Do you collect books?

[Caitlin B]

Yes, I try to

[Jenn]

No. I don't really reread books so I don't keep them. I get books from the library or if I end up buying a book, I sell it when I'm done. I do keep textbooks for reference, though.

[Mehmet]

Ahhh this is a sore subject with my fiancee. I save all the books i like and ones i want to read. I also cannot stop buying more since we.moved home we agreed to turn one room into my special library. On the condition that books can only be stored in that room and no where else. I do reread my books, especially ones i read as a teen. I just love books !

[Squire]

In 2006, I realized that I had about 40 Stephen King hardbacks and thought "Wow! These are in pretty good shape for being 25 to 30 years old!" So I cleaned up the jackets, threw plastic covers on them and set about getting the ones I didn't have.

Since then, I've collected about 200 Easton Press books and around 125 small specialty press volumes.

I haven't really gotten into ebooks yet, I'm still trying to get all my print volumes read!

[Justin]

I have a bunch of books in my room on my bookshelf that I've had for years just collecting dust. Also have a whole box of Goosebumps books I picked up a few years back since I sold my originals back in the day. I guess you could say I collected those.

[Marie]

I keep alot of my books. I have collections of Stephen King, John Saul, and some other main stream authors. I have paperbacks and hardbacks. Also now that I own a kindle, I have collections in there. What is nice about kindle collections is that if my kindle gets full, then I can store my collections in the cloud and they will always be there.

[Jen from Quebec :0)]

YES, YES I DO......MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW, BUT CHECK OUT MY PHOTOS FOR AN INKLING

[Tyler]

Right now I have one bookshelf which has a TV and game systems on it as well as other things, it's small and has books i've read on it. I'm not new to reading but to reading much and due to a house fire years ago lost a lot, but in the past year or so i've really gotten into reading and accumulating books again like never before. Right now I have all my unread books on a nightstand in several piles, a couple small boxes (one subscription box with 2 books and another with 3 books I haven't hauled on my booktube channel yet) and a few on the floor....I plan on getting another bookshelf, hopefully, next month so my unread books have a spot and I have some room for a few more bookshelves.

After that...well there is an entertainment center..floor space for boxes....lol i'll be surrounded by books eventually. However I thankfully also have a tablet where I can read kindle books however if I LOVE a book I want to get it in physical form and put it in a collection of "want to get" or something like that. I have 2 books I want to unhaul because I don't care for them but I enjoy pretty much every book I pick up, I just seem to judge my tastes pretty well but if I don't like a book at all I will unhaul it eventually but if I like a book, it stays lol.

Edit: Oh and I prefer paperbacks but will read any form.

[Kylie]

Stephanie, it's pretty much the same for me.

I have at least two bookcases full of books I've read and wanted to keep, but a good 500+ unread books that are in piles all over (and some are on shelves, separate from the ones I've read). Amazon marketplace and charity shops are both a blessing and a curse for me; books are so cheap that if I see something I can't get from the library - which is a lot as my tastes can be somewhat niche and our library system is small and vastly underfunded - I'll buy it. I prefer paperback but if I have better access to a hardback version or it's considerably cheaper, I'll go for hb. Same for kindle.

This is why my 2017 is hopefully going to be the year of both reading unread books and not buying any more. Trouble is I do end up judging my own taste quite well, so who knows how many of the books I get through will end up leaving my hoard?

[Tyler]

Feels weird to hope to dislike some books, just to be able to get rid of some lol but i'm thinking that'd be a good thing.

[Erin]

I keep all of the books of my favorite authors. The one author, who I have all of his books, is Stephen King.

[[deleted user]]

I don't collect books, I simply tend to keep the books I bought and/or read. I can only think of a few exceptions: A load of children's books that went to my parents' attic once I moved out and a few books I gave away or borrowed to friends.

[Andrew]

I'm not much for signed books. But I started collecting 1st editions in Santa Fe. I had a really good friend who owned a beautiful rare bookshop. His shop was my gateway drug.

[[deleted user]]

The only books I can say I collect are the 50's reprints of Nancy Drew, mostly because I inherited some from my aunt and the hunt for an entire set was fun (these are the ones with the yellow spines). I've only ever read three of them but I own 52 of the 57(?) "original" but haven't gotten into any of the expansion series that were published after 1964(?). I don't know exact dates. Plus they are all stored in boxes right now. I still have a few more to get and when I get back in the mood to search I'll finish my collection.

[sonya]

I do collect

[[deleted user]]

I have four book shelves, one of which is dedicated to strictly TBR books. I also have a small shelf in my kitchen for cook books.

If I don't like a book I put it in a bag for donation. If I like it, it goes on my shelves.

The only books currently in boxes are my Nancy Drew books from the 1950's and 1960's. One day I'll have a shelf dedicated to them but I have a few more to get before my collection of the "original" 57 is complete.

[Mikhail]

I'm slowly building my book collection into a proper organised, summarised library to give to my kids when they become teenagers. Other than that, I collect some books that wound up being must-reads to pass on to friends and colleagues (yes, I'm that book nut everyone has at their office!). I donate the rest of the books I read.

