"Long Live the Personal Library" by Gracy Olmstead

[Extollager]

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/olmstead/long-live-the-personal-library/

Here's an essay

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/olmstead/long-live-the-personal-library/

that ought to interest many Chrons people. It's not simply one more tired books-vs.-Kindle thing.

"Buying books ties us: to our physical place, true enough, but also to the past and future. We invest in books that we hope to read in the future, and by buying them, give ourselves an incentive to keep the ember of reading alive in our lives, no matter the distractions and difficulties. We treasure old books, because of past memories and deeply cherished joys they conjure up, merely by their touch."

Some of y'all might want to comment. One commenter wrote, "My general view is that you don’t own possessions, they own you. I know many people with too many possession; none with too few." Well, and so how does one make the decision about when "some" has become "too many"?

 

[Ray McCarthy]

No space to put shelves is the cut off when "some" has become "too many".
I like my cake AND eating it. I want my paper books and my Kindle. Actually I want a 2nd kindle (The DXG is good for PDFs, but a pocket edition AKA Kindle Touch nice for travelling).

 

[tinkerdan]

I've already saturated my shelves to where I have too many and yet not enough.
The kindle is a godsend because now I have twice as many in half the space.

It reminds me of Robert Heinlein's many various pockets of the universe where characters could reach into a bag or walk through a window and arrive in a special world that existed-perhaps nowhere and perhaps everywhere. It could contain an elaborate bathroom with hot tub or maybe it could be a vast library that could contain any amount of books you keep in it. For me that's the kindle. I open the magic bag or walk through the magic door into a pocket of space that has more books than I can read in a lifetime.

Sure I still like the feel of a book in my hand and the smell of fine covers and aged pages. So I just put one of my own books next to me while I read and have the best of both.

 

[soulsinging]

Interesting. I somewhat land on the side of the few possessions guy, but I've also been a bit of a nomad. Since leaving my parents for university 15 years ago I've never lived anywhere more than a year and had maybe 20 different addresses. It's tough lugging boxes of books from place to place so my library has been pretty pared down.

You'd think I'd be an ideal candidate for an ereader as a result, but for some reason I haven't switched. I like the fact that a physical book is mine. It's not "licensed" and subject to being grabbed back or altered/edited/censored at the whim of the "seller."

 

[tinkerdan]

This works out okay until you are separated from the books by a great distance::

You'd think I'd be an ideal candidate for an ereader as a result, but for some reason I haven't switched. I like the fact that a physical book is mine. It's not "licensed" and subject to being grabbed back or altered/edited/censored at the whim of the "seller."

:: and then find out how much it will cost to ship those bastards back to you.

And yes I paid the price: but look how much I gained.

 

[Allegra]

Here's an essay

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/olmstead/long-live-the-personal-library/

Really enjoy the essay. Thanks, Extollager.

My shelves have long been overloaded and some books are in boxes. I also use tab to read sometimes but nothing can replace real books.