Any book collectors or self-appointed bibliophiles here?

[Dr. Drib]

Greetings, fellow bi-peds!

I'm curious about two things:

(1) Are you a book collector (or bibliophile?)
(2) If so, how do you rationalize and/or reconcile your hobby with the Reader?

I'm a book collector, mainly of 20th and 21st C. First Editions of fiction. I also like the way a book smells. [Book collectors understand this strange phenomomen; wives, mistresses, and girlfriends tolerate this anomaly.] I should stress that I collect only authors that I personally read and enjoy.

The 2nd question I find more interesting. For example, I collect Joyce Carol Oates. (I hope she wins this year's Nobel Prize - finally!) Her newest book is out -- she comes out with one book a month! - hahahahah -- and I bought it as an ebook as part of my credit for my second Reader. But I have yet to buy it for my book collection. But, as everyone here knows, new hardbacks novels are between $23 - $25 USD. Being a book collector, I HAVE to see the book before I buy it, in order to ascertain the condition and if, indeed, it is a First Edition that I'm purchasing.

Don

[Nate the great]

I collect history books. I'm up to around 60 or so (I think).


I don't see a need to reconcile my collection with my Sony Reader. Partially because the collection predates my reader by several years, and partially because the reader is mobile and the collection is not. They fulfill two different purposes.

[RWood]

I still have a bunch of signed first editions. The only "signed" ebooks I have are signed in DRM so that doesn't count.

I am at the stage of life where I am cleaning out and getting rid of things I don't need or want anymore (sorry, the Sony Reader is staying.) I recently found a box of my old college textbooks.

[NatCh]

I collect dictionaries (yes, I know that's weird, but I love to see the way word meanings change -- someday I hope to have a copy of the OED )

I make it a point to keep paper copies of series that I particularly like (Anne McCaffrey's Pern books, for instance).

Beyond that, I recently decided that the "keep every book I ever bought" strategy was consuming my living space, and started getting rid of the ones I figure I never want to read again. I'm also trying to acquire books in e-format as much as I can now, but I'm sticking to 'unlocked' formats that my kids can inherit someday.

[Dr. Drib]

Collecting dictionaries seems very interesting and makes sense to me, since (as you point out) words change their meanings.

Many of us here are really having a gay time right now!

"What?" Tom Swift ejaculated. "I never said that!" And with those words, Tom jumped into his aeroplane, took out his Reader, and spoke into his mouse: "Clearance, Clarence! Ready for take-off!"


Don

[KlondikeGeoff]

All my (long) life, have been buying books. Each time we moved, had to cull and donate, but still the collection grew.

Obviously, it is limited by bookcase/wall space available. When I have to get rid of some, it is with great regret and anxiety, but I find many were not all that great, and they go first. I still have hundreds of books I bought many years ago, and keep and often re-read, just because they are great.

The old Rocket eBook before, and the Reader now, solve the problem of lack of space for any new tomes. If one I get for the Reader is particularly good (such as "The Kite Runner" I recently finished), well then I hie myself to Amazon and buy the hardcover version for my library.

If I had enough $ I'd just build an adjoining library to my house. An expandable one, that is.

[astra]

I collect hardback editions of books I like.
Mostly fantasy (90%).

I am buying books either on Amazon.co.uk/.com or charity shops if a book is like new.

[KDawg]

I am a recovering book collector. I have very few rare editions. I'm more of a Barnes & Noble junkie. However, with the books (and CDs and DVDs) consuming more and more space I'm trying to quit physical media altogether.

I've never really cared about the smell or feel of books in my hand. Oddly, it's the feel of metal that turns me on. The first month I had my car I replaced the shift knob and brake handle with aluminum versions. I love the feel of my iPod Nano and Motorola SLVR. And it goes without saying I love the feel of the Sony Reader. Go figure.

[ScottTheGR81]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Collecting dictionaries seems very interesting and makes sense to me, since (as you point out) words change their meanings.

Many of us here are really having a gay time right now!

"What?" Tom Swift ejaculated. "I never said that!" And with those words, Tom jumped into his aeroplane, took out his Reader, and spoke into his mouse: "Clearance, Clarence! Ready for take-off!"


Don

Haha, I remember reading those Hardy Boys books as a kid and they said quite a few times "ejaculated" I thought it was interesting that the meaning has shifted today along with so many other words, (i.e. faggot=a bundle of sticks etc.)

[Ted]

My dear Dr.Drib , no reconciliation is neccessary. Bibliophile or not, one has only so much money and shelf space. With the entire content of the Gutenberg project, the Internet Archive and Manybooks to select from, I needn't spend a dime (other than the odd donation) to "own" copies of thousands of those titles that I've been meaning to acquire if only the texts could be found at an affordable price and space could be allocated for their storage. Having datafiles of the Conrad, Haggard and Wodehouse titles that I have yet to procure inhibits my search for their physical incarnations not at all.

[Brlove]

I used to love collecting books, then I got married. My wife isn't big on the whole 'keeping books til I die' thing. She sold a big bunch of my books while I was on deployment. This struggle over books is what lead her to let me get a Sony Reader, doesn't take up much space and PG books are a lot cheaper than B&N.

I've been a lurker on this site for some time, but I felt I needed to post on this.

[Dr. Drib]

Welcome, Brlove.

I think my problem is that I'm a book collector in the sense of desiring First Editions, mainly of contemporary literture and Latin American Literature. I also collect Henry James, James Branch Cabell, and Joyce Carol Oates specifically.

Actually, however, most of my collection is centered around authors I enjoy and, therefore, collect.

But the problem - now that I'm divorced, older, living in a an apartment now and not a house - is that the collection seems to have grown larger by leaps and bounds, especially having gotten larger during those years I was married when we owned a house.

I also love music and collect LPs, [aside: objects similar to CDs, but much larger, where the sound wave itself is actually put on this object. CDs take the music and chop it into millions of "0"s and "1"s, then the sound wave is electronically reassembled, in an effort once again hear the sound wave] mainly those centered around jazz, but also some of the older rock I grew up with. That means I have seperates in my stereo gear, such as an incredible Thorens turntable in perfect working condition (pricey and hard to fine nowadays in this kind of condition); phono preamp; preamp; amp; and CD player. Each one of these items is expensive and adds space, weight, and etc. to an already overflowing apartment!

What's particulary great about the Reader - at this juncture in its influence on the book-reading market - is the abundance of classics that some of us here have put together. I have all of Burroughs and Haggard, for example, but not a single book. The real problem, for me, is my love of contemporary literature in collectible book condition - not genre fiction. I don't really colllect genre fiction anymore, but I still love to read it on the Reader. Until ebooks really take off, like the way Audio Books have now started to realize a growing niche market, then I can't get all the books I want by the authors I like on the Reader. There's not a single Jorge Amado or Jose Saramago [Nobel Prize in Literature] available as an ebook.


I guess I need someone to tell me, "enough is enough!"

And then, like a fool, I go out and buy a SECOND Reader - just in case!

But it's not like I don't listen and read the things I have. I do!

Don

Originally Posted by Brlove

I used to love collecting books, then I got married. My wife isn't big on the whole 'keeping books til I die' thing. She sold a big bunch of my books while I was on deployment. This struggle over books is what lead her to let me get a Sony Reader, doesn't take up much space and PG books are a lot cheaper than B&N.

I've been a lurker on this site for some time, but I felt I needed to post on this.

[JSWolf]

If my wife ever sold anything of mine without my approval first, she would be in shuch deep shit as to wish she'd never done it.

[trenicar]

Hi
I'm new here but I have to say I have an addiction, I collect cookery books, I have about 400.

My wife has a problem with me buying more, also she says that I should cook more!

I also hate to part with books and we have moved a number of times and still have boxes of them in the garage.

I have just bought the Sony reader, originally to try & carry pdf IT books but I dont think its quite there yet. So I will just use it to read fiction etc.

I suppose I will start building an ebook collection, as with most thing it could bebome addictive, how many can I get rather than ever reading them all.

Sad really

But still fun.

[Dr. Drib]

After all, if you're buying all these cookbooks, then you should at least cook for her....and your friends. Where do you live?

No soup for you!!!

Don

Originally Posted by trenicar

Hi
I'm new here but I have to say I have an addiction, I collect cookery books, I have about 400.

My wife has a problem with me buying more, also she says that I should cook more!

I also hate to part with books and we have moved a number of times and still have boxes of them in the garage.

I have just bought the Sony reader, originally to try & carry pdf IT books but I dont think its quite there yet. So I will just use it to read fiction etc.

I suppose I will start building an ebook collection, as with most thing it could bebome addictive, how many can I get rather than ever reading them all.

Sad really

But still fun.