The Magpie Mentality - or what about your old books?

[Perpetual Man]

I was sitting at my desk (allegedly working) my mind playing over various things and for some reason my books came to mind. I’ve been buying books longer than I can remember and I, in full magpie mode find it very hard to get rid of them. I have two full bookcases at home – generally my favourite books in hardback, and ones recently read, then boxes of paperbacks in my parents attic waiting for that time when I have room to put up bookshelves and set them free.

The idea of actually getting rid of some of them is anathema to me.

But why? Of course my favourites are going to stay, and some of those I am likely to read again (and again) but some are just going to stay on the shelf – if they ever make it out of the box and never get read again – let’s face it the too read pile of new stuff only gets bigger!

So the question is, what should we do with are old books? And what do people do?

 

[j d worthington]

Personally, I almost never let go of old books, unless they're duplicate copies that I loan out. And, as I get older, I find that, even with books I'd not got around to reading as a whole yet, I consult for this or that piece of information or as examples of writing, etc. So... I hold onto almost everything, and never know when it's going to come in handy...

 

[elvet]

I used to be a big mystery fiction reader, and had amassed many hard cover books via the book of the month club. I recently went through them to make some room for my new fantasy aquisitions. I had all my favorites - P.D. James, Elizabeth George, Nevada Barr - mixed in with a myriad of lesser titles that I can't even remember reading. The latter got packed up and shipped to the library.
For now, I'm keeping all the fantasy that I'm buying. Most of it is in paperback form so it is somewhat space saving. I also loan out books so that at any one time ~1/6 of my collection is on someone else's shelf . Of course, I get loaned books in return, so my shelves are still packed .

 

[dwndrgn]

I used to donate most of my books that I had already read or had decided wouldn't be read again to the library. I also used a local bookstore that took old books in trade for old books they had in stock. Because I moved so often back then and lived in tiny apartments, I had no way to keep anything that wasn't an absolute favorite. These days I have the room and will soon have the shelves to start a collection. I've been steadily growing it for the past couple of years, one book at a time . Which makes me have to ask, if you do feel like getting rid of any of yours, I'd gladly take them

 

[Rosemary]

I too used to donate some of my books to the Library...although there are some books that I now wish I had kept. So much so, that I am slowly buying them again!

 

[Cerberus]

Much to my wifes displeasure I keep my books, and have my own room for storing them along with all of my computer gear, its where I spend most of my free time anyway as Im not a big fan of the T.V.

 

[jackokent]

I too used to donate some of my books to the Library...although there are some books that I now wish I had kept. So much so, that I am slowly buying them again!

I've done this. I am so glad I'm not the only one.

I get rid of a load of books every month to charity shops and buy up all thier new ones.

 

[hedgeknight]

I like "cleaning out" my shelves every now and then. That doesn't mean I get rid my favorite books (hardbacks of Tolkien, Brooks, Martin, Donaldson and a few others), but paperbacks are likely to be bagged up and taken to my local paperback exchange store. I trade them in and get other books to read. Books are to be read, not boxed away in case I might need one again some day. If I need one, I'll go buy it...again.
-g-

 

[nixie]

Magpie here,I rarely part with books.Even when I replaced the Riftwar Saga as Magican was looking decidely tatty, the old dog eared copy is still on top of bookcase.

 

[the_faery_queen]

i keep em. i have two copies of the same book cos one died and i didn't want to throw it out. i have ebayed some int he past (goodkind) because i really hated them, but if i didn't hate them, they hang around. even if i no longer actually like them, as long as i don't hate them, ic an't get rid of them! i should tho, i want to move house and i dont' want to read eddings or brooks ever agin. EVER!

 

[Highlander II]

I keep a lot of books - granted, I haven't read a lot of the ones I've bought - b/c I'm fickle or lack the attention span to stick to one book, so I usually have about 7 or 8 running at a time. Plus, any time a new Dresden book comes up, anything I'm working on gets pushed aside.

But I've taken some to bookstores for trade and I sent a few to someone in the UK and I give them away. Mostly - I hold on to them.

I'm a packrat.

 

[Werthead]

I've only ever gotten rid of some L. Ron Hubbard books (their befouling presence was causing neighbouring books to catch fire). All the rest I've kept. Mainly this is because I don't have as much time for reading as I used to (so after acquiring some 1,000 books in the ten years from age 7 to 17, I've only gotten another 400-odd in the ten years since then) and they fit (with some difficulty) onto just two shelvers and a few boxes in the loft.

 

[Cloud]

I think in general, avid SF/F readers tend to hold on to their books. I've spoken to used booksellers about this who have policies on trading--you have to trade SF/F to get SF/F in trade (other genres they don't care).

I've had to abandon my books en masse a few times in my life and the memory still pains.

I do get rid of books occasionally, but only the ones I don't like or don't anticipate reading again. Never enough bookshelves though! My dream is to finally, one day, have enough bookshelf feet to house all the books I could ever want.

There's always Book Mooch if you want to trade.

 

[steve12553]

I wouldn't call myself a magpie (because that tends to have a different meaning over here), a packrat maybe. I got books that I aquired over 40 years ago in my collection (a few) and some I've been dragging around for 35 years as an adult. I've been convice at times to thin the herd, but never anything I've read or intended to. I've still got places to add more shelves when the time comes.

 

[Adasunshine]

I've had to part with some books in the past and I'm quite glad I did, it's paved the way for me to be able to part with more should the need arise. I only ever part with books I know I'll never read again and giving them to charity or donating to my local library is a good thing as it allows other people to enjoy them which, afterall is what books are there for - to be enjoyed.

I feel terribly guilty keeping books on my shelf knowing I'll never read them again.

xx

 

[carrie221]

I don't think I am a packrat or magpie... but I don't like to give my books up. I never know when I am going to want to reread some of them. I don't have that many books though only a few hundred. The only books I have parted with in the last few years are textbook buybacks for books that I hate.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Which makes me have to ask, if you do feel like getting rid of any of yours, I'd gladly take them

Now I feel so guilty about selling some on Ebay...

 

[Scriven]

I hate having to get rid of books, especially ones I've bought myself*. It just seems like such an awful waste.

*unless they're really, really bad, in which case I kick myself and bin them all

Most of the books I don't read end up boxed away in the loft. I think I might have to put away some more soon, I'm rapidly running out of shelf space, and the wardrobe isn't really an appropriate place to keep books.

I admit I'm a bit of a hoarder. Once I start collecting a series, I can't stand to leave it unfinished. Like the Redwall books - I've outgrown them and don't even enjoy them that much any more, but I'll always buy the next one. =/

Oh, if only the house was bigger.

 

[Thanatos]

Usually I tend to give them away to people I know. I like to collect books but they simply take too much space and so from time to time I'm forced to make room for the new ones. Of course I only give away those that a) I utterly disliked or b) I have on a different binding or a better state.

 

[BookStop]

I love cleaning out my bookcases once in a while - I've got the shop, so my old books usually end up there, however, I sometimes donate to the VA hospital or the Alzheimer's Center (hey, even if they've read the book before, chances are they'll have forgotten ).

I do have loads that I can't bear to part with, most of them hardcovers. My hubby is the same way - He kept his books for years, but now he has an acceptable amount (about 3 times what I have) since he's donated a couple thousand to the bookshop. Regardless of where you send your books, check the internet first to make sure you aren't getting rid of something valuable. (It really stinks to get rid of old Dean Koontz books only to discover they are very, very difficult to replace if written before 1973.)