The Joys of Book Collecting
67My addiction
I have to come clean. I have an addiction. My addiction eats away at my meagre income constantly and I've been known to spend a week's salary at a time on it.
What, you may ask, am I addicted to? Is it drugs? Is it alcohol? Is it gambling?
My addiction, the addiction that costs me so much, is books. I love books. I have at least 5 separate book collections and another two or so collections in their infancy. I pick up books whenever I see them. I work at a place where publishers drop off uncorrected proofs and advanced reading copies and I usually take home 5 or 6 a week. I can also buy ex-library books for $1 at work. I buy at least 5 a month. I can also buy books on discount through work, the cost of which is automatically taken off my paycheque.
Before I invested in 4 bookcases my books were everywhere. They took over the linen closet, they took over my dining room table, they took over numerous canvas bags. I currently have 330 books in my Library Thing catalogue (one is currently missing and it is tearing me apart, it's as if one of my children is missing...if I had any children to miss).
The Lost Generation
My largest book collection is dedicated to the Lost Generation. I first became interested in them after reading the book Geniuses Together by Humphrey Carpenter. Currently the collection includes 20 books. I haven't added to it in a little while. I am not sure why I am so interested in the Lost Generation. I guess a community of like-minded writers appeals to me and is something I would like to be a part of.
I am more interested in the writers that don't get all the attention. The ones most people mention when discussing the Lost Generation are Hemingway, Fitzgerald and MacLeish. I am more interested in writers such as Djuna Barnes, Mina Loy, Kay Boyle and Robert McAlmon.
I also consider Sylvia Beach to be a part of that group. It was at her bookstore and lending library, Shakespeare and Company that people would meet and interact with one another. Her book about that time called Shakespeare and Company is one of the better books in my collection.
My collection also includes some of Gertrude Stein's works; it was she who coined the term Lost Generation to describe this generation of authors.
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Geniuses together: American writers in Paris in the 1920s By Humphrey Carpenter
Current Bid: $1.99
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1982 Djuna Barnes-"CREATURES IN AN ALPHABET"-POETRY-NR!!!!!!!!
Current Bid: $9.99
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Spillway by Djuna Barnes (1972, Book)
Current Bid: $7.99
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Paris travel books
I began collecting Paris travel books after a short trip to that great city. The collection began at another workplace. I worked at a University library and would get to have books that had been weeded from the collection. I had always liked Paris and enjoy reading about it.
My collection consists of Rough Guides, map books, a tour book from the Louvre, a Michelin guide and other guides. It has grown to include more general travel books on France.
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"Books are the carriers of civilization...They are companions, teachers, magicians, bankers of the treasures of the mind. Books are humanity in print."
Barbara W. Tuchman
Writing books
I have a large collection of books on the craft of writing and on grammar. It also includes biographies and autobiographies of writers. The collection began from various books that I had used while in college and various courses taken since. That includes The Elements of Style, Roget's Thesaurus and the Chicago Manual of Style. It also includes less "official" writing books such as Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury and Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss.
I enjoy reading books about writing not only to learn how to be a better writer but because it also feels like I am sharing something with a like-minded person. While all writers are different obviously, there is some sort of connection between all writers and would-be writers.
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Shakespeare and Kenneth Branagh
My favourite Shakespearean film-maker and actor is Kenneth Branagh. It was through my appreciation of his art that I began my next collection.
This collection features books about Kenneth Branagh, books about his films based on Shakespeare plays, editions of Shakespeare which he has adapted for film, Shakespeare books that he has written introductions for, and copies of many of Shakespeare's plays. This collection works its way into my DVD and VHS collection also; I have 3 of Branagh's films that are based on Shakespeare and one of his films about a group of people putting on Hamlet called A Midwinter's Tale.
The oldest book in this collection is from 1897 and features Shakespeare's comedies. I bought it at a used-book sale while I worked at the University library. Other books are from the early 1900s also.
This collection now includes a Shakespeare doll that a friend gave me for Christmas last year and a pack of trivia cards.
Robert F. Kennedy
I have quite a few books about Robert F. Kennedy. He is a personal hero of mine and I like reading about him and seeing rare photographs.
The first book that started my collection was Robert Kennedy: A Memoir by Jack Newfeld. It is the book that started off my obsession of having to read every book on RFK that I could find. It is well written and very personal. It's hard to find a new copy these days and the one I have is missing the front cover.
Since that book I have bought over 20 more. Most are biographies and one is a novel, When Bobby Kennedy was a Moving Man. It's a very enjoyable and definitely strange, humorous novel. Strangely, my collection does not include any books written by Kennedy himself. I have read them though. One day I will add them to my collection.
