From one of my favorite bookshelves

[zyzyly]

Arlina thinks I should get rid of some of my books, but I can't decide. Which of these would you part with?


James Herriot—All Creatures Great and Small
Kurt Vonnegut—Player Piano
Arthur C. Clarke—2001 A Space Odyssey
Richard Brautigan—The Abortion
Nevil Shute—On The Beach
Richard Matheson—What Dreams May Come
Charles Dickens—A Christmas Carol
Stephen King—The Stand
James Herriot—All Things Bright and Beautiful
Ray Bradbury—Fahrenheit 451
James Michener—The Source
Mark Twain—the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Battle Cry—Leon Uris
Charles Dickens—David Copperfield
Joseph Conrad—Heart of Darkness
Mark Twain—Letters from the Earth
J.D. Salinger—Catcher in the Rye
Richard Brautigan—The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster
Richard Brautigan—Trout Fishing in America
Samuel Shem—The House of God
Kurt Vonnegut—Cat’s Cradle
Kurt Vonnegut—Welcome to the Monkey House
James Michener—Centennial
Larry McMurtry—Lonesome Dove
Irwin Shaw—Rich Man, Poor Man
Walt Whitman—Leaves of Grass
Mark Twain—The Prince and the Pauper
Charles Dickens—A Tale of Two Cities
John Irving—The World According to Garp
JRR Tolkein—The Lord of the Rings
William Least Heat Moon—Blue Highways
John Irving—Setting Free the Bears
Charles Dickens—Oliver Twist
Tom Robbins—Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
Alex Haley—Roots
Tom Robbins—Still Life With Woodpecker
John Kennedy Toole—A Confederacy of Dunces
Walter Van Tilburg Clark—The Ox-Bow Incident
Richard Brautigan—The Hawkline Monster
Ken Kesey—One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
George R. Stewart—Earth Abides
Kurt Vonnegut—Slapstick
Richard Brautigan—Willard And His Bowling Trophies
Irving Wallace—The Seven Minutes
Mario Puzo—The Godfather
Lisa Alther—Kinflicks
Stephen King—The Shining
Robert Browning—Selected Poems
W. P. Kinsella—The Thrill of the Grass
Loung Ung—First They Killed My Father
Richard Bach—Illusions
Victor Hugo—Les Miserables
Daniel Defoe—Robinson Crusoe
Joseph Heller—Catch 22
Benjamin Hoff—The Tao of Pooh
Richard Brautigan—A Confederate General from Big Sur
Douglas Adams—The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
William Gaines—The Bedside Mad
William Gaines—Utterly Mad
T. S. Eliot—Selected Poems
Spalding Gray—Swimming to Cambodia

Comments

[purple7luv.livejournal.com]

I did the book packing thing yesterday!

(DEFINITELY don't part with any Brautigan ;)

[daisydumont.livejournal.com]

that's TOO HARD! (i'm envisioning Miss Piggy's moronic nephews, Andy and Randy Pig, when presented by Sam the Eagle with the difficult question: "which of you is which?")

[dabroots.livejournal.com]

Get rid of ones that can be easily and cheaply replaced:

Charles Dickens—A Christmas Carol
Stephen King—The Stand
Mark Twain—the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Charles Dickens—David Copperfield
Joseph Conrad—Heart of Darkness
Walt Whitman—Leaves of Grass
Mark Twain—The Prince and the Pauper
Charles Dickens—A Tale of Two Cities
John Irving—The World According to Garp
JRR Tolkein—The Lord of the Rings
Ken Kesey—One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Stephen King—The Shining
Robert Browning—Selected Poems
Victor Hugo—Les Miserables
Daniel Defoe—Robinson Crusoe
Joseph Heller—Catch 22

[myasma.livejournal.com]

I guess there is an emotional component to it as well--I have been carrying some of these books around with me for a very long time. I've had this copy of Huck Finn since I was a kid.

Maybe that's my whole problem--forming emotional attachments to objects. :)

[niyabinghi.livejournal.com]

Don't you dare part with any Tom Robbins or Richard Brautigan.....altho "Willard and His Bowling Trophies" wasn't one of his best.

[dabroots.livejournal.com]

I thought about suggesting that kind of exception. I have a few books of that sort that have my name written inside the front cover, etc. So, yeah, do what feels right. As someone else pointed out, though, hold onto the Brautigan, considering that some of it is out of print and therefore very tough to replace. Besides, the old editions of Brautigan are classics for their covers and layouts.

[quixoticdancer.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sorting through my books today, too. Some will be packed and shipped cross-country, and some will be sold at a yard sale or given away.

When you have to be ruthless, here's my rule of thumb: If I've only read the book once, and have never had the urge to pick it up again, even if only to find a certain passage or dip into at random, then out it goes. Books I've had for more than a year, and have never read, will also get the axe.

Believe it or not, that still leaves me with a lot of books. :)

[zeppo-marx.livejournal.com]

Books are a killer!

I used to have well over 1000 that I carted from place to place. I read two or three books a week, and couldn't bear to part with them.

