On Aug 28, 8:30 pm, Vrag Naroda <theda....TakeThisOut@null.invalid> wrote:
> Imelda Marko Amnell <marko_amn....TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> estimated:
> [...]
>
> > [T]he total number of books [on my shelves] comes to about 2,520.
>
> Do the words "obsessive hoarding" mean anything to you? At least, are
> most of those books the kind real people would have, i.e. second-hand
> paperbacks, or are you a _rich_ bastard?
Most are hard cover and worse, hundreds are science textbooks
that cost 50 to 100 euros (yes up to 150 US dollars) each.
I estimate the cost of replacing my personal library would be
anywhere from 70,000 to over 100,000 euros (100k to 150k+ USD).
But it has taken me about 23 years to build this collection
and I work. I think you've made a point of saying in the past
that you don't work. So you have less disposable income.
Does that make me rich? Nope. Some people own a yacht,
other people own an expensive book collection. These are not
just any 2,500 books. They are *the 2,500 books that are most
important to me*. Many were crucial in shaping how I think
about the world. It's very nice to have them all in one room.
I can go back immediately to any book I wish. I sign
and date each book as I buy them and write down where I
bought it as well, so I can place the book in the long process
of my mental and psychological development. But yes, it
is a sort of obsession. It goes beyond bibliophilia and
borders on bibliomania. Apparently, Elias Canetti was
similar, at least according to his memoirs. He would spend
long periods of time just letting his eyes pass from the
back of one book to another while they were on the shelves.
I also heard that Umberto Eco has 25,000 books
(yes 10 times more than me) in his personal library.
They are kept in a vast circular room that makes up
one wing of his house.
Currently reading: Still reading _The Ghost of Freedom: A
History of the Caucasus_ by Charles King. I just bought
_McMafia: Crime without Frontiers_ by Misha Glenny.
It's an eye-opening look at the current explosion in
organized crime, not just in Eastern Europe but
especially there. For a good review by Neal Ascherson
see:
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v30/n13/asch01_.html >> Stay informed about: a handful of dust... 
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