Storing And Preserving Books

[Pauvel]

I've no problem with ebooks. I read whenever I have a few minutes and wherever I'm bored(during lull periods in the night shifts, sometimes while in transit). I read them on my mobile But ever since I've known about Kindle, I wanted to own one.Didn't yet though.
But yes every so often, I really miss the feel of a physical book and pick one up.
These days, I read a book book at home and an ebook when I'm out

[Pauvel]

@Greg: U should see my room. It's cluttered with all sort of stuff.My book cupboard is full so I keep the new books wherever there's even a tiny space. There are usually teetering piles of textbooks and novels ready to fall at the shortest whiff of wind. Infact half of my bed is full of clothes and books. I only use the other side of bed to sleep - Just a little insight of the slothfulness in my life to gross people out ;)

[Nic, Wormhole Technician]

I was at an airport a couple of years ago in the departure lounge on the way back from a holiday, and was horrified to notice a girl sitting across from me, reading a book and tearing out the pages that she'd finished, putting them into a bin next to her. One of the weirdest book-related things I've ever seen.

[Veronica]

Oh god, that really hurts my heart. Poor, defenseless book. :-(

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

I also donate a lot of books to charity when I need to have a clean out. I buy a lot of them from charity shops so I'm just giving them back really. If I didn't enjoy a book too much and I know I won't re-read, I'll donate it.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

Greg wrote: I hate giving away books too Pauvel, but like Paul, I have no choice on occasion. Every open space without other furniture has a bookshelf and all of them are full. I live in a two level rented apartment/condo (fairly small). Unfortunately housing is so insanely expensive in California that even with an engineering job, I don't see that changing soon.

That's for sure. I grew up near San Francisco but have not been able to afford living there as an adult. Whenever I visit my parents, the grocery store prices give me a heart attack, too. My current $185K house would easily go for a million in the Bay Area.

[Alex]

I need to donate some of my books. I got several boxes of books from auctions, police and estate sales, and I really don't need a book on pilate exercises, mathematics textbooks, or 3 copies of home medical journals.

[Freya, Dragon Rider]

I keep my books, like Rinn, on shelves (so there is airflow) and out of direct sun. I have a mix of new and second hand books so the preservation varies greatly! I am usually pretty careful with my books I buy from new as I like to keep them as best as possible (even though some spine cracking is impossible to avoid with some books). If any have got a little dog-eared I tend to squash them between heavy books to straighten them out before putting them back on the shelves.

I am sometimes in two minds about plastic covers to books. On the one hand they keep the covers in good nick, but it is a little like sellotape - with age the plastic can degrade or discolour which can affect the books. This might not be so much of a problem now with more awareness of conservation of paper - the composition of the plastic may have been changed over the years, but it is something worth bearing in mind! If your books are starting to smell musty, it might be worth rotating them or airing them sometimes.

For musty smell I wonder if anything like camphor etc. might help, or if a dish of bicarbonate of soda might reduce the smell like it does in a fridge? Because where I live is old and I have to dry my clothing indoors a lot, I have moisture traps which I leave and empty out sometimes - however that might be pointless in a humid climate! Might be worth seeing if it is in fact more humid in the cupboards or more humid in the room?

[Pauvel]

Freya wrote: "I keep my books, like Rinn, on shelves (so there is airflow) and out of direct sun. I have a mix of new and second hand books so the preservation varies greatly! I am usually pretty careful with my..."

I definitely need to take out some of my books for airing. And change the polythene covers. Hope that will suffice. :)