Eventually, I got tired of packing up 20 boxes of books for each move, and got rid of all but about 100. From then on, I bought from a used book place that gave generous trade-ins on stuff they had sold you in the first place.

If that is all the books you have - I say keep em!


Other than that personal weakness, I pack with a fairly simple rule:

If I haven't used it in over a year, I probably don't really need it. If it is an expensive item that I feel has a better than even chance of being needed again then it goes into a well-labelled box for storage. It will not be unpacked at the destination until such time as I do actually need it. If it is a fairly cheap replacement item then it goes into the yard sale. Packing, carrying, unpacking, finding places for, etc. for a load of $5 items I don't use is a waste of my time and energy.

Some exceptions are, of course, made for items of an heirloom nature.


For the yard sale: nothing comes back into the house. Anything I can't sell goes to charity. I figure it's better that somebody who does need it now benefits along with whatever else good the charity uses the proceeds for.

[worldcomrade.livejournal.com]

*gasp* Get rid of books? Books are so personal and when you get rid of them, all of your comments in the margins go with them.

I recently posted about my love of books and bookshelves

[imgomez.livejournal.com]

(A passion that my wife does not share). I own and love all of those same books with the following exceptions:

Nevil Shute—On The Beach
Mark Twain—Letters from the Earth
Samuel Shem—The House of God
William Least Heat Moon—Blue Highways
John Kennedy Toole—A Confederacy of Dunces
Irving Wallace—The Seven Minutes
W. P. Kinsella—The Thrill of the Grass
Loung Ung—First They Killed My Father

Based on our shared tastes, I will check them out. (MAD, Kinflicks and Willard and His Bowling Trophies together -- YEAH!)

I parted with A LOT of books when I moved in with my wife, and I have many regrets. And it's not just about replacing them later - there's that old book smell, the associations, the memories. It's hard enough to leave the house - I think you should hold onto the books.

Re: I recently posted about my love of books and bookshelves

[myasma.livejournal.com]

You have good taste in books!

We Certainly Do!

[imgomez.livejournal.com]

And I try so hard to be diverse and eccentric, but we must both be part of the same target demographic. (You even have the same Larry McMurtry that would seem out of place.)

[valdelane.livejournal.com]

Sure, attachments can keep one from going where one needs to go, but... in this case you're already painfully parting from many other aspects of your home. Keeping books for comfort is entirely justified, and installing them in the new house may help to make you feel more at home there.

books`

[jeffe42.livejournal.com]

Yes, I too have similar tastes with you....with one exception....get rid or the Stephen King....nothing more than a tribute to medicority....gawd what a horrid writer!! :)J.

a set of parting shots about books with which to part

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

James Herriot—All Creatures Great and Small--Part--wonderful books, but available in library
Kurt Vonnegut—Player Piano--Part--again, a great book which the library will have
Arthur C. Clarke—2001 A Space Odyssey--Part, available at library
Richard Brautigan—The Abortion--KEEP--may not be available at library, and worth pulling down
Nevil Shute—On The Beach--Part, available at library
Richard Matheson—What Dreams May Come--close call, but keep by a nose, because sometimes not available.
Charles Dickens—A Christmas Carol--Keep, a holiday book, you don't want to have to bother to check out
Stephen King—The Stand--part, available at library
James Herriot—All Things Bright and Beautiful--part, available at library
Ray Bradbury—Fahrenheit 451--part, avialable at library
James Michener—The Source--part, available at library
Mark Twain—the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn--part, available at library
Battle Cry—Leon Uris--keep, sometimes not available at library
Charles Dickens—David Copperfield--part, available at library
Joseph Conrad—Heart of Darkness--part, available at library
Mark Twain—Letters from the Earth--part, available at library
J.D. Salinger—Catcher in the Rye--part, available at library
Richard Brautigan—The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster--keep, sometimes hard to find at library
Richard Brautigan—Trout Fishing in America--keep, although now common at libraries, apt to fade with time from libraries
Samuel Shem—The House of God--keep, not always easy to find
Kurt Vonnegut—Cat’s Cradle--part, available at library
Kurt Vonnegut—Welcome to the Monkey House--part, available at library
James Michener—Centennial--part, available at library
Larry McMurtry—Lonesome Dove--part, available at library
Irwin Shaw—Rich Man, Poor Man--part, available at library
Walt Whitman—Leaves of Grass--keep, handy to pull down
Mark Twain—The Prince and the Pauper--part, available at library
Charles Dickens—A Tale of Two Cities--part, available at library
John Irving—The World According to Garp--part, available at library
JRR Tolkein—The Lord of the Rings--keep, must save
William Least Heat Moon—Blue Highways--keep, not always readily available
John Irving—Setting Free the Bears--part, at library
Charles Dickens—Oliver Twist--part, easily available at library
Tom Robbins—Even Cowgirls Get The Blues--part, easily available at used bookstore or library
Alex Haley—Roots--part, easily available at library
Tom Robbins—Still Life With Woodpecker--part, easily available at library
John Kennedy Toole—A Confederacy of Dunces--part, easily available at library
Walter Van Tilburg Clark—The Ox-Bow Incident--part, easily available at library
Richard Brautigan—The Hawkline Monster--keep, not always easy to find
Ken Kesey—One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest--part, easily available at library
George R. Stewart—Earth Abides--keep, not always easy to find
Kurt Vonnegut—Slapstick--part, easily available at library
Richard Brautigan—Willard And His Bowling Trophies--keep, not always easy to find
Irving Wallace—The Seven Minutes--part, available at library
Mario Puzo—The Godfather--part, available at library
Lisa Alther—Kinflicks, part, available at library
Stephen King—The Shining, part, available at library
Robert Browning—Selected Poems, keep, nice to pull off shelf
W. P. Kinsella—The Thrill of the Grass, keep, not always easy to find
Loung Ung—First They Killed My Father, keep, not always easy to find
Richard Bach—Illusions, part, easy to find at library
Victor Hugo—Les Miserables, part, easy to find at library
Daniel Defoe—Robinson Crusoe, part, easy to find at library
Joseph Heller—Catch 22, part, easy to find at library
Benjamin Hoff—The Tao of Pooh, keep, handy to pull off shelf
Richard Brautigan—A Confederate General from Big Sur, keep, not easy to find at library
Douglas Adams—The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, part, easy to find at library
William Gaines—The Bedside Mad, keep, not easy to find at library
William Gaines—Utterly Mad, keep, not easy to find at library
T. S. Eliot—Selected Poems, keep, handy to pull off shelf
Spalding Gray—Swimming to Cambodia, part, easy to find at library.

[myasma.livejournal.com]

You are right of course. Many of them are available at the library or used book store. And maybe putting them someplace where others could read them as well, such as the Cancer Center reading room might be a good thing.

It is just so difficult to part with these old friends.

By the way, I would have thought you were a keep them and buy a bigger bookshelf kind of person. But I based that pretty much on what I know of your musical tastes, so it was bound to be inaccurate.

Re: books`

[myasma.livejournal.com]

Yes, I seem to have quite a few King Books, and I never read them.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I am indeed a "keep them and get a bigger bookshelf" type, but I think I am on the wrong track. We have hundreds of books in our garage, unread. I was trying to turn a new leaf,although, unfortunately, it's only a vicarious new leaf! Now I must find some of my own books to donate or sell!

[pbsage.livejournal.com]

definitely keep brautigan.

Re: books`

[jeffe42.livejournal.com]

Really!? That's great! You see, Virginia?!, there is hope!

[nissacrosseyed.livejournal.com]

I have book lust, looking at your list.

I have no suggestions on which ones to part with (because I am, by nature, a pack-rat and keep everything and anything I don't have an obvious reason to get rid of), but you can always send your extra/easily replaced books on an adventure via www.bookcrossing.com . I have wanted to send a few that way myself, but I just haven't gotten around to convincing myself to do it yet.

[filmsacramento.livejournal.com]

Don't get rid of any of them!

[photoholic62.livejournal.com]

I wish I had many of those in the hard back first edition! ::Drool::

[poetdan.livejournal.com]

I got rid of boxes and boxes and boxes of books when I cleared out my Mom's house.

I operate under the belief that NO book is unreplaceable, with rare exceptions like my signed copy of Giovanni's Room and to a lesser degree my signed Turtle Island.

But I do believe a small collection of books allows for a certain comfort level. My collection would have a few favorites no matter how common, a few hard to find books I like having acess to and for passing on to a friend who is "ripe" to read it. But most of the books I kept were books I felt might come in handy in one way or another for the novel I'm working on. And yes some of them fit into the catagories listed above.

The signed books are under lock and key ..the rest I could walk a way from in an instant, but while I have a free shelf I allow my self some small comfort, but not excess.

from the book-hating wife

[waypasttense.livejournal.com]

Not really, I just don't get as emotionally attached to things as imgomez (except items of baby clothing from my now-teenaged children - I smell and ooooh over them whenever I come across them). Too much stuff makes me feel weighted down so I cull my books at least once a year to keep the stock in the hundreds and hundreds rather than the thousands upon thousands.

For whatever it might be worth, here's my criteria for keeping:
* Any book I regularly refer to, quote from or re-read. (Will I use it to write a sermon or an article in the future? Keep it. Haven't read it yet but think I'll write a sermon from it in the future? Keep it for at least another year. This accounts for the majority of my books.)
* Any book that I found so wonderful that I want to loan it to friends. Eventually it will be lost on loan; then I replace it. This is the second largest number of my books.
* Any book given to me by someone special (if I know they put thought into it) (surprisingly few).
* Beautiful books that someone might like to look through on a rainy day.
* Favorite children's books - they are usually beautiful and one never knows when children will visit. Best to have these in hard cover.
* Any book written or illustrated by relatives (I don't have any, but imgomez does).

If I have space, of course, I'll keep books that don't fit the criteria, but if I start stacking books on their sides on top of the others, then I know I need to cull again.

Best of luck to you in this process. I hope you find just the right way that works for you. Why are you doing this, anyway?