Mama Squirrel commented:
What I collect? I blush to use the term…scrounge is more to the point, since collecting might imply that I am more knowledgeable than I am about things such as editions and conditions.
Not at all, my dear! Knowledge of editions and conditions is NOT necessary to be a true book collector. In fact, it sounds to me as if you have some very interesting collections.
I did study the finer points of bibliography in graduate school and apprenticed as a book collector under one of the finest bookmen in the country
(see http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/EclecticBibliophile/6144/), but only my Eudora Welty collection (and it’s a beaut) involves such niceties.
So when I write here about collecting books, I generally mean collecting in the sense of acquiring and accumulating books you love.
Thanks for stopping by and for raising this issue!
Mary Jo
I agree. Our book collection is more a result of serendipity than science. Yes, I do collect antique books; they’ve fascinated me for years. I’m definitely not your traditional collector, however, because I concern myself more with content than condition. We also collect books by favorite authors, books on particular topics, etc.
Of course, book collecting can become an obesession too. At one point God convicted me of book hoarding (Which is not normal book collecting) and commanded me to purge. That first time, I got rid of about 500 books and it was a surprisingly liberating experience. The second time He told me to purge I eliminated about the same. Now we’re down to the books that we collect because we truly enjoy them, rather than because they fill the shelves nicely.
Timing was everything on the purging. The books I got rid of were primarily things we’d collected for school and our school years were almost over when He had me send them into other homes. Letting go of that thousand or so books made the remaining books (Which I refrain from counting) more visible and more easily accessible. It also allowed for more space to enlarge the collection in ways that are pertinent to our lives today.
I’m a homebody. Libraries are absolutely wonderful places and I enjoy spending time in them, but when I’m in the mood to read I want to be able to walk to my own shelves in my own home and pick up exactly what I want. And yes, Mary Jo, this definitely means the home library must have both breadth and depth.
Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C