Book Hoarding

[Speaking Mute]

I've been called a book hoarder despite having a collection that's only three bookshelves - they don't even fill an entire wall of my office. What I find amusing is that I know far more people who use bookshelves for displaying Star Wars, Marvel, DC etc. toys than people who use them for books.

[Kevin]

Quote Originally Posted by Speaking Mute

I've been called a book hoarder despite having a collection that's only three bookshelves - they don't even fill an entire wall of my office. What I find amusing is that I know far more people who use bookshelves for displaying Star Wars, Marvel, DC etc. toys than people who use them for books.

Amusing......and ironic that, here in the post-literacy age, the one remaining big chain bookstore in the U.S. has a huge amount of floor space devoted to toys, and that the shelves once meant to hold a relatively modest book collection now house a "hoard."

[marioneta]

I have more books than clothes. In fact my closets are full of books.In my study I have two big bookcases, all full with my Lovecraft and weird literature collection. I buy less books than I used to, and when I do buy it is mostly online. There is only one little bookstore where I live.I worry what will happen to my library when I pass. My children are into cell phones, tablets, and computers. They do not read books.

[Pan Michael]

Yes, I have one of those nice used bookstores by my place as well. But you know you have a problem when it slowly dawns on you that you actually have a much better collection of books at home than they do in their entire store!

Though I still go and visit once a month. Just in case.

[Kevin]

I've got some kindred spirits on this thread. Marioneta raises a good point: it hardly needs to be said on this forum that I love me some TL, to the point where I've got some ltd. editions and such. What will happen to them when I go? It gives me the horrors, just thinking of them in a landfill.

[Speaking Mute]

Judging from prices and auctions, my impression is that the secondhand market for books - or at least, rare and small press genre fiction - is thriving online. On the other hand, books could go the way of antique furniture and china:

https://www.economist.com/news/chris...market-out-old

[marioneta]

Pan Michael makes an excellent point about the bookstores. I think
I have a better collection of books than the bookstore near my neighborhood.It has a mish mash of books, mostly "bestsellers" and YA, is poorly organized, and most of its employees have little to no knowledge on books and authors. When you walk in they are mostly nose deep in a cell phone, which seems to be the new normal now. Ordering a couple of books by Italo Calvino, Cosmicomics and Invisible Cities, was like giving a class in world literature. They have no concept of the classics in any genre, but they can go on and on about Harry Potter or The Hunger Games.


'

[schlieu]

I must agree with marioneta. I am head of the book department at the used book store where I work and finding employees who can buy used books competently (and even stock them in the proper places) is a challenge to say the least. I find it disheartening. I would not be surprised at all if someone in my department passed on a copy of a Calvino novel that someone brought in (or Borges, Ligotti, Bruno Schulz, etc.) to trade. I fear for the gems that I am not seeing come through the store simply because our book buyers know embarrassingly little about books. And of course the bigger picture this implies. If people who work at a book store can be so unknowledgeable . . .

[Gnosticangel]

As described in this thread, the lack of education - and awareness of any kind - among bookstore staff these days is real and incredibly disheartening. And such lack leads to fewer "treasures" being located and cherished.

Experiencing despair when visiting a used BOOKSTORE of all places has become another commonplace indictment of our times.

This gets my vote for "Saddest Thread of the Month."

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

I'd guess these people just really needed a job and like most people, they'll take what they can get and aren't passionate about the jobs they're able to find. Bonus: it doesn't seem like a stressful environment.