Personal Libraries

My mother would attack you for that book. She loves H. Rider Haggard. Sounds like an amazing find!

Since several of my WIPs are of old Hollywood stories, I've been scouring the local places looking for good research material (if I mention a character who really existed, I like knowing enough about them to talk about them intelligently, and old Hollywood bios have oodles of good info in them, where the stars gossip about each other.)

Recently, my husband and I checked out the Mennonite Thrift Store here in Edmonton, and found a wonderful treasure chest of old Hollywood books for fractions of what we'd pay new, or even on Amazon or e-bay! They told us they'd received a collector's collection, and would be putting out a little more every week. So I've been trying to hit them as regularly as I can afford it.

Some of these are $70-$80 coffee table books on classic Hollywood studios, the Selznicks, etc for $10 or $15. The smaller ones are running $5 or $6. So yeah...I'm lovin it.

A friend of mine has a near-complete collection of the complete works of Dickens, the Waverley editions. Gorgeous books. He's only short of A Tale of Two Cities. He offered to lend them to me as I'm a fan of Dickens' humour, but I declined. I said I appreciated his offer, but I'd be far too scared of borrowing something so valuable.

Susan Littlefield said:

I figured somebody would come across this thread and relate to the I Love Old Books Syndrome. Tell you mom to go look in some second hand stores, because most times they don't know the value of old books.

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That'd be great if I still spoke to her, but unfortunately, we don't. When I think of H. Rider Haggard though, she's the first person I think of.

scarletpeaches said:

A friend of mine has a near-complete collection of the complete works of Dickens, the Waverley editions. Gorgeous books. He's only short of A Tale of Two Cities. He offered to lend them to me as I'm a fan of Dickens' humour, but I declined. I said I appreciated his offer, but I'd be far too scared of borrowing something so valuable.

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Niiiiiiiice! But yeah. I'm scared enough touching my husband's King first editions. He's so picky about them.

Susan Littlefield said:

. . .What about you? Any book collections?

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Something like ten thousand volumes (I mean that literally), including hundreds of 1950-60s science fiction books (novels and anthologies; books published during those years, and more dating earlier and later). Also substantial selections in history, political science, mathematics, science (including texts in cellular biology), reference, literature (more than a hundred volumes from the Library of America, a complete Dickens, and much more), writing & related, religion, and . . . and . . . and.

--Ken

Used to collect Swedish mysteries from 40s & 50s. No first editions but found some signed by the author which is always fun.

Patricia Briggs' STEAL THE DRAGON used to sell for $80-$120 when it was out of print. Not knowing this, I picked up a copy for $0.50 at a used bookstore a long time ago. Loved and devoured it. Let all my friends borrow it.

One borrowed it and of course, lost it. I went to buy a new copy and discovered what a treasure I'd gotten my hands on. Heh. It's been reprinted since then, so you can find it much cheaper now, but it near broke my heart because I loved that book so much and it was so hard for me to envision paying that much for just one book.

I have tons of books (don't have a count but I'm sure it's in the 2K range), including some signed copies, but mostly I collected because I loved the stories, not for the dollar value or anything like that.

Jess Haines said:

Patricia Briggs' STEAL THE DRAGON used to sell for $80-$120 when it was out of print. Not knowing this, I picked up a copy for $0.50 at a used bookstore a long time ago. Loved and devoured it. Let all my friends borrow it.

One borrowed it and of course, lost it. I went to buy a new copy and discovered what a treasure I'd gotten my hands on. Heh. It's been reprinted since then, so you can find it much cheaper now, but it near broke my heart because I loved that book so much and it was so hard for me to envision paying that much for just one book.

I have tons of books (don't have a count but I'm sure it's in the 2K range), including some signed copies, but mostly I collected because I loved the stories, not for the dollar value or anything like that.

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With friends like that, who needs enemas? I learned my lesson the hard way too, but eventually did get one of my favorites back from someone who just "kept forgetting" to bring it back to me.

I no longer lend my books out. To anyone. I'll write down the title, and if they're interested enough they can look for it, but my books are my babies. You wouldn't lose someone's baby would you? Then don't lose their books!

Grrrrr.... pet peeve.

I don't lend books out either.

I've had people flip through my bookshelves (which I hate. HANDS OFF!) and say, "Ooh, I'll have to borrow this one."

I give them that look -- yeah, that one -- and ask, "Oh will you?"

Susan Littlefield said:

Ken, this is your home library? That's awesome!

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Yep, although a few hundred are now relocated to a small office a couple of miles from my home. Since I bought a Kindle, though, I buy few printed books (ironic, that, as I publish printed books).

I have one large, mouldering volume, inherited from my father, who received it as a gift from a student, that was printed in 1593.

One of these days, I really need to downsize the collection. Even giving 2,400 books to the SPCA book sale a few years ago made barely a dent.

--Ken

I love old books. They have a sweet dusty smell and I love imagining all the history behind them Second-hand bookshops, particularly charity shops, are brilliant for getting obscure books at low prices.

I haven't learned my lesson. I still loan my books. I've even loaned my Kindle, hehe.

Susan Littlefield said:

I figured somebody would come across this thread and relate to the I Love Old Books Syndrome. Tell you mom to go look in some second hand stores, because most times they don't know the value of old books.

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But the book scouts do. I know a few that haunt the thrifts, and they're always chortling about their finds.

Its like Professor Harold Hill said, "ya gotta know the territory."

That, and get there before the scouts can do any cherry-pickin'.

ResearchGuy said:

Something like ten thousand volumes (I mean that literally), including hundreds of 1950-60s science fiction books (novels and anthologies; books published during those years, and more dating earlier and later). Also substantial selections in history, political science, mathematics, science (including texts in cellular biology), reference, literature (more than a hundred volumes from the Library of America, a complete Dickens, and much more), writing & related, religion, and . . . and . . . and.

--Ken

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Sounds very like my collection, with less math and cellular biology, and substituting Edgar Rice Burroughs for Dickens (although I do have a lot of Dickens). Number's about the same, though.

... just one. A 1901 copy of Tolstoy's Resurrection. If I ever get some loot together I'd love to purchase some first editions.