Various
I have some smaller collections. When I find an author I like I tend to want to read everything they have written. Some of the writers I obsess over are James Baldwin, Jane Austen, The Bronte sisters, William S. Burroughs, James Joyce and Albert Camus.
I also am starting to get quite a few "chick-lit" books and some young adult novels. And, like I mentioned before, many are uncorrected proofs and ex-library books. Those form a collection on their own but occasionally cross over into other collections.
"In the highest civilization the book is still the highest delight. He who has once known its satisfactions is provided with a resource against calamity"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Why are books sexy?
So, why do I find books sexy? I love books, as you can tell from the number of collections I have. I love the smell of a new book. I love cracking the spine on an unread book. I love the feel of a leather bound book or the look of an old book published in the 19th century and still readable. Of course, what is written inside adds to the attraction of the books. The knowledge of the world is at my fingertips. I have a diploma in Library Techniques and was a cataloguer for years. I work in a book wholesalers. I can honestly say that books are my life.
When I had my books in storage I found that I missed seeing them. Now that I have them on display in my living room, my dining room and my kitchen I feel so much better. My apartment feels more like a home when I can see, and touch, and even smell my books.
A lot of people share my love of books, that is why I think there will always be a place for the printed book. I enjoy audiobooks or a PDF book but nothing appeals to me more than a book printed on paper and totally portable.
William S. Burroughs
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 | Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $16.00 |
Albert Camus
 | Amazon Price: $12.23 List Price: $25.00 |
 | Amazon Price: $7.67 |
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I have a problem with going to the library and leaving without purchasing at least 10 of their no longer used books.
I share your addiction. I love to just be around them and look at them. So glad I am not alone. :)
I wonder if there is treatment for our addiction? But, who wants to be cured anyway?
Uninvited writer,
I too love to collect books. I specifically love old antiquarian books. They are my treasures, although I am not sure I would consider them sexy! lol
Susan, please don't ever find a cure! I must have close to 1,000 books myself. I wouldn't want to live without my books. They're packed in boxes at the moment, as I am living here temporarily, but I'm always breaking open a box and digging out an old favourite, or withdrawing a book on writing. I love seeing them on shelves, love hard covers especially.
You crack the spine?!? I can't, I just can't. It's kind of cool if I happen to buy a used book and it is already broken....then I can open it up far enought to read all the way to the centre. I'm not anal, I'm careful. I'm not obsessive, I'm focused.
Great hub, Susan.
By the way....great title :)
Wow Shirley. That is a lot of books. I probably would have as many if I hadn't made a couple of big moves in the past years and had to pare down my collection. My absolute favourites are ones I've trucked all around the country.
Admit it Doghouse. They are sexy :)
Thanks Shirley. I thought I'd jump in on the sexy experiment :)
As long as they don't have lurid book covers (or maybe if they do?) you can write all you want about SEXY books here at HubPages! Thumbs up. :-)
I am so glad I am not alone!
Uninvited writer...I swear...it works unfortunately. I added "sexy" to Could I have Your Attention please.... hub and it got 399 page views... course I'm sure it was my really great writing skills tho.
kinda sorta alright it was the word "sex."
but books are great friends...I'm workin' on one myself.
However, if you ever have to move...they are extremely heavy and can cause great marital strife over the packing and loading. I don't recommend them then.
Uninvited, loved this hub. Books are indeed sexy. I was given two seperate life-changing pieces of advice when I was first 17, and then 18. Thankfully, I was smart enough at the time to listen to, and follow, both. The advice I got when I was 18 was from a very dear life-long friend who was, at that time, a hippie/belly dancer, dancing at a club in North Hollywood called The Bengal Tiger. She advised me simply to read everything I could get my hands on. What a smart, smart woman, ay? I cannot thank her enough.
I'm currently reading (also listening to on audio book when I can get them) a series I've been wrapped up in for about 30 years. Terry Brooks' Shannara books. Of course, I've read others as well -the Harry Potter's, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, some Stephen King, Savage Sam, Treasure Island, etc, and always have a couple science magazines on hand, but it's the Shannara books which I very impatiently wait a whole year for. Like a kid with a new comic book - which, btw, I also loved.
I'm a bookaholic too and I agree nothing will ever replace the printed page. There is something about holding a book and turning the pages that is so comforting and it's so portable and convenient.... you don't have to boot it up and scroll down to read:-)
wow those really are a lot. i'm an addict too though rather than collecting, i prefer borrowing and reading them. i can't seem to find enough space at my home to keep them, what's more, it's not even my home. i'll be leaving it sooner or later. but i agree too. printed books appeal to me more than audio or pdf books. they have their own unique smell.
