Moving Books
I moved not long ago, from a place that was way too big for me to a place that was way too small... from a clipper ship to a tiny sloop. In the clipper ship, you had your choice of places to toss things... in the sloop, everything has to be stowed carefully in its proper spot, or you will a) stumble over it b) block your access to something else you'll need sooner, or c) be embarrassed when guests squeeze in and are forced to sit on it.
As for most book people, the issue was not furniture or clothes or kitchen equipment; who can afford that crap? The issue was 60 boxes of books. (Not as bad as I'd feared, but tell that to the pulled muscles and strained tendons in my body.) I knew I'd have to cut down. Be ruthless, even. Having mapped out the interior of the new vessel, and figured out how to shoehorn as many bookcases as possible into the cabin, the galley, the sleeping berth, even the head, I was still clearly short on book space.
I was just going to have to apply cold, hard reason. Out of all those books, some (many) were indispensable; others less so; some I might even be glad to see gone. I set up and applied a rigorous sorting method. I am glad to say this was a complete success. Here is how it worked out:
BOOKS TO KEEP:
(115) Books I will read again (or refer to)--e.g. White Oleander, North of Montana, Webster's Collegiate Dictionary from 1910
(287) Books which have sentimental value-- e.g. Swallows & Amazons, The Book of Clever Beasts
(79) Books which are worth serious money and need to be kept as investments-- e.g. Devil in a Blue Dress (advanced reader's copy), The Neon Rain (signed first edition)
(112) Books which are decorative--e.g. In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods, A Tolkien Bestiary
(65) Books which I firmly intend to read someday--e.g. Ulysses, Vanity Fair
(607) Books which I'd like to read someday--e.g. Doctor Zhivago, Geek Love
(95) Books which might make a visitor think I'm smart-- e.g. Remembrance of Things Past, Moby Dick
BOOKS TO GET RID OF:
(25) Books which I don't care about but which are worth a dollar or two-- e.g. the latest Jim Crais mystery, a Lonely Planet guide to Myanmar
(24) Books which I don't care about but which the Salvation Army will accept--e.g. The Accidental Tourist, The Firm
(790) Books for which there is room in my mother's garage--e.g. Great Exploration Hoaxes, Confessions of an Ivy League Bookie
As for most book people, the issue was not furniture or clothes or kitchen equipment; who can afford that crap? The issue was 60 boxes of books. (Not as bad as I'd feared, but tell that to the pulled muscles and strained tendons in my body.) I knew I'd have to cut down. Be ruthless, even. Having mapped out the interior of the new vessel, and figured out how to shoehorn as many bookcases as possible into the cabin, the galley, the sleeping berth, even the head, I was still clearly short on book space.
I was just going to have to apply cold, hard reason. Out of all those books, some (many) were indispensable; others less so; some I might even be glad to see gone. I set up and applied a rigorous sorting method. I am glad to say this was a complete success. Here is how it worked out:
BOOKS TO KEEP:
(115) Books I will read again (or refer to)--e.g. White Oleander, North of Montana, Webster's Collegiate Dictionary from 1910
(287) Books which have sentimental value-- e.g. Swallows & Amazons, The Book of Clever Beasts
(79) Books which are worth serious money and need to be kept as investments-- e.g. Devil in a Blue Dress (advanced reader's copy), The Neon Rain (signed first edition)
(112) Books which are decorative--e.g. In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods, A Tolkien Bestiary
(65) Books which I firmly intend to read someday--e.g. Ulysses, Vanity Fair
(607) Books which I'd like to read someday--e.g. Doctor Zhivago, Geek Love
(95) Books which might make a visitor think I'm smart-- e.g. Remembrance of Things Past, Moby Dick
BOOKS TO GET RID OF:
(25) Books which I don't care about but which are worth a dollar or two-- e.g. the latest Jim Crais mystery, a Lonely Planet guide to Myanmar
(24) Books which I don't care about but which the Salvation Army will accept--e.g. The Accidental Tourist, The Firm
(790) Books for which there is room in my mother's garage--e.g. Great Exploration Hoaxes, Confessions of an Ivy League Bookie
posted by Tom Gartner at
2:51 PM
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