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LOL... as a librarian myself, that would be like coming home to work.
And to pgh, that's awesome you have so many books! But if you're really serious about donating them to a library, make sure it's set up legally ahead of time... as public libraries can't handle a donation that size without warning & pre-sorting. You can determine what goes where, how it will be delivered, and even if you specifically want credit for the donations (i.e. a dedicated shelf/room & placards). And FYI, you're more likely to have something named after you if you DO donate the first editions & signed books.
Don't get me wrong, we appreciate the generosity of donations! It's just that some people (not you, I'm sure) think we're a dumping ground for damaged and/or outdated books... and giving those to us only creates more work for the library staff, since we have to sort them & determine which books to keep vs sell or toss.
Thats a discussion I've been having with my family lately.. I have been thinking the long term ramifications of holding onto some of the books. For example, the Cold Fusion (computer language, not the energy creation type haha) programming books I have will probably be worthless if I donate them upon my death, so the libraries probably would view them as junk and toss them as they should be.
As a guy who deals with lots of books I know exactly what you mean. I'm rather young still (40), but my father died at 42, so the issue about what to do with my stuff upon my death has really been a topic lately. My family wouldnt have a clue what books are junk and what ones arent, because to them, they are books, but for me they are reference materials. They also wouldnt know what books I own the publishing rights to, and even if they did, they wouldnt know what to do with those rights. Lets not even discuss the computers or the other businesses, many of which would have to get liquidated at firesale prices, because they dont know how to manage them.. Not something I want them to have to deal with.
Truth be told I get probably a copy of most books published yearly due to my relationships with publishers. I sort through the ones I can use and keep, and the ones I wont ever look through, (such as the AL Gore books haha), get donated right away. Maybe I have it backwards.. I shouldnt be donating trash to the libraries and they should be used for fuel for the fireplace.
Huge houses are an expensive hassle to own. I would rather dream than pay money.
That is quite true. In the town we lived in twenty years ago, there were MANY 10,000 + sq. ft. mansions from the late 1800s. Despite the best efforts of the owners, most of these places needed hundreds of thousands of dollars of neglected upkeep and maintenance. Due to the large expense to keep these up, there were homes of this size selling for $250-300K. It was certainly tempting, but we passed on all of them. Nearly all these places have fallen into further disrepair, as there are not that many people that can sink over a million on an old house. But they sure were cool!
Good for you, if that is what you enjoy, go for it.
Large collections like that definitely are not for me, but I sincerely am glad for you if that is what you enjoy.
If I have to buy a book, I try to get an electronic version (the kindle is the best thing ever invented!)...but I hate 'clutter', and personally get nervous about being bogged down with a lot of stuff. Every fall I throw away/donate/sell everything I haven't touched in the last year...It is just my personality, but I don't like having things I don't really use.
That is why I lean towards a smaller home. There is nothing wrong with a big home and a big personal library, but that just isn't where my personal priorities are with how to spend my money...
I am the same way, clutter is so irritating to me, I get rid of anything I haven't used in a year and won't likely use or wear again. Extra space tends to attract clutter so I bought only as much house as I knew I would use. Unused space doesn't feel good to me. I also am not crazy about having bowling alleys, shooting ranges, and stuff in ones house because I would rather go out to those places and be around new people and be a part of the community. I feel better when I don't spend too much time at home, there is too much world out there to experience. I like my home to be a cozy retreat, which my current one is, I love it!
I don't have a Kindle yet, but I usually get books from the library so I don't have to store them, when I do buy books I give most away after I read them, aside from reference books I almost never read a book twice, there are too many others to read, so I see no reason to clutter up my house with them. I'm not critisizing people who collect stuff, especially first editions and such since that tends to be an investment, but it's just not something I like to do. Some people get pleasure from their things, I get pleasure from giving them away.
Thats a discussion I've been having with my family lately.. I have been thinking the long term ramifications of holding onto some of the books. For example, the Cold Fusion (computer language, not the energy creation type haha) programming books I have will probably be worthless if I donate them upon my death, so the libraries probably would view them as junk and toss them as they should be.
As a guy who deals with lots of books I know exactly what you mean. I'm rather young still (40), but my father died at 42, so the issue about what to do with my stuff upon my death has really been a topic lately. My family wouldnt have a clue what books are junk and what ones arent, because to them, they are books, but for me they are reference materials. They also wouldnt know what books I own the publishing rights to, and even if they did, they wouldnt know what to do with those rights. Lets not even discuss the computers or the other businesses, many of which would have to get liquidated at firesale prices, because they dont know how to manage them.. Not something I want them to have to deal with.
Truth be told I get probably a copy of most books published yearly due to my relationships with publishers. I sort through the ones I can use and keep, and the ones I wont ever look through, (such as the AL Gore books haha), get donated right away. Maybe I have it backwards.. I shouldnt be donating trash to the libraries and they should be used for fuel for the fireplace.
I'm glad to hear that you are thinking about this even at a young age because it is so important to have clear easy instructions on what to do if heaven forbid something happens. For survivors at such a painful time dealing with a lot of uncertainty makes things even more painful. Everyone should get all their info written down, including computer passwords, bank accounts, lists of item values and locations etc. and have a clear plan set up with a lawyer. It's not about being morbid, it's about taking care of your loved ones.
But to someone like me (and again - it is all personal taste), that is simply not an appealing home.
I am with you...again, there is nothing wrong with that kind of house, but that simply is not my taste.
Personally, my dream home right now is a condo in this building (close to where I live too, if one is open when I sell my current place, I am absolutely going for it!):
I think that place looks awesome!! Reminds me of this loft I viewed in Emeryville CA (that's not where this place is located, is it?), which was an old baking factory turned into apartments... I just love that industrial look, especially with exposed brick in the units. Totally my style.
Thats a discussion I've been having with my family lately.. I have been thinking the long term ramifications of holding onto some of the books. For example, the Cold Fusion (computer language, not the energy creation type haha) programming books I have will probably be worthless if I donate them upon my death, so the libraries probably would view them as junk and toss them as they should be.
Oh man, you wouldn't believe some of the junk people give us... computer programming books from the '80s, school textbooks from 20+ years ago, Reader's Digest magazines, torn & molded books, etc. I usually save the funniest ones for myself, once I've determined they have no place in our collection. I think my favorite score was this book from like 1979 on marijuana, complete with cheesy illustrations of "dope-heads" wearing bell-bottoms. Love it!
I guess the best thing would be for you to label them, over the next however-many years. Maybe devise a sticker/post-it system, where different colors mean "donate" "sell" or "toss?" You could leave instructions in your final requests, and hopefully your loved ones could figure it out. Weird thing to think about, I know, but it IS important as mentioned just above.
Whats a "big" home, and compared to what size family. A home may seem big, but when you find out that its one housing an extended family the space-per-person is drastically reduced. As far as regular sized families (2 parents, 2-4 kids) living in "large" homes, who cares. 4 kids in my family, big bedrooms were a must because thats where we were 90% of the time we were playing inside. Big closets, live in NY where summers get to 100 and winters get down to 0 thats a lot of clothes to push around and hide in drawers. Bathrooms, we went in 2 at a time unless we were using the toilet so we could brush our teeth in the double sinks.
That is a nice size house. I certainly would not complain living in a house like that!
A house like Jackie O's is great for huge get togethers, but I wouldn't want to live there every day. I couldn't live in a house that requires full time help, especially live in, I couldn't stand having people wait on me, and serve me in my house. I might hire some cleaning help, but I don't want to be home or I would want to help, I couldn't just sit there while someone else cleaned my house even though I always pay very well.
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