[Anne (w/ an E)]

I had a pretty big collection (well 50 or so), mostly hardcover. Then I had to move to a small apartment and I got rid of all but 4 or 5 favorites. I plan on collecting only my favorites so I will have something good to read when there is no more electricity for my Kindle ( you know, at the end of the world.) :D

[Anne (w/ an E)]

Josh wrote: "I'm a book collector of horror and true crime novels and I love them"

So how many do you have?

[Anne (w/ an E)]

E-books don't count, just so you know ;D

[Anne (w/ an E)]

I 'm sure you do. I was just sayin'...

[Anne (w/ an E)]

I loved my books too, mostly Stephen King. The oldies and the goodies.

[Kurt]

I don't consider myself a book collector. Rather, I classify myself as a voracious reader and buy way many more books than I can read, so a lot of them sit on a shelf until I get to read them, not as a collection, but for a future read. When I see a "hole" in my non-collection, (i.e., a book I don't have from a certain author), I try to hunt it down and buy it to add to my non-collection to be read in the future. I would never even consider selling, donating or otherwise giving away ANY of my books, because that would create an even bigger "hole" in my non-collection, and that would just drive me nuts!!! I love to go to libraries and used book stores with the intention of buying as many books as I can carry. I have a list of books I am always looking for, and I carry it with me at all times. This list just never seems to dwindle, for every time I find a book on said list, I add another book to it. Serious collectors would never even think of displaying this kind of behavior! When people ask me why I collect so many books, I politely tell them... wait... Oh My God!!!... I... am... a book collector!!!!!

[Anne (w/ an E)]

Sure Josh, but right now I have a lot of books that I am committed to reading first. How does Night Shift sound to you? That was my very first SK novel, before I had even heard of him. I think I was 11 or so.

[Anne (w/ an E)]

I have a copy so if you can find one, that would be great. When are you going to visit your aunt?

[Anne (w/ an E)]

Well, like I said, I am committed to reading several books right now, but if you can find a copy let me know and I will try to squeeze it in. Does that work for you?
I'm getting a headache so I have to get off here. Talk soon.

[Baz]

Kurt wrote: "I don't consider myself a book collector. Rather, I classify myself as a voracious reader and buy way many more books than I can read, so a lot of them sit on a shelf until I get to read them, not ..."

I think we share a few parallels on this front. "They're just there because I will need to read them one day" rather than being an actual hoarder haha.
When the shelves fill up (even with books I've already read), I'm more likely to just go to IKEA and get a new bookcase rather than recycle what I have already read.
Do you mostly read hard copy or ebooks?

[Mikhail]

@Kurt: I used to not have to give away or donate books. Then I made two babies with the missus. We live in a small flat and I always lose the argument whether a particular shelf or drawer should have kids clothes or books...

[Kurt]

Baz wrote: "Kurt wrote: "I don't consider myself a book collector. Rather, I classify myself as a voracious reader and buy way many more books than I can read, so a lot of them sit on a shelf until I get to re..."
I almost exclusively read hard copy! With only one exception... sometimes I download the book I am currently reading as an ebook so I can read it at work while I am at my desk, then it makes it look like I'm working... I'm so addicted!!!

[Baz]

Kurt wrote: "Baz wrote: "Kurt wrote: "I don't consider myself a book collector. Rather, I classify myself as a voracious reader and buy way many more books than I can read, so a lot of them sit on a shelf until..."

Haha I'd have to cut and paste mine into spreadsheets for that to work for me unfortunately

[Kirsten]

I have a fully stuffed bookcase, or three...
Every now and then I'll have a purge. I went through a stage of primarily reading crime novels. I've ditched most of those now.
There's a special shelf for signed books. And then special shelves for favourites. Every time I go to a book fair, I try and source either a better condition copy of favourite - preferably hardcover, or an older edition of a favourite. I know some people who have bookcases purely filled with first editions!!! #lifegoals

[[deleted user]]

I buy books almost compulsively.

Mostly, I buy horror novels from the 1970's and 1980's. I love the old artwork that used to scare me as a child. Books today tend to have plain covers which annoys me; there was nothing wrong with the older covers.

[Eva]

I prefer paperbacks, but I have some hardcovers as well.
I only keep the books (in alphabetical order on my wooden shelves) that I rate 4 stars or more. I sell/give away the 3 stars or less :)

I buy books every month, but I try to keep it logical. So I buy a part of a series that I am reading or a book I've been wanting to read for a while. I hardly ever buy just out of the blue... :)

[Jennifer]

I don’t collect books but I do own a lot. I tend to buy them at a quicker rate than I read them so my bookcases get more and more full. I bought a new half sized one a few months ago and it's full already.

I do get rid of books though. Books that I don't enjoy or have no intention of reading again are given to a charity shop.

[Eva]

R. wrote: "Ben E. J. wrote: "I buy books almost compulsively.

Mostly, I buy horror novels from the 1970's and 1980's. I love the old artwork that used to scare me as a child. Books today tend to have plain ..."


That first book mentioned: "The novel terrifies. Even by daylight it makes your flesh crawl."

