Do you collect books?

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patrickt
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Post by patrickt »

No. When I bought hard copies the books collected but I never collected books. I did want all of Milton Erickson's books concerning hypnosis but I didn't want to collect them. I wanted to read them.

My father collected rocks. Not small rocks. Good-sized rocks. Not special rocks. No, just rocks from wherever we were on vacation. I'm amazed I didn't have hernias before I was twelve. "Get that rock, Pat." The back seat of Dad's Buick would have 150 pounds of rocks by the time we got home. They went in Mom's flower garden, lined the sidewalk, and sat on the patio. With just the slightest excuse, usually involving alcohol, dad would proceed to tell the provenance of every single rock.

The only thing I seem to collect are stories and memories but then I'm old.
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Post by Fran »

patrickt wrote:No. When I bought hard copies the books collected but I never collected books. I did want all of Milton Erickson's books concerning hypnosis but I didn't want to collect them. I wanted to read them.

My father collected rocks. Not small rocks. Good-sized rocks. Not special rocks. No, just rocks from wherever we were on vacation. I'm amazed I didn't have hernias before I was twelve. "Get that rock, Pat." The back seat of Dad's Buick would have 150 pounds of rocks by the time we got home. They went in Mom's flower garden, lined the sidewalk, and sat on the patio. With just the slightest excuse, usually involving alcohol, dad would proceed to tell the provenance of every single rock.

The only thing I seem to collect are stories and memories but then I'm old.
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Nikos
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Post by Nikos »

I live not too far from a "Half Price Books" which is a store that buys used books, and then resells them, at a price cheaper then the big corporation book stores (hence the name, half price books).

They have a clearance section at the back with a bunch of non-fiction, non-organized books for 2-3$ each. I've made quite a few trips there and have spent near 50$ if not more on 2$ books that looked interesting. They were quality books too, for example, I found Sun Tzu's "Art of War" back there, among countless other things about the universe, the human brain, history, etc.

-Nikos
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Bighuey
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Post by Bighuey »

That sounds like my kind of bookstore. When I lived in Utah I would get books from Deseret Industries, its the LDS church thrift store. They had about every kind of book you could imagine, a section for old rare books and shelves and shelves with others. Their paperbacks were 50 cents, the hardcovers were 2 to 3 dollars. I bought a 10 volume set of Bomba the Jungle Boy books for 10 dollars. A book lovers paradise.

Edit @ patrickt, your story about rocks reminds me of the movie The Long, Long, Trailer with Lucy and Desi. Your dad must have seen that movie.
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StoneGolem
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Post by StoneGolem »

I know this isn't really what you meant, but that's why I'm so hesitant to buy a eReader. I like having a book to put on the shelf. They are like my little trophies.
... oh vanity.
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Bighuey
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Post by Bighuey »

I was the same way at one time. I had shelves full of books, I had boxes full of books, and I just couldnt find it in my heart to get rid of them, but I moved into a smaller place and had no room so I had to give them away, I sold some of them. I still have about 300 of them but they are keepers. I think I mentioned on this forum somewhere that I have about 8000 e books on a stick and that will fit into a coffee cup. Its not the same as reading a paper book but I am used to it now.
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ResearchScholar
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Post by ResearchScholar »

Evapohler wrote:Like many of you, I keep whatever books I buy, though I admire those who can give them away. In general, I am not a hoarder. In my efforts to stay neat and tidy, I can throw things away with the coldest of hearts for the sake of organization. But when it comes to books and gifts from my kids, I just can't part with them. Luckily I like the look of books shelves as a home decorating element!
I am glad I read this. I need to get more organsized and tidy like you. Going through life with little baggage -- literally and figuratively -- does have its advantages!
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Bighuey
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Post by Bighuey »

My dream is to have a gigantic room to use as a library with books to line all the walls and to be able to kick back in front of a fireplace and read them all, but That will probably never happen so I will just have to be content with my ebooks on a stick and sit and read them in my old broken recliner.
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Post by Allicat »

Nikos wrote:I live not too far from a "Half Price Books" which is a store that buys used books, and then resells them, at a price cheaper then the big corporation book stores (hence the name, half price books).

They have a clearance section at the back with a bunch of non-fiction, non-organized books for 2-3$ each. I've made quite a few trips there and have spent near 50$ if not more on 2$ books that looked interesting. They were quality books too, for example, I found Sun Tzu's "Art of War" back there, among countless other things about the universe, the human brain, history, etc.

-Nikos
Wow, wish I had that kind of store around here. :( All we have are Barnes and Noble stores, which can get a little pricey sometimes.

I don't really collect books, because, as I mentioned before, it's just too expensive. However, if I get the first book in a series in hardcover, for example, I feel I MUST get the rest of the books in the set in hardcover also. Same goes for paperback books.

But other than that, I never really care what the book looks like or how old or how much it's worth, as long as I can curl up with it and enjoy a good story. :)
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Bighuey
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Post by Bighuey »

Allicat wrote:
Nikos wrote:I live not too far from a "Half Price Books" which is a store that buys used books, and then resells them, at a price cheaper then the big corporation book stores (hence the name, half price books).

They have a clearance section at the back with a bunch of non-fiction, non-organized books for 2-3$ each. I've made quite a few trips there and have spent near 50$ if not more on 2$ books that looked interesting. They were quality books too, for example, I found Sun Tzu's "Art of War" back there, among countless other things about the universe, the human brain, history, etc.

-Nikos
Wow, wish I had that kind of store around here. :( All we have are Barnes and Noble stores, which can get a little pricey sometimes.

I don't really collect books, because, as I mentioned before, it's just too expensive. However, if I get the first book in a series in hardcover, for example, I feel I MUST get the rest of the books in the set in hardcover also. Same goes for paperback books.

But other than that, I never really care what the book looks like or how old or how much it's worth, as long as I can curl up with it and enjoy a good story. :)


Theres no such thing as a used book, if youve never read it before it is new.
Kindle Books
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Post by Kindle Books »

I Have a couple of book by Joe Sugarman.

I am not collecting by talking about that, maybe i should start.
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Post by thankyou »

No I don't usually collect books, I just read them.
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Hgeary123
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Post by Hgeary123 »

What started out 3/4 books that i had on a shelf 10 years ago has now turned into 4 book cases and half a loft full of books and magazines which i guess makes me a hoarder/collector
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Post by saturday+deviant »

I collect books in general, but I don't look for different editions of specific books. The only way I have more than one copy of a book is because different professors required different editions.
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Jon-Ross
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Post by Jon-Ross »

One copy is enough for me. Though I will say I don't like books that I have on my bookshelf that have different covers or a mix of paperback and hardcover e.g. 'Harry Potter: The Philosopher's Stone',' Harry Potter: The Chamber of Secrets', 'Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban', and 'Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows' are the same. 'Harry Potter: The Goblet of Fire' and 'Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Price' are a different cover. 'Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix' is hardback.
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