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Caring for Your Books
From the book: To keep a home library attractive and bright requires a little care and a lot of common sense. You don't need to treat books like delicate Sèvres vases, liable to self-destruct at the mere presence of a toddler, but neither should they be manhandled like the morning newspaper. Take care of the books you have, and you will have books worth taking care of. Michael Dirda
67 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Michael Dirda
70 books250 followersMichael Dirda (born 1948), a Fulbright Fellowship recipient, is a Pulitzer Prize–winning critic. After earning a PhD in comparative literature from Cornell University, the joined the Washington Post in 1978.
Two collections of Dirda's literary journalism have been published: Readings: Essays and Literary Entertainments (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000; ISBN 0-253-33824-7) and Bound to Please (New York: W. W. Norton, 2005; ISBN 0-393-05757-7). He has also written Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life (New York: Henry Holt, 2005; ISBN 0-8050-7877-0), Classics for Pleasure (Orlando: Harcourt, 2007; ISBN 0-151-01251-2), critical biographical study On Conan Doyle (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011; ISBN 0-691-15135-0), which received a 2012 Edgar Award, and the autobiographical An Open Book: Coming of Age in the Heartland (New York: W. W. Norton, 2003; ISBN 0-393-05756-9).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_...
Two collections of Dirda's literary journalism have been published: Readings: Essays and Literary Entertainments (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000; ISBN 0-253-33824-7) and Bound to Please (New York: W. W. Norton, 2005; ISBN 0-393-05757-7). He has also written Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life (New York: Henry Holt, 2005; ISBN 0-8050-7877-0), Classics for Pleasure (Orlando: Harcourt, 2007; ISBN 0-151-01251-2), critical biographical study On Conan Doyle (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011; ISBN 0-691-15135-0), which received a 2012 Edgar Award, and the autobiographical An Open Book: Coming of Age in the Heartland (New York: W. W. Norton, 2003; ISBN 0-393-05756-9).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 22, 2019
This old little book bought used is informative.
I read it in 30 minutes and I'm now vacuuming my bookshelves and books while typing this on my phone.
My son counted my books in a moment of boredom, I have over a thousand. I can't part with them. The authors and their characters are some of my very best friends.
I've always tried to take care of them, and this little gem reminded why I spend my precious time reading.
I read it in 30 minutes and I'm now vacuuming my bookshelves and books while typing this on my phone.
My son counted my books in a moment of boredom, I have over a thousand. I can't part with them. The authors and their characters are some of my very best friends.
I've always tried to take care of them, and this little gem reminded why I spend my precious time reading.
January 17, 2025
“After all, romance is an important part of book collecting.”
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January 20, 2024ترجمهی فارسی نشر جهانکتاب.
June 19, 2023
"After all, romance is an important aspect of book collecting." (p. 16)
"A shelf of books, like an army platoon, should be a close unit of mutual support." (p. 19)
This book, while a set of recommendations for book collectors, is also well-written and sprinkled with lovely little turns of phrase. It's broken down into short 2-5 page chapters on subjects with titles such as "starting fresh," "of bookmarks," and "storage".
I appreciate that the author isn't overly proscriptive except, strangely, about lending (the author is firmly against). For example, he doesn't shame people who like to make notes or write in the margins, although he gives considerations in terms of financial value and the value annotations can bring to readers.
Because this is written for collectors, a lot of the advice and considerations have to do with maintaining the value of the book or scoring a more valuable edition but there are plenty of general care tips for those of us who love our books regardless of potential financial value.
"A shelf of books, like an army platoon, should be a close unit of mutual support." (p. 19)
This book, while a set of recommendations for book collectors, is also well-written and sprinkled with lovely little turns of phrase. It's broken down into short 2-5 page chapters on subjects with titles such as "starting fresh," "of bookmarks," and "storage".
I appreciate that the author isn't overly proscriptive except, strangely, about lending (the author is firmly against). For example, he doesn't shame people who like to make notes or write in the margins, although he gives considerations in terms of financial value and the value annotations can bring to readers.
Because this is written for collectors, a lot of the advice and considerations have to do with maintaining the value of the book or scoring a more valuable edition but there are plenty of general care tips for those of us who love our books regardless of potential financial value.
December 7, 2025
This is some perfectly adequate and succinct advice for taking care of books. I will be following very little of it and letting my old, used, damaged, and derelict, but still very readable, books be enjoyed as destructively as I see fit. I do think this is quite funny of a companion book for book of the month club, considering how much focus was on the value of special books and those book of the month editions are nearly always worth very little.
The best part about this book was perhaps the references to books and authors that would mean very little to the modern reader — shows how quickly even popular books everyone would know can exit the zeitgeist!
The best part about this book was perhaps the references to books and authors that would mean very little to the modern reader — shows how quickly even popular books everyone would know can exit the zeitgeist!
June 17, 2019
This is a charming little book with advice for serious book collectors and some tongue-in-cheek advice for the rest of us. I would only recommend it to those who collect books (I do not) or find book collecting amusing (I do).
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September 20, 2024Useful, only non fiction I’ve read in a long time, made me appreciate the collection I have.
July 15, 2015
Take away: if you have rare books or first editions, the best thing you can do is to not read them.
Yes, this author wants you to buy a cheap copy of a valued book so you can read it and not your priceless possession. But of course the most value part of the book is its content, so perhaps it is not worth all of this care and concern for most books.
Nonetheless, he does give a few good tips on storing books whether in a book case or in (aaaack) boxes. It's worth the hour of time it takes to read this short book.
Yes, this author wants you to buy a cheap copy of a valued book so you can read it and not your priceless possession. But of course the most value part of the book is its content, so perhaps it is not worth all of this care and concern for most books.
Nonetheless, he does give a few good tips on storing books whether in a book case or in (aaaack) boxes. It's worth the hour of time it takes to read this short book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews