There Are Two Types of Book Owners, So Which One Are You?
A few years ago I attended a workshop led by Peter Walsh of TLC’s Clean Sweep and found him so funny and inspiring that I immediately read his book It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff. This past week I found myself with the spring cleaning bug and read it through again (formal review to come later).
Now that I’m book blogging I had to laugh when I read the section dedicated to books. Basically his rule of thumb is that when dealing with books there is one simple rule: If they don’t fit on your shelves, they shouldn’t be in your home. Phew. I can breathe a sigh of relief because I actually have empty shelves in my house (I know you’re jealous!!).
He says:
Books and magazines are almost always a part of the clutter problem in homes that I see. I remember one family that I worked with in Florida where the father was a car enthusiast. He loved anything to do with cars and had about fifteen years of back issues of at least three car magazines in his home. He openly admitted that he didn’t read a lot of the magazines and never went back to look at them, but just having them in the house reinforced his sense of being a “car guy.” It’s often the same with books. Just having books in a home can give a homeowner a sense of identity and security, a motivation that has to be addressed before one can deal with the excess.
I can really relate to this. I fully admit that I love looking at my full bookshelves and that being surrounded by books reinforces in me that I’m a book gal. It does play into my identity. Take all the books away though and I’m still me. But am I the same me? Do the tactile presence of books in my house play too much into my identity? Kinda scary when I think of it that way.
When some people purchase a book, they buy it for their reading pleasure, out of interest in a topic, or because of a recommendation from a family member, friend or critic. These people are generally able to read a book, digest the information, and use it in whatever way they wish in their lives. Once the book is read and the material understood, these people tend to have no attachment to the book itself.
Then there is a second group who derive a great sense of security and contentment from knowing that they own the book. In many cases, they feel that owning the book is equivalent to owning the knowledge in the book, as well. For these individuals, letting go of a book is tantamount to throwing that knowledge away – no matter whether they have read the book or not and whether the book still interests them or not.
[. . . ] This mind-set is important to recognize when you’re downsizing your household’s books. Books represent different things to different people. For some they are light entertainment, for others a resource of knowledge and learning ,, and for others they are reminders of important moments or academic successes. However, when you buy a book, you do not suddenly own the wisdom it contains – all you have bought is words on paper It’s up to you internalize whatever enlightenment the book as to offer. Without fully grasping this concept, it can be close to impossible to separate oneself from one’s books.
I think that I am a mix between the two groups. I LOVE owning books and do have a hard time giving them up (again thanking my lucky stars that according to his clutter methods I technically don’t have to get rid of my books because I still have some space). But I can purge when I need too (just got rid of all of my old magazines and at least 75+ books this week). I own hundreds and hundreds of books. I do like owning the knowledge even though I may not go back to reread a book or even read it at all.
So according to Peter Walsh’s descriptions, which group are you? No attachment to the book itself after having read it or owning the book is equivalent to owning the knowledge in the book? Are you a book hoarder or a book purger?
Hey you! Yes. You! I've noticed that you've stopped by to visit a few times! But I don't know who you are. Why don't you take a moment and introduce yourself. Don't be scared. I try not to bite. I know you're a lurker but I'd love to hear your thoughts about what's been bringing you here. And if you haven't done so already, don't forget to never miss a post by subscribing to my feed or receiving updates by email. Thanks for visiting!
Tags:
 |
| or | 
|
Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.
I love owning books. Lots and los of books. I will box up my books and store them somewhere before I get rid of them. I will NEVER get rid of a book unless I hated the book.
on March 17th, 2010 at 12:59 amOnce I’ve read a book, 90% of the time, I pass it on. I do keep some books that I thought were especially great that I might read again, or I want to keep on hand for research or to loan out to friends.
on March 17th, 2010 at 2:34 amIt’s definitely a mixture of both for me. Some books I read and even if I absolutely loved every page of it, I’m still OK to pass it along. Other books seem symbolic of something else, and it isn’t so much that I’m giving away the knowledge from that book but the emotional experience of reading that book. For me, anyway.
on March 17th, 2010 at 2:38 amI am most definitely a book hoarder. I just love being surrounded by books. I do get rid of some, but those are the ones that I know I will never read again.
on March 17th, 2010 at 4:34 amI have no problem getting rid of magazines. I have no attachment to them at all. However, I think I’m a bit of a book collector…okay, hoarder. If I one day have no space for more books, I will get rid of other things. Not the books. I keep telling myself I’m saving them for my daughter. LOL
on March 17th, 2010 at 5:25 amWhat about keeping a book because it’s pretty? Or I want to re-read it?
I give away a lot of books but still have so many.
I could never have an organizer in my house. They just don’t understand.
on March 17th, 2010 at 5:37 amI am of the second group. I have set aside a stack of books that I have no intention of reading or re-reading, yet I just can’t bring myself to take them to the library donation box.
on March 17th, 2010 at 6:12 amI’m a book purger. As soon as I’m finished reading it, I give it away. I do have a collection of my favorite authors’ books, which I will keep.
That said, someone (my husband!) might call me a hoarder because of all the books I have. I have five bookshelves full of books I havent’ read yet!
on March 17th, 2010 at 6:43 amI’m somewhere in between, too.
on March 17th, 2010 at 7:12 amI’m definitely a purger, but lately I’ve gotten too many books in the mail so my shelves are overflowing. Occasionally I’ll keep a book if it means a lot to me or if I want to lend it out to friends, but that’s about it.
on March 17th, 2010 at 7:17 amI’m in between. I only tend to keep books that I’ll read over and over again. I also keep books that I have signed, even if I don’t plan on reading them again.
on March 17th, 2010 at 7:30 amI think I’m a blend of the two.
The books I keep are: favorites, ones that I’m attached to for some reason, signed by the author, unread books.
The books I pass on are: Anything I’ve already read and will not read again, books given to me, and books I loved but need to share (in which case I may actually purchase another copy to keep on my shelf – like I did with Guernsey and The Book Thief)
That being said, I still have more books than shelf space. Time to get another bookshelf.
on March 17th, 2010 at 8:10 amI am definitely a hoarder. I have a really hard time getting rid of books. Granted, I haven’t read most of the books on my shelves yet but even when I do, I usually keep them. I have at least stopped buying as many books. I’ve almost entirely stopped going to DI (thrift store) unless I’m looking for a specific book.
on March 17th, 2010 at 8:28 amI am definitely a book hoarder!! I have such a hard time getting rid of books…luckily I still have space on my shelves for some more books but it is definitely getting close to overflowing into boxes.
on March 17th, 2010 at 8:34 amI think I’m like you, a combination of the two. I do have books that dont fit on the shelves currently, but that’s because I have a bunch on the shelves that I have to find money to mail out to people. So I’m not overly attached to books, and I do reread books.
on March 17th, 2010 at 8:39 amI think I am getting better at this Natasha. I have started reading and either passing on in giveaways or donating books to the library, women’s shelter, and to my Church.
On the flip side of that – there are a lot of books I really love and thank you to my wonderful husband who gave me additional shelf space for Christmas.
I too now have a few spots to fill in.
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:08 amGreat post!
I’m between the two as well. One of my favorite bookish quotes is that “books are the best sort of intellectual wallpaper.” I enjoy the potential pleasure that the unread books hold. However, I think I’m fairly reasonable about purging. Once I read a book, I’ll get rid of it if I know I never want to read it or reference it again. I also go through now and then and evaluate my unread books. My taste is always evolving and changing, and I don’t feel bad about getting rid of unread things that I have lost interest in.
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:11 amI am the first….my books are my babies! I love them…the smell…the touch. But only classics and favorites get to stay one the shelves…the others are given away, donated or traded in for new books…
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:11 amI love owning books. But during the rare times that I attempt to make myself purge (via Paperback Swap), I realize that I can’t get rid of my nonfiction because I fall in the second category. Most of my fiction these days comes from the library.
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:14 amThe only way a book leaves my house, is if I don’t enjoy it, or if I feel that once reading it, I won’t read it again and feel it necessary to pass it on to someone else who will get some enjoyment out of it. I have 4 book cases (some double-stacked) as well as several boxes of books. I find that I buy books that I re-read though, as well as have some on my shelf that I haven’t read yet. If I find that I could read the books and pass them on, I will… but mainly… books are my babies, and I WILL keep all of my Kelley Armstrong ones. They are awesome.
