"Since moving to the apartment, I had not kept a home library. My apartment is small - just a studio. One little room, a vestibule,a kitchenette, and a bathroom....And it is a well known fact that books devour space. You can't reverse this law. However much space you give them, it's never enough. First they occupy the walls. They continue to spread wherever they can gain a foothold. Only ceilings are spared the invasion. New books keep arriving, and you can't bear to get rid of a single one. And so, slowly and imperceptibly, the volumes crowd out everything before them. Like glaciers."
from 'Home Library" by Zoran Zivkovic as found in his short story collection The Library
My major thought when I read this passage was: Yes, exactly. But not in a bad way as one of my dreams is to have a true home library. A room dedicated to my collection from floor to ceiling. What about all of you? Is a house over taken by books a good or bad thing?
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Sounds like a good time to me.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good thing...until you have to move. Then it sucks like a Dyson-class Black Hole.
ReplyDeleteI love books, but... I think they're vanity items. I think they represent Conquest & Accomplishment, since keeping a personal library definitely doesn't represent Utility & Good Sense (how often do you reread that library?). When I graduated university, I sold all of my books except for a few choice volumes, and whenever I buy a new book, I sell it or donate it to the library when I'm done.
ReplyDeleteCan't agree with Ben. At any one time I have 5 or 6 books on the go. On average 3 will be re-reads.
ReplyDeleteAs for utility, shelves full of books are superb heat insulation. One set of shelves and you'd probably not notice the difference - get 'em all round the room and you will. Plus - they're a much more interesting wall covering than emulsion paint - watch how your visitors react to them if you don't believe me