Zone1 How Big Is Your Book Collection?

[The Duke]

I really should get rid of every "how to" book around.

Not Haynes manuals, just bullshit like "How to properly pet a cat", yannow?

"How to properly bake a cake" ..wayy too much of that around.

 

[hjmick]

My dad had a book collection similar to the one in the linked photograph, but it went further... it extended to the three fairly large storage units. When he died it fell to me to deal with the collection. When I started the chore, I thought it would be easy. Wrong. it was a mess. You have no idea what meant something to him and what didn't. What should you keep? What should you donate? In some cases I couldn't find any reason for his holding onto some books. The it dawned on me... none of them were any more sentimental to him than another. He was a hoarder. It was a part of his not so obvious mental illness. He wasn't crazy, wasn't on any meds, not diagnosed, but you know what I mean.

In the end, a couple of libraries in Los Angeles and Orange counties got some very large donations for their fund raising book sales. And me? I only keep books I'll read more than one (The Stand... three times so far) and autographed volumes. Once a book has been read, I give it away. To friends, coworkers, the VA, retirement homes. My kids will never go through what went through...