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:21 amAt first read I would have said that I was definitely in group 2, a keeper. Upon further reflection, though, I think I am more in the middle. I do have empty space on my shelves, and I do purge books that I won’t re-read. I tend to keep more books than I need to though, it is true!
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:21 amLike you I’m a mix of the two. I like owning books, but I have given away probably close to 350 or 400 in the last 6 months. My husband promises me that someday we’ll have a house with a room devoted to my library, but he also warns that I’ll be limited to what can be single-shelved on my bookcases. If I run out of room and have to double shelve, I’ll have to purge some books.
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:33 amI’m a mixture. I want to own some books because I want to be able to read them again and again. Other books I want to own because I have quite frankly defaced them, I write in them and I wouldn’t want anyone else to read my thoughts, they are mine. But if I didn’t like a book. If it did nothing for me, then I am happy to get rid of it.
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:33 amGreat post!
I am definitely a book hoarder – although I do purge books which I either didn’t really like from time to time. Recently I went through my TBR stacks (which are way too huge) and purged some books that I just know I will not read…they’d been sitting unread for more than 4 years! I gave them away to people I knew would enjoy them. But despite that, I still have hundreds of books in my house!!
I used to subscribe to lots of magazines…recently I downsized to where I only subscribe to 2 cooking magazines, Sunset Magazine, and Bookmarks. After I read a magazine I go through, rip out articles or recipes I want to reference and then get rid of the magazine (usually my mother-in-law wants to read them before they get recycled).
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:36 amTotally a purger
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:40 amI think I’m both. I generally am okay with getting rid of books that I know I probably won’t ever read again. I like to hoard the ones that I loved…which actually can be a lot.
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:58 amOh dear, I shouldn’t have as many books for the small amount of space I have. I have way too many for my 80 sq ft bedroom; my shelves are so full that I’ve had to start leaving books on my office desk.
I can get rid of books occasionally…but only if I really didn’t care for them. Otherwise, I am saving all these books for the day I have a house with a room with floor to ceiling bookcases, and a ladder. And I want to be able to say, “Yes, I have read all of those,” when people ask.
on March 17th, 2010 at 10:08 amI’m definitely a purger. I rarely buy a book, and usually if I do, I end up putting it up on Paperback Swap or getting rid of it in some other way. I don’t feel connected to books at all. However, there are times when I want to hold onto a book for the future, and I have some classic early editions that I keep. But for the most part, I don’t keep books once I’ve read them, so I usually avoid buying them.
on March 17th, 2010 at 10:22 amI had a lot more books a few years ago but we kept moving and it was so difficult to move all my books that I did a major purge. It was so hard! Every once in awhile I think of a book that I used to own and am sad that I don’t anymore. Now that we are pretty much settled and do not foresee and big moves I am slowly, slowly building back up my book collection. I am, however, now much more selective about where I spend my book money.
on March 17th, 2010 at 10:27 amI have a friend who buys constantly, has boxes and boxes of books, several shelves double stacked etc etc. She can’t possibly read them all but is constantly buying. In some ways it is like watching a train wreck. Books are all over her home but she just keeps buying more. Peter Walsh would have a field day with her!
I’m a hoarder. Unfortunately. I still have my Astronomy magazines dating back probably five years. But, I am trying to give away books I know I won’t read again!
on March 17th, 2010 at 11:02 amI love Peter Walsh and totally miss CLEAN SWEEP. Did I read somewhere that he has a new book out or coming soon? I think I did.
My solution to the too many books problem is simply this: Buy more shelves! Actually, I’ve been really good about purging books in the last few years. It helped that I moved, but I’ve also been giving any review books that I don’t love, love, love to the library. The libraries in my area are so under-funded that it does my heart good to donate all my pretty books.
on March 17th, 2010 at 11:19 amIf I love a book and think I will read it again, I keep it. It has an honored spot on my bookshelf. However, if I have read it – liked it okay, but know I will never read it again – I donate it to my local library. I want to give someone else a chance to love it. Most of the time, the library sells it to make money to buy books for the library.
Love it – keep it forever!
Only like it – donate it to find someone who will love it!
GL
on March 17th, 2010 at 12:41 pmI gave away 170 books last year. My problem though is that still acquire books faster than I can read and purge.
on March 17th, 2010 at 12:47 pmThis is an interesting topic. We have definitely run out of space for our books at this moment. Our solution to that in the past has been to buy a new bookshelf! We will be moving soon though and each time we move we do try to go through our books to see if there are any we can part with. Even though we will now be moving to a MUCH larger house where we could definite fit more bookshelves, I think we are being even more heavy handed this time. We realize that we haven’t looked at some of these books since the last time we moved so they may as well be passed on to a new home. We have also limited our book buying considerably – if it doesn’t belong to a series that we already own and love, we can get it from the library. None of this applies to my daughter of course who at 1 1/2 already has nearly 80 books of her own!
on March 17th, 2010 at 1:12 pmIt just doesn’t feel like home if there aren’t books in every room. Lots of them. I got read of over 600 books last summer and I’ve regretted losing a lot of them–even though I know I probably won’t re-read them. So I guess that makes me the 2nd kind.
on March 17th, 2010 at 1:53 pmI am not sure these categories are the two categories. I collect books because I think I’ll want to read them over and over, and when I find I’m no longer interested in a book, I’ll nearly always get rid of it (donate it, post it on PaperbackSwap, or whatever). The longer I have a book, the fonder I feel of it, but if the contents don’t interest me, I don’t see any point keeping it.
on March 17th, 2010 at 2:15 pmI am new to your blog and have really enjoyed reading reviews and things!
I am a total library junkie. I almost never buy books. When I do, the books are ones that I love so I keep them.
on March 17th, 2010 at 2:44 pmI am definitely a magazine purger, if it’s more that 2 months old, it’s headed to the recycle bin!
Halfway between? I keep the books I love and know I can’t find at my local library. Small town and they don’t have a lot of SF/F so I’ve built my own collection. Quite a few of them are now signed, so they have extra emotional attachment. But I loan my books to friends, my kids have discovered them one by one, so I think of myself as a small library of mostly SF/F. And I can always buy more shelves.
on March 17th, 2010 at 3:16 pmI think that I am also halfway between but I tend toward purger. In the last several years, I’ve started to get most of my books from the library because the hoarding was getting out of control. I almost never purchase a book that I’ve already read from the library. Plus I’ve had to do a couple of major moves which always makes purging a little easier
Magazines are another story – I always think that I will get to them…once they are a year old I can finally admit that I am not going to read them.
on March 17th, 2010 at 3:53 pmI think I am a bit of both also. I don’t keep novels unless they are part of a series. If I may need to refer back to something in the previous books it is nice to have them. But once the series is over, I pass along the books. Stand alone novels get shared right away.
However, non-fiction is different. I go through phases of interest. Recently I was very curious about Budhism and have a small collection of books about that. Those I will keep. Non-fiction is like reference material that you can visit again if need be. But even a non fiction book will be purged if my need no is no longer there.
on March 17th, 2010 at 6:08 pmI think I’m mostly in the second group. I love the comfort of owning books and having them surround me.
on March 17th, 2010 at 6:17 pmI love my books. They make me happy to look at. I don’t think I could give them all up, but I could purge if I needed to. I still have room on my shelves (partly because I keep buying more shelves) but I try to giveaway ones that I didn’t adore.
on March 17th, 2010 at 7:17 pmI’m a mix, too. I love to own books, but really, I could stand to give away all of the books I own except for my absolute favorites. For most of my life I had to buy a book; now, I am enjoying utilizing the library for the first time in years. That is saying a lot, considering I have to return all the books I borrow, even the ones that I love! (Solution to that prob: I just end up buying a copy.)
on March 17th, 2010 at 7:33 pmNo question… a hoarder!
on March 17th, 2010 at 7:56 pmI really love this post. Thanks for opening up such an interesting topic. I would have to say I am a mix as well. I really have no problem giving away a book, even one that I really like. But certain books, I feel I can not be apart from…I imagine that’s because I want to hold on to it’s knowledge, the things I’ve learned from it or the way it made me feel. If I went through all the books I own, I would say that very few of the them fit in that category. And yet…I still have so many in my home! Maybe I like the feeling: that ‘yes, I am a book person’ feeling.
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:04 pmI am definitely a hoarder of books. I have a ton of books that I haven’t read yet, and I keep purchasing books, however, I’m reasonably young and figure I