Verre Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 How many books do I own? Well, being a complete bibliophile - I feel better at the sight of a filled bookcase - I have quite a few. 1100-ish is my guess, covering 2 floor-to-ceiling bookcases, but I am merely a sixth former, so I expect my collection will grow. But, I'm sure there must be someone out there with a collection that far surpasses mine. Any challengers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 I have quite a few. 1100-ish is my guess, Wow that's quite a collection. Not sure about mine as my books are about to be organised properly into new bookcases once we've decorated our dining room - can't wait actually! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 I am not sure either. I probably own around 50 textbooks. My christian books will be near that. I have a couple of hundred children's books which are mostly in Katie's room, though some are at my Mum's. Fiction, I have no idea. I shall have to have a proper count up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 If you have a quick search, there have been a few discussions about this. There's a big variation, I think... but I think you may have them beat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenmck Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 My first response to this was "Are you joking?" I have over a thousand, I know. I did count them once and I've added to the collection since then. Let's just say this. When my husband and I moved, I filled a bedroom with the book boxes. I have two six foot book cases in my living room filled two deep with books not to mention several small bookcases AND books in every room of the house. Luckily, my husband is as "bad" as I am, so he doesn't complain about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 I think that together with my boyfriend, we own about 500 books, approximately. I've managed to cataloged about 350 so far. I'm supposed to eventually inherit my parents' book collection (hopefully not for a long time) and that will probably put me over 1000. I need more bookcases!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 I have about a 100 or so. I don't really keep count Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 I have no idea. I think I probably have about 200 on the shelves at home, and then have far, far more in boxes in storage; about 5 or 6 large boxes full of books, so at a guess a couple of hundred books per box. So probably in the region of 1000. I'll be getting rid of loads of them soon, though, as I'll be moving again and don't want to keep the storage and the GF has convinced me that there's no reason at all to keep books that aren't reference and aren't a source of obsession, just for decoration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ii Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 I have zero idea. Plus there's some major uncertainty which all count as my books and which are DD's and which are the so called family books. For instance, all the books in French at our place in Paris are technically still DD's as it's his appartment, but it's my home, too, and DD doesn't read them 'cause they're, as said, in French and of course they used to be maman's... There's some books that are technically DD's, but I've just taken them, there's some books that are actually mine but are in DD's place... I'd guess I have about 1000+ in my appartment, there's about 500 in Paris, and then there's the family library with several thousand pieces (it's a collection dating back to the Mayflower, or somewhere very near that!). Needless to say, between all those collections, there are doubbles, even within a language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mia Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 Definitely over 1,000 - in fact probably over 2,000 because I very rarely get rid of any books. Unfortunately, due to lack of space, most of them are packed away in boxes in the loft and cupboards etc. Even my six-shelf bookcase is now overflowing, and the shelves are double stacked!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 The joys of moving house.. everything got cleared out, including many books! But then again, I don't keep many of my books once read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 I must have around 1000, but my shortest answer to your question is NOT ENOUGH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 I've catalogued most of mine on LibraryThing and according to that I have a little over 500. It really doesn't sound like that much, but boy they take up a lot of room! At the rate I've been buying books lately, my collection is likely to double in size in the next couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 but my shortest answer to your question is NOT ENOUGH! LOL I agree Kell, you can never have enough books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ii Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 enough books oxymoron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 oxymoron. I had to think about that for a while. I get it though. Nice one big-sis, I guess I missed that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ii Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I love oxymorons, and all kinds of paradoxicalness and absurdities and bizarreness, as effectively evidenced by my love of Marx Brother movies and movies like M*A*S*H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proserpina Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Probably about 500 but I do tend to find I'm always adding to the collection, as well as giving some away. I never could get my head around the idea of selling books or sending them to the charity shop but most books I only read once so they're only gathering dust on my bookshelves. If I can sell them on Amazon, I can find the money to buy unread books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 I counted about 2 years ago and it was at just over 2500 then, I know for a fact I've acquired over a thousand since then, so somewhere between 3500-3700. Conservatively. Yes, I am a pack rat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 My goodness! How many of those do you reckon you've read? I'm so jealous I checked my LibraryThing tags earlier and apparently I've bought/received 170 books so far this year. That's about 1/3 of my entire collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 My goodness! How many of those do you reckon you've read? I'm so jealous I checked my LibraryThing tags earlier and apparently I've bought/received 170 books so far this year. That's about 1/3 of my entire collection. LOL I would have to suppose I've probably read two-thirds of them...some are from my great grandfather, so I haven't gotten around to them yet. A couple of years ago there was an article, or maybe a series? of articles in the New York Times about this very thing. Some people had over 20,000 books! /sigh/ I wish! Sounded just perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fireball Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 But then again, I don't keep many of my books once read. Oh Michelle, that a sad statement to make, you seem almost proud of it to.! Oh, I know there's good/bad books, but never keeping books once their read.? I myself have only got rid of two books in my life, because they were dire absolutely god awful crapola, and they were "Perfume The STORY of a Murder. : http://www.bookcourt.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/perfume.jpg Which my so called betters (artsy fartsy critics) thought the sun shone out it's arse.! And this load of merde The Da Vinci Code. : http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/steelclaw32/354px-DaVinciCode_US.png I've just off the top of my head got 5to8 hundred odd books, (some, VERY, odd ones indeed! ) which I gathered through my life, my late wife, Helen, once said to me, "books, and you had more then one thing in common, trees had 'rings' in them and tell a story, your books are your rings." good analogy that, and she was right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Fireball - I LOVED Perfume and still sold my copy on, as I knew I'd probably not read that one again. The Da Vinci Code I enjoyed well enough at the time, but since then it's lost a lot of appeal for me in my mind as I've subsequently read similarly-styled novels that were far better written - funny how that happens, eh? - my Dad has my copy at the moment as nobody had bought it yet (yes, it's listed for sale too). I acquire so many new books every year (well in excess of 100 per year, I'd extimate), that if I kept them all I'd have no room to move! I keep those I know I'll read again, or are part of my collections by various authors I adore, but over the last few years I've realised that there are many books I WON'T read again and therefore are taking up valuable shelf space that could be given over to new books. It also means, once I've sold them, that I have extra funds for those new books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fireball Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 AHH bless, Kell, isn't it funny really the things that really irritated the hell out of one and somewhere else they think its bloody brill. Well, as you you know I hated it, and you loved it, nawt wrong with that, if all were bowled over by each and every book en masse we read, this site would be as exciting as watching grass grow.! Myself, I found the whole bit in the cave very boring indeed, and dragged somewhat after that. I believe the ubiquitous "they" made it into a film some time back see this bit for info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume:_The_Story_of_a_Murderer_%28film%29 . To be honest with you, I like a book that either entertains or in and around about way, even educates me, or tells what the History Master in school left out.! But it should never ever be boring the trousers off me.! Which Perfume, did on a scale that was only matched by that other plonker Dan Brown, who really shouldn't be writing, because he can't write for shi Whereas now your dad has it, and he might get a kick out it, or if you here a loud thump one night, you'll know not to ask "dad how's the book coming along?", as a whack in the face with a wet haddock is a bit ehh, painful One of the main reasons I love coming to this site, is to see the vast array of likes and dislikes, and find that some books that I'd have normally had avoid like the plague, given the "try it mate, you never know, yer moi loike it!" treatment.! And to be honest 6 out 10 not's bad eh.?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Oh Michelle, that a sad statement to make, you seem almost proud of it to.! Oh, I know there's good/bad books, but never keeping books once their read.? Why, oh why is that sad?? I enjoy my books, but I know that the vast majority I will not re-read. There are so many books out there waiting for me, I, personally, don't see the point re-reading. Yes, there are a few that I have re-read, and enjoyed the second time around, and there are a few that I have recently read, and put back on my shelf for the future. But, the majority will not be re-read, so I don't see the point keeping them. The vast majority get given to charity shops.. as far as I'm concerned, I help them make money, and also share these books with other people. Please don't be so critical of people who have different ideas / views than you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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