This is a wonderful collection of books. As a child, I would read encyclopedias (I know, pathetic, huh?) until my parents finally started buying me more advanced books to feed the passion. Maybe that is why you've decided to call this one "sexy books?"
Sexy books? LOL - I do like your description of your collection and many of your choices. My favorite quote about reading books: "We read to know we are not alone." It rings true so many times as I relate to characters or narrators of memoirs. At the same time, reading is a solitary activity, so we are, technically alone while reading. It is one of my life's greatest pleasures. Great hub.
You've opened up this secret club for the most addicting ~ books... I even can't pass up smelling them. My name is Summer and I am a book addict. :)
I am not alone! *cheers* Great to see that in this modern age there are still people who have a passion for sexy books. My own collection is blooming all over the house and it makes it feel like my home - 5 book cases have overflown onto the dining table, the floor in piles, you name it ... there are books everywhere. And as my other half knows ... when it comes to moving house, the books get packed lovingly first and unpacked first on the other side. I'm lucky that he shares my passion - to a lesser extent, but shares it just the same.
And Stephhicks68 - you're not the only one that read encyclopedias. I still have the entire set that I grew up reading - a gift from my parents when I moved into my first house.
Three cheers for bibliophiles everywhere. May the books we know and love always be available for hours of reading pleasure.
There is something about the smell of the pages, the feel of the paper in your hands, and the act of turning pages that is comforting. I don't think computers will ever replace that. It's also nice that you don't have to plug in a book or recharge its batteries.
Wow! do we have a lot in common!!! To see the words "Lost Generation" and "Kenneth Branaugh" together in one place just made my day, possibly my week! Perhaps even these last 6 months! If I'm really good, could you consider willing me those two collections? No, no, that won't work...we're the same age...maybe you could just have me up for the summers, and I'd have you down for the winter...but you'd have to bring the books. Since we moved to the desert, we've been in way too many homes, as we try to make new friends, where there are NO books at all! NONE. I didn't even realize such a thing was possible!!! Weird here. P.S. I (tongue in cheek as well) Put SEXY in my title, and didn't get anywhere near the number of hits that Marisue did...says a lot for her great reputation here at hubpages! Wonderful hub!
I'm thrilled that someone else likes Ken Branagh and the Lost Generation too :)
This is a torrid love affair that needed to be told m'aam. I'm still working on passing this love on to my kids!
books r my real frnz
Theres just something about books - maybe because they're comfortable to have around. I've always seemed to accumulate books to the point where I periodically have to cull them down to a few hundred or risk being buried.
It's unfortunate they seem to be falling more and more out of favor, at least with later generations. Hopefully they will retain enough popularity to not completely disappear in favor of electronic versions. I'd really miss not being able to wander around a bookstore from time to time.
I love books too, especially old books from “used bookstores. ” Where the stores had a tinge of mold and mustiness in the air, and dust on the stacks and stacks of books that sat on the floor and leaned on the floor-to-ceiling shelves. The warped and teetering shelves created rows and rows of rickety shelving that ultimately drew you into a cavern of knowledge. Of course the Fire Department was not pleased.....uh oh, but I loved these places!.
I used to love visiting used bookstores too. There used to be a lot in Toronto but most of them have disappeared. I think there is one in Kitchener...
I share your addiction, UW. I am also envious of your job and your privilege to buy books at half-price. Not everyone is happy with my addiction, of course. I will probably be the first case of a divorce granted on the grounds of rendering a house inhabitable by overrunning it with books. Two of my favorite writers are from your part of the world -- Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro. Do you ever see them?
We really should form a support group :)
Bernie, I don't personally see Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro but they pop up on tv from time to time. If I went to more author things I'm sure I'd see them.
I don't like the smell of new books but old books... you know ones that have been sitting around awhile and aging like wine, now that's a smell I never could get enough of!
I never liked the phrase "The Lost Generation" as that could describe the great dejected minds of any generation... but I digress. Old books and their wisdom are such treasures. I think one of the few perks of settling down into one home is just to have a ridiculously well stocked library/bookshelf set.
Hi Uninvited Writer, I really like your Hub. You're interested in Paris travel guides... that's one addiction I haven't seen before!
I used to be a book addict, but once I became a father two years ago, it kind of killed it, now a book can last me three months, and it used to take me a couple of days. oh well, someday, I hope to be sitting on beaches, and doin' some catchin' up.
This is your BEST HUB EVER (can you tell how I feel about books?). I had to hire a storage shed for my books, I have so many. Books are amazing inventions. They have lids you open and all kinds of fantastic stuff is in there. Books are better than refrigerators.
Thanks for hubbing about addiction to books. It brings me out of my solitude. Hope it's also therapeutic to you.
Great Hub - I had to leave hundreds of books behind when we moved over here. It broke my heart :(
Oh! This one made me *swoon*. I do just love books! I know just what you mean about them being an addiction! We have two bookshelves slam full of books and need at least two more!
When we were flat broke and living in NC, there was a local used book store that had a free section. Good grief... A book addict and free books? Yeah, nice one! Hehe
I thought I was the only one who loved to smell books! lol I love the smell of books that I've had for years, they get that slightly musty, yet still promising smell - hard to describe. Yes, books are very sexy! I'll need to get a new bookcase soon, and a bigger apartment...
I also go book shopping when I want to treat myself. I am scared of being in a public place without being armed with a book, lest I have to wait somewhere and end up wasting time better spent on reading. Earlier i used to be addicted to romance novels, (http://hubpages.com/hub/Whispering-Knights-and-the ) now I wonder how i lapped up all the drivel.
@liminal I love the smell of books and book stores too :)
Sorry I haven't been back to thank you all for your comments. I really do appreciate them all.
I am addicted to books...and like you end up spending all or most of my monthly income on books (I guess i can still afford to do that as my parents look after me LOL)
I read many of the books you listed on this hub...however, seeing the name 'Albert Camus' reminded me of this one book i read by him called 'the outsider'. It left me feeling ... well the feeling was 'stagnant'... i guess the feeling is not self explanatory :s
Great hub, it was very interesting. I also believe there will always be a place for the printed book. Thanks for sharing. Ocean
Another great place to buy up books is at general house auctions in the uk.
Have you ever read "the secret agent" by Conrad? It is set in a book store. A local book store near me rarely opened its doors and I always felt it must harbour some dark secret.I was disappointed to discover it simply operated as an online bookseller.
And I thought my addiction to books was bad. Keep an eye out for Rubaiyats - they are my personal favourite!
Books are one of my several addictions. I puchase ideally the hardback versions, as they just feel differently when reading. I love Danielle Steele, & have a collection of books from my grandmother dated 1900-1927, which I will be hubbing later this week, so be sure to look for them.
Since I wrote this I have gotten a Kindle. I'm now adding to my collections with ebooks. I have a novel about Hemingway and his wife Hadley called Paris Wife. I found an ebook of Robert Kennedy a Memoir.
I too collect books. I love textbooks and readers from all different areas of the country and the world. I have some great primers that were from the 1800's. My prized book right now is a french reader from 1890.
I love books, but outside of my poetry collection I really don't keep them. Now my little brother is a collector of vintage books. He has a room devoted to his collection. He is obsessed. Vintage books need lots of care. It is more than a hobby for him. Fun hub.. I need more sexy books. :)
We are perhaps the last generation to enjoy this pasttime. I love old books but seriously, being able to carry my entire library around with me on a Kindle makes them passe. Voting this Up and Interesting.
I sort of agree alocsin. However, believe it or not there are some books I can't find in ebook form. To Kill a Mockingbird and James Baldwin's novels are impossible to find as ebooks. But, then again I'm just checking through Amazon or iBooks, maybe they are out there somewhere.
I love books and I don't think the ebooks will ever take hold with me, even though they are super convenient. I've never been able to pass up a book sale and used book stores were my haunts, right up there with the library. Whenever I enter someone's home, I look for the books. You can't do that with ebooks. Anyway, I share your addiction and I'm not interested in a cure. Voted up.
I never thought of myself as a book collector, but when you look around my house at things that I have an abundance of, the books certainly qualify as a collection. I just picked them up here and there, mostly on sale. I do enjoy having them, and I will occasionally pick one up to read.
Oh my goodness! You and I are kindred souls! I also love books and my house is full of them too. You are better organized than I am, however.
I have read many of the books you mention above - The Lost Generation is also of interest to me, although, I have not read the not well known authors of that time. I will have to get to those. I also have read alot about the Kennedy's and the books you suggest.
I finally broke down and bought a Kindle this past Christmas. I love it and it does help defray the cost of the books and I don't have to find a physical place for them now. They are stored on my Kindle. I hope the physical books do not become obsolete, because I do believe the feel of the book and turning the pages, etc. is an important part of reading. But, I do love my Kindle and it goes everywhere with me and doesn't weigh a lot at all. It is convenient at the beach and the pool. The only down side is I'm no longer going to bookstores. I will have to drop in just to browse and windowshop now. Nice hub!
Bob Ewing 3 years ago
I am very fond of books, my gardening collection grows regularly, I can not walk by a book sale without buying something.