*Puts it on her TBR*

[[deleted user]]

R. wrote: "Ben E. J. wrote: "I buy books almost compulsively.

Mostly, I buy horror novels from the 1970's and 1980's. I love the old artwork that used to scare me as a child. Books today tend to have plain ..."

YES!! I've been on there for recommendations, aha.

[Natalie]

Ben E. J. wrote: "I buy books almost compulsively.

Mostly, I buy horror novels from the 1970's and 1980's. I love the old artwork that used to scare me as a child. Books today tend to have plain covers which annoy..."

Oh my god, I'm exactly the same. I try to hunt down really old copies of books on ebay, because I love the older covers. Especially with horror novels.

[Alan]

I used to only read books I bought. Then at one point, times were tough so I started borrowing from the library. Then I broke down and got a Kindle and learned how great it is to not have to have a physical book for everything you read, and not have to own a copy of every book you read, especially if it's a title you loved or author you think you'll visit again. Most of my really favorite authors, I still like to purchase all their books and keep series collection. I used to like hardcover, but they're so expensive and take up so much more space, very few authors would I buy hardcover any more.

[[deleted user]]

I only read books if I can acquire a physical copy (either by buying it or from a library), and given my rate of acquisition, I usually need to buy a new bookshelf once a year. Good thing I don't spend my money on much other than food or books.

Also, I tend to go through periods of attempting to find books in a specific category (currently it's Edward Gorey covers, previously it was the Shadows anthology series, before that Philip K Dick novels. You get the idea)

[Joey]

Sadly, no. The physical book, more and more, seems to be going the way of the album, cassette tape, compact disk, and VHS/DVD. Digital is highly portable, highly convenient, but it's it's more than a little sad that I no longer prominently display my media collections in my home...feeling the pride that one gets while a friend thumbs through your collections.

[sonya]

I have a lot of books but I give them away after reading them

[Joshua]

I only buy used HC or Limited Releases. I love collecting books, I also collect softcover horror (Bently Little, Laymon, ect.) And I constantly buy bundles (Everywhere from Amazon to Offerup) its rewarding imo. Take last week, I spent 160$ on Offerup on a bundle of older King novels, I got there and she kept grabbing more and more boxes. I got 30 Hardcovers and 6 soft covers (Dark Tower series) out of it. Some classic 1st Ed's Pet Semetary, It, Carrie, ect.

That's why I do it the way I do.

[Natalie]

I collect autographed books. Have about 50. Always looking for new ones. I even started my kids collecting autographed kid books. Have a very nice collection started.

[John]

Scanned the thread as spans several years. Yes, MUST collect books. Down to about 1000 physical books in 6 bookshelves thru the house. One for horror, one for Sci-Fi/Fantasy, others are a mix. Moved 8 times in 10 years and each move meant another box or two of friends went away. Also trade at the used book store but my credit is down about $200.

Did get on the digital bandwagon though and have more audio and ebooks than physical now. Audible and Kindle freebies and sales add up quick. Use GoodReads and a free book manager called Calibre ebook mgmt to wrangle all this and it is up to 4631 books.

[Christopher]

I collected physical books for 50 years--owned thousands of 'em, first editions, limited editions, signed books, everything. But this past summer my wife and I performed the Great Downsizing in order to move from our house to a condo, and we sold off something like 50% of all our books. Now the rule is that if either of us wants to bring another physical book into the condo we have to jettison one that we already own! But it's OK--both of us have long since gone nearly all-Kindle anyway.

[John]

Christopher wrote: "I collected physical books for 50 years--owned thousands of 'em, first editions, limited editions, signed books, everything. But this past summer my wife and I performed the Great Downsizing in ord..."

Same. Collected for 50 years and each move had to let some go. Also thinking about the downsizing so now we have the same rule; 1 out for each in and trying for more out. And I belong to 4 libraries with access to their digital resources and the compulsion to own and keep is gone (mostly :)

[WendyB]

I'd have to say yes. I'm in the process of converting a spare bedroom into a home library. Two walls lined with book shelves, a small table and chairs, and even an old rocking chair. I may never leave the room except to eat and use the bathroom!

[Melanie]

WendyB wrote: "I'd have to say yes. I'm in the process of converting a spare bedroom into a home library. Two walls lined with book shelves, a small table and chairs, and even an old rocking chair. I may never le..."

Ah Wendy, I'm coming for a play at your house!

I have Library, really just a small lounge room with several bookshelves but they're busting at the seams and my collection of 80's/90's Fear Street and Point Horror (which keeps growing) now has to be stacked vertically instead of horizontally. I read a lot of e-books too but much prefer the paper version.

[Miss Malfoy🐍]

I love to get physical books. I stock up on Barnes & Noble gift cards every year, then go on a book spree. My uncle actually just built me a new bookshelf because I don’t have any room at all left on the two that came with our house. When I’m old enough and have enough money to either buy or build a house, I’m going to have at least one room as a designated library, and I’m hoping to make it look like the Beauty and the Beast library.

[Marcus]

I don't think it's accurate to call it a collection anymore. I heap them around me like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter.