What syle of collecting do you have, IF you collect?

[Mary JL]

There are many styles of book collecting. Some people keep every single book they buy. Some collect SF only or fantasy only or certain authors.
Some collect first editions only, and so on.

I personally try to save mostly science fiction authors. I prefer paperbacks because of the cost factor; hardcover books do exist in my collection--for certain authors or books.

Since I live in a very small apartment, I have regretfully concluded I cannot save everything. On the other hand, not everything is worth keeping.!

Guessing I have about 3,500 books in my collection, About 90% of them are Sceince fiction, plus a handful of fantasy.

So, my friends, what do you collect?

[Kevin]

old pulp covers. I will haunt used book stores looking for the oldest most gaudy covers of books I loved. or one in better condition then one I already have.

If a pulp is not available I want 1st ed hard cover.

I have to be selective I have a huge library last count was way over 10,000 and space limits mean something hase to go if i add anything to it.

I have piles of books every where

this pile to read
this pile read
this is an old pile to read lets box it up and get to it later.

so many books so little time.

[Mawgojzeta]

Kevinalbee: so cool! Over 10,000! My house would collapse (I fear) if I had that many.

[Jon]

I only collect/keep signed first edition hardcovers. I try to keep my top twenty favorite all-time reads in some format in the house in case I have a burning desire to re-read them. Otherwise, I'm not attached to any novel once I've read it.

[Kevin]

Mawgojzeta wrote: "Kevinalbee: so cool! Over 10,000! My house would collapse (I fear) if I had that many. "

I would have more but the wife will not let me convert the kids rooms to libraries. They can sleep in the living room. or garage.

I do have concerns about fire.


I lost an entire set of first editon pulp john carter of mars series. in a fire when in college. Lost all the books I had from before being 20 that day. very sad but only 3-400 books

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

I pretty much keep every book that I've read, except when it comes time to move and I pare down by donating the ones I didn't like that much to Goodwill or the like. I mostly buy paperbacks, except for very, very few exceptions where I just couldn't wait that long to read the next part of a series.

Lately I've been thinking of joining one of the swap things because I've gotten a bunch of books, based on others recommendations, that I haven't liked that much and am not too fussed about keeping. I have a few shelves which are dedicated to my favorites, though, and these I'll never get rid of - unless I have to replace them from wear and age.

I have one shelf for classics/literature, one for philosophy, one for spirituality, three for graphic novels, and the rest are mostly sci-fi, fantasy or horror, with a few lit-mysteries thrown in for good measure.

I've never counted them, but I have nowhere near the collection some people do. I've only recently started collecting. I lost all the books I had from when I lived in Ireland, and have only a small handful from when I lived with my parents, so it's mostly just what I've amassed in the past 5 or so years.

Since I have only so much space, and it's dwindling more and more, I imagine I'll be getting rid of more at some point in the future. I'd rather give them away in the hopes that someone else likes them better than let them wallow in storage, which is where they'd go otherwise.

[Ron]

Collecting books I plan to read again. And a few signed by the author. And a collection of C. S. Lewis--both fiction and non. (In fact, mostly, non-fiction.) And reference books, of course. And . . .

[Arun]

Am quite at a loss of words when i read through the kind of archiving all you guys have. My shelf is a haphazard one with Douglas Adams,Rushdie and Jim Corbett all jostling for space. I collect all that i buy n two books maybe as different as chalk and cheese...

[Dana]

Like Ron, I tend to keep the books I plan to read again. I also collect books by my favorite authors, and a couple of specific series. I also have a lot of non-fiction books used for research. The majority are paperback, mainly because I share them with my sweetheart, who is hard on books.

I have not counted our books, but I know they take up 6 book shelves in our tiny apartment, and we have reached a point where we have to cull. Now, if one of us wants to buy a book, we have to donate a book to goodwill. :)

[Cassie]

I try to keep every book I've read, but "somebody" keeps donating my books to the library. Actually, I lost 90% of my books the last time I moved, due to "somebody"'s unwillingness to move so many heavy boxes. And that was before I joined Goodreads, so I don't have a catalog of what I had.

Now, a lot of my books are in ebook form, which makes it a lot easier to organize, and I can keep it all on a flash drive. But I will probably buy the ones I like in hardcover or sets when I can make a library room.

[Roger]

I keep everything and let everything pile up and get messy. Then I reorganize and re-shelve everything, pruning out books I no longer want / will never read. Just went through this exercise this past week and I swore to myself I would be more organized going forward (he said with a straight face). Given that I've got 100 bucks in Barnes and Noble gift cards burning a hole in my pocket, we'll see how I do.

[Nathan]

I keep pretty much every book I can get my hands on, though most of my books tend to be Sci-Fi and Fantasy. I keep a book even if I hate it, knowing that I might read it again in 15 years, see it from a new perspective and truly enjoy it. I do try to find nice leatherbound editions of some of my favorites, though I will settle for a very nice hardcover. I prefer to have at least 2 copies of my favorites because I know that if I enjoy the book, I will read it again, and again, and again. I always read the same copy of the book and keep the other seperate and in near mint condition. Its my goal to have good size Library of all leatherbound editions.

[Bronwyn]

I keep every thing I've bought or been given. Every now and then I might return a book that was a gift, but usually only when they're hokey or stupid trivia things. I also lost a lot when my parents house flooded when I was about 8. It was mostly just kids books, but some of my favorites were in there. I wrote them all down before we pitched them though so I know what I need to replace. Otherwise... yes, I keep everything. I just box things up and move things around to make room for what I want on my shelves right now.

Collecting wise, I try to get signed books by people I love. Some I've just stumbled across on the shelves at the store, but others I've hunted for or were given as gifts (Charles Vess, Brian Froud...). I also collect multiple copies of a select few books. I'm working on getting multiple language copies of the first Harry Potter book and I'm trying to get different and older copies of Anne of Green Gables.

[Tayla36]

I have 1259 Fantasy and Sci Fi books. I know because I have them all listed on an Excel spreadsheet. I have to update it now because I bought 4 more today.

I have paperbacks and Hardbacks. And I would say that I probably have every sci fi and fantasy book that I have ever read going back to junior high when I started (30 years ago). I have gotten rid of duplicates, but I don't like letting go of books, even if I didn't like them on the first read through. Because I might read it again someday and like it. It took me three tries to get through the first Harry Potter novel.

I do get rid of my mother's books. she does not re-read them. She reads a lot of horror and crime dramas. I keep the Steven King, and some of the crime dramas like James Patterson, but other than that, I put them up on BookMooch.

I hardly ever buy a book for full price anymore. I would say that in the past three years, I have bought about 500 books, all at Library Books sales where you can get a hardback for a dollar and a paperback for fifty cents.
I also shop the bargin books table at regular book stores.
and i also shop online used bookstore (Abebook.com). That's a great way to complete series.

My books are pretty organized. I have 7 bookshelves in my basement/den with the fantasy and sci fi. And three bookshelves in my bedroom with the crime dramas that I want to read and the Steven King and a few misc stuff (a few biographies and memoirs, and a few gay romance). I also have a nice little collection of occult/new age books (Tarot, Reiki, Native American Medicine, Astrology). I do have a couple boxes of crime dramas and general fiction in the basement that I have to go through and see what I want to keep.

My Sci Fi and Fantasy books are my babies, and are very well loved and well organized. I suppose if I ever have to move, this might become a problem.