The Attachment to (e)Books

[dapriuk]

I did have a smidgion of remorse when I gave my first batch of pbooks to a charity store. But then I had to redecorate my study and observed two things; I have a lot of bookcases which do nothing but store books that aren't doing anything either. They are not being read but just sit there. I moved these books into another room so I could move the bookcases and they cover the floor of that room 10 - 15 deep.

So now I am getting rid of all but a few (eg have author's signatures) and not replacing the bookcases. I save space and money and clutter.

No remorse, but just like Lady Fitzgerald I am making sure I've scanned the ones I want and have backups - I re-read favourites so if I lost the electronic versions there would be some remorse, but these take of virtually no space at all.

[Greg Anos]

I've only gotten rid of a few of my p-books, so far, but it will happen eventually. My problem is I don't want to face the "I paid x for the book and I'll get 25% for it" syndrome. Otherwise, if I have an e-copy, I never look at the paper copy any more...

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by rebarnmom

Right now, I can't get enough "stuff" out of my home fast enough. I think I'm becoming a moderate minimalist, maybe because I've had most of my "stuff" in boxes for the last eight years. I've been selling things right and left, part of which is financially motivated. I haven't started selling or donating my books yet, but they are next. I'm sure I'll be keeping a select few for sentimental reasons or practical reasons, but if they are on my Reader, out they will go. I may have some remorse, but hard to say right now. I'll have the most remorse if we have to leave the barn , I am more sentimentally attached to my home, but if we have to leave, I don't want to be moving boxes and boxes of books. I still LOVE the idea of having all of my library with me all the time, wherever I go!

I'm the same way except I'm doing so because I want to be more mobile; literally since I'm going to move into a travel trailer. It is hard to give up stuff one has had for years. I used to collect stuff animals; full sized ones, not little beannie babies or their ilk. With the occasional exception of a few that were just too danged cute to pass up, each one was a memento of a place, person or event of significance in my life. The other day, I gave a neighbor a couple of bags of them for his kids so I could get the boxes they were stored in out of my way. I didn't even look in the bags first to see which ones I was giving away since I knew I would cry if I did.

Rather than go to the hassle to sell things I need to get rid of, I'm trying whenever possible to give them to friends and other people I know will get some use from them. When I replaced the computer chair my ample asset had grown too large for, I wanted to get rid of the old one right away. I stuck it out on the curb with a sign that said, "Free or best offer." It was gone within the hour. An old boss of mine got my 400 CD changer (now there was a monstrosity!). I'm dragging a couple of stuffed dragons to a friend in CA who collects dragon figurines the next time I drive out there. I already gave her husband the NiMH rechargeble batteries I had replaced with low loss Sanyo Eneloops and her a bunch of small, carved, wooden boxes I had bought to put small gifts into but still had a bunch of. She, in turn, shared them with her family and friends. I won't bore you with more.

[distant.star]

First, I don't own a single ebook, at least not until the Kindle arrives in a couple of weeks.

I suppose, when you've lost as many books as I have, the parting is not such sweet sorrow anymore. These days I try to keep the holdings to a minimum so I periodically give them to a used book store. Any remorse is mitigated by telling the store owners to donate gains from my books to the tutoring program they run for children. They're good folks, and they're helping to create more people who like to read and appreciate the power of books.

There are only three books I have that carry real meaning. The first is "The Art of Clear Thinking" by Rudolf Flesch. Sometimes I think that book is responsible for most of the success I've had in life since I read it when I was a teen.

"The Outsider" by Colin Wilson hit me like a sledge hammer in a college "Alienation Literature" course. I still look at the margin notes I made those many years ago and smile, often in embarrassment. It's in rather poor shape these days, but the memories and the importance are immeasurable.

Finally, I have a first edition of Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" I purchased April 1, 1974 in a book shop in the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, NJ -- complete with intact cash register receipt. Also, there is a note he sent me in response to my asking if he would be publishing another book soon. His response?

"I'm working on a second book but it will be a long time before it gets out."

By "long time," I hardly imagined he meant 17 years!

[drmaxx]

I recently decided to get rid of a bunch of books that just collected dust. I put them in a box - that just sat there for several month. Could not get them out of the house.
So, I decided to cut the back off and scan them on a fast document scanner. The worldly remains went into the bin and their intellectual content is now on my Sony.

Much better feeling.

[ManosHandsOfFate]

I'm trying hard fight my urge to keep my "stuff" (including pbooks). The more stuff I have, the more time I spend managing my stuff.

I find that the disadvantages of keeping stuff are concrete and usually outweigh the intangible advantages.

[sakura-panda]

I have several books that I am attached to; however, if I can ever get to my bookshelves, I would be happy to take out about 75% of what is there and make space for other things.

I don't see a problem with keeping a few of the books, but I think for most of them I do not need to keep duplicate copies.