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Many libraries end up selling the books that are donated to them. They don't keep them.
This is true. I donated a handful of books I found I had extra copies of to a tiny library in a tiny town I found myself living in for about 18 months or so. Went back after a couple of months and found all of them on the "For Sale" rack. Was a little disappointed...could have just sold them myself and made a couple of shekels at least. Although I suppose, at the time, the library probably needed the funds more than I did, so whatever.
I'm in the camp that books (particularly old books) are the soul of a room. They contain memories and moods and connect us to our younger selves. Books with inscriptions especially tug at my heart, as do ones with faint pencil marks next to a beautiful passage, or a photograph tucked between the pages.
I have about 20 boxes of books waiting to take their place on bookshelves again when I finally move. I twice did a winnowing down and it felt almost like an amputation. They are back-breakingly heavy but feel like family members and I would be lost without them. I love the bindings and the paper and the typefaces. In some respects they are like external hard drives of my life because they contain so many ideas and descriptions and emotions. I can reach for a certain book and instantly be transported back in time.
Yes, please, keep as many of your books as you can manage. Books are comfort and inspiration.
This was beautifully said. You paid attention to good wordsmithing, I see!
I understand and relate to everything you say here. I have defended my decision to haul my books from place to place each time I moved, even though the sheer poundage was back-cracking, and the challenge to get them all up on shelves, and find wall space to host said shelves, was always a steep one. Decades ago my then husband and I traveled all over Europe, and I bought books as we went, stuffing them into a large duffel bag and hauling them to the next country. I should say that HE hauled them, having bigger muscles than me...and years later he told me that it took all his self control not to toss that duffel bag over the side of a ship, or out the window of a train. Eventually we simply shipped them back home, where they were waiting for us when we got back. I still have all those books to this day.
Most of the people I know (especially my now ex-husband, who is still speaking to me!) have simplified and streamlined their lives, and minimized their personal libraries down to a mere handful of books. I never understood how they could do that - I feel about books as you do, and always felt that losing them would be like losing a part of myself. But so many people have reported that they felt lighter, happier, less burdened once they divested themselves of "stuff" (books included), that I have to conclude that probably I would come to feel the same way if I ever had the courage to do it.
I realized that if it ever came to having to downsize drastically - like full time RV living, which I'm seriously considering - it would require exactly that kind of a purge. The one thing that stops me from moving forward with plans is the fear of grieving the loss of my books; not any other possession I have - just the books. This is making me realize that they probably have too tight a hold on my life, and that I have allowed myself to become not just attached, but addicted. And that's never a good thing, right? While it may feel like an amputation, as you say, in reality the part of me that has such an affinity with books is mental, not physical - and nothing can take away the memories, the pleasure, and the education that I have gotten from them. Kindle is a poor substitute, but it is there if needed. Libraries still exist. Amazon has whatever book I find myself craving on tap, at a moment's notice. Whatever books I have that aren't available in the public domain, or through Amazon, I will find a way to take with me. I'd be thrilled if I could get my collection down from its current 3000 or so to something that would fit in a small shelf inside a travel trailer.
Deadrock, I loved your description of duffeling all those books from country to country!
Not too many years ago, books were treasured and revered in a house's library. Somehow between then and now, and with influences like the Marie Kondo woman who urges people to discard almost everything, we're paring down our lives to nearly nothing, just dimly lit entries on discussion forums. This can't be good for civilization.
Books are tactile and dimensional and are lore passed from one generation to the next. I hold in my hand the same book as a woman in 1892 held in her hand, when her whole life was ahead of her. I am connected to history, to our collective hopes and dreams. For me, it's not the same reading it online. It floats away too quickly and the experience is less immersive.
To the original topic, I will lighten them slowly over time.
To me a room of beloved books has a great presence. Especially if they're properly organized and shelved (not crazy stacks) with equally atmospheric room decor.
Of the estimated 1,500 books I have, I could justify donating a couple of hundred if I could do so more easily. Libraries seem more resistant lately.
I still recall how infatuated I was with the grade school library I knew, with wooden shelves. I never, ever forgot that unique book/wooden shelf aroma. Plus the whole introduction to the world of books, even before I knew the town library.
Wow, that was the quickest I have ever had any replies from one of my posts, I think! Thanks!
About the cost of the move, we will be using U-Pack, and so cost will not be much of a consideration. A bigger consideration will be that we are moving to a smaller home without much storage space, and although we will have several bookshelf-lined walls, we will not have as much space for books (or anything else) as we do in our current home. However, I am sure that we could manage to find space for as many books as we do decide to keep.
Hi Katharsis - could you please post what your experience with U-Pack was, and what their price scheme is? Thank you.
Also, does anyone here have an experience (or could point me to a thread about it in the General Moving forum) with shipping books overseas by boat? Do they arrive in good condition? Approximate cost to ship? (the destination of interest would be in Southeast Asia)
Like some other posters here, I cannot part from any of my books. If you have floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, the books actually do not take that much space (that is, books, DVDs and cds (of which I also have thousands)). There aren't any other objects that you can stack so compactly in the minimum of space. Plus, walls lined with books are a great sound insulation if you live in a noisy building.
I have not used U-Pack yet -- we won't be moving for at least a year, probably -- but the cost for our move (about 1,000 miles) will be about $2,000 for what will probably be the equivalent of the contents for a one-bedroom apartment -- MUCH cheaper than hiring a moving company like Mayflower. (The $2,000 is just an estimate, btw.!
Also, does anyone here have an experience (or could point me to a thread about it in the General Moving forum) with shipping books overseas by boat? Do they arrive in good condition? Approximate cost to ship? (the destination of interest would be in Southeast Asia)
I shipped quite a few books from Argentina to the US back in the 70's Back then you could mail them by boat so that was what I did. I'm not sure how you would ship by boat now since sea mail is gone. Mold from dampness could be a concern but mine didn't get moldy even though it took quite a while for them to arrive. If you use a moving company make sure they are adequately packaged.
I have not used U-Pack yet -- we won't be moving for at least a year, probably -- but the cost for our move (about 1,000 miles) will be about $2,000 for what will probably be the equivalent of the contents for a one-bedroom apartment -- MUCH cheaper than hiring a moving company like Mayflower. (The $2,000 is just an estimate, btw.!
Thanks a lot. That is a good price, plus I prefer to pack, load and unload my stuff by myself anyway.
@Windwalker2 - right, I imagine shipping procedures might have changed since the 1970s :-). If I move to Asia (which I would do only if I need nursing home care), I was considering donating all my books to a local library (I have very good books, a number of relatively rare ones, and about 2/3 of them are related to geography/travel), provided that the library takes care of shipping. That way I might have access to my books til the end, without having to store them myself. But if the shipping costs are exorbitant, the plan is not likely to work.
Not too many years ago, books were treasured and revered in a house's library. Somehow between then and now, and with influences like the Marie Kondo woman who urges people to discard almost everything, we're paring down our lives to nearly nothing, just dimly lit entries on discussion forums. This can't be good for civilization.
Books are tactile and dimensional and are lore passed from one generation to the next. I hold in my hand the same book as a woman in 1892 held in her hand, when her whole life was ahead of her. I am connected to history, to our collective hopes and dreams. For me, it's not the same reading it online. It floats away too quickly and the experience is less immersive.
This attitude might be common, but not universal. To me, the physical book is a molding, dusty, asthma-inducing chunk of paper and fabric. The real magic is in the words - the story, the information.
Books were revered when they were super expensive and the most efficient way for information to pass from person to person. They replaced/supported storytellers and oral historians. Now we have more efficient means to store these words. Which is awesome, IMO. It definitely made my family's cross country move easier, cheaper, and less of a burden. I still have the same stories, they just weight hundreds of pounds less.
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