Books: To Keep Or Not To Keep...

Eliot Rosewater

...that is the cliché!

I found an interesting article on a NY Times blog entitled Books You Can Live Without.

The blogger contacted 6 authors to get their opinion on whether to keep books after you've read them, or give them away/sell them on. One of the authors described the building up of a personal library self-indulgent; another said the practice was useless unless one planned to re-read all the books again.

What do ye do with your finished books?

lemon_sherbert

I only give away books I disliked or pulp which I know I will never read again. Which results in all my bookshelves being packed, under my bed filled and piles of books all over the place. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

I love picking up books and rereading favourite passages, or whole books when I'm feeling lazy. I also love sharing books with friends and would hate to think of giving away books I liked. I'd rather get rid of furniture!

Flash86

A book lying idle on a shelf is wasted ammunition. Like money, books must be kept in constant circulation. Lend and borrow to the maximum.
- Henry Miller

Pretty much sums up my views on it.

Chinafoot

I have a rather large, rather ecclectic collection of books. I hate the idea of binning or pulping a book unless I hated it.

Lots of local libraries are involved in Book Crossing. Basically you register a book and then leave it somewhere with a note inside asking the new owner to visit the website and register the book's new location. Its good fun when people take the time to use the site and its also nice to know that someone else might read the book you've "set free"

I know our local library service is accepting donations at the moment and the books we don't need/have space for will go into the Book Crossing system. So you can happily pass on the books you don't want to keep and maybe pick up some free ones at the same time.

Denerick

I have an eclectic collection of books an am loath to give any away that I might even kind of like. For example, I'd never give away a history book (Except if it was utter tosh) because its nice to have a superior version of wikipedia sitting in your bedroom Most fiction I hang on to as well, except the more generic typeset authors such as John Grisham or Jeffrey Archer, authors who are decent but appeal to a certain mood in me, and very clearly authors I wouldn't bother re-reading.

I also lend fiction to people all of the time, but expect to get them back. I'm a hoarder but I like the idea of my books being re-read somewhere.

Vim Fuego

I just like the idea of having a mini-library at home I will eventually want to read the books my girlfriend has finished and vice-versa. I have stopped buying new books until the backlog gets cleared though, at least.

tHE vAGGABOND

I have loads of books at home - but if I dont really like the book I always give it to a local charity shop

Hrududu

I've never thrown a book away, but my shelves are getting overrun at the moment. I'm planning on pruning my books in the near future. Those I didn't like, can't see myself re-reading or can't see myself lending to people are going to go to a charity shop.

I'm hoping it will clear a nice bit of space.

Eoin

I read many of my books several times, so find it hard to throw them out. I have an eReader now, so that's not as much a problem any more (I really didn't have the space for all my books).

That said, if I know I won't read a book again - e.g. mediocre books bought in the airport just to pass the time - I don't have any problems getting rid of it.

kerash

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

What do ye do with your finished books?

Bring them back to the lie-berry :P

But seriously if I own the book and like it or it has some personal significance I keep it. I would lend it out to people but I like to hang onto them.

smallerthanyou

I generally hold on to ones I like for about 2 years. Then when doing a spring clean if i haven't read it in the two years it goes to friends/charity shops. Always pick up books in charity shops so keeps them in circulation.

Travel is good

I donate them to charity shops. I might check out the Book Crossing website. I like the whole idea of other people getting the opportunity to read my books.

I couldn't keep them, I have too many! I'm trying not to buy books at the moment, until I read some of the ones I have. Though it's hard!

DazMarz

I always keep the books I read, cos I usually re-read most of them. I have a huge collection of books at my house. I love them all and cant imagine giving them away/throwing them out. Sometimes, books I feel I've outgrown, I'll give to schools or something, but most books I've bought lately, I keep and re-read.

legallybrunette

I'm a terrible hoarder of books, I even find it hard to give away books that I didn't like. I'd have no problem lending them to friends though, I love the idea of a book being read and enjoyed by many people!
I am running out of space now though, so I'll have to force myself to give some of them away!

Tiddlers

Every few years I tend to do a clear out.Generally,I like to hold on to books unless I really disliked something or feel I have no future purpose for it.I love to underline interesting passages or lines.I rarely give away a reference book or most things non-fiction as you never know when something like that might come in handy.Same with college books.I must have spent a small fortune on college books I used once but I feel they will always have a value or use to me.

irish_goat

Unless I expect that I'll want to read them again I put them up on Book Mooch and get another book in return. http://bookmooch.com

BossArky

My recent move to Oz was tough - I had to cut down my book collection. I planned to hold on to the decent ones... then in the end got rid of some good and bad ones.

I guess I can always get the ones I that stick in my mind somewhere cheap like ebay. I love the feeling of a tattered book that has been around the block.

zesman

At the moment my bookshelves are bulging. I usually give books away to friends or charity shops. I have a tendency to hold onto all my books even those I don't really like. My thinking is that perhaps I'll re-read the book and get it second time round.

raah!

I keep most of my books, unless I really didn't like them. I have also started a kind of library, which is mostly to look at, but I do often take books out and read parts of them again. I had an idea once of not buying any new books and just continually re-reading what I already have. Anyway, I think the main reason I keep books is that I tend to develope a kind of romantic love towards the books themselves. Seeing them on the shelf reminds me of sitting on the roof reading war and peace, or carefully putting 'the idiot' down each night and going "qwauaaah".

I don't consider the term "self indulgent" to be any sort of valid criticism. "Tending to indulge in one's own desires" really this is a pointlessly obvious statement. And if you take it to mean "excessively indulging in one's own desires", then keeping books hardly qualifies.

Alot of books I would not keep if not for the unsightly shelf-gaps that would be created were I to discard them. If family members didn't raid my shelves so frequently I'm sure I would be able to afford to throw them away.