the dark staring at a flickering device he believed revealed unvarnished truth about the outside word, but which in fact showed mostly manipulated media created by a hostile power committed to portraying nothing but bad news framed in the worst possible way in order to sap hope, courage, and the will to go on? Seems like he's someone we should think about." - Dave_LF
I'm not one to collect different editions of the same book, this is one that I might have to look into (and yes, it should probably go in the Shibboleth forum, but it seemed so appropriate for this thread).
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
I just learned that I can order books online and pick them up at my local independent store. This is a real game changer!
I love browsing, too. I met my husband at a book market, and our date nights often wind up at a bookstore. Last time, he picked up Yiddish folktales and the guy at the checkout recommended Gaiman's book on Norse mythology, which we also got.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.
For weeks, copies of books written by the presenting authors at the now canceled Tucson Festival of Books have been arriving in town, waiting to be discovered by readers and find new homes on book lovers' shelves.
We now know that there won't be a festival this year, as many authors decided not to risk travel to Tucson amid coronavirus concerns. But since there are still plenty of books at the University of Arizona BookStores, 1209 E. University Blvd., the book store is selling them at a 25 percent discount in person or online, from Wednesday until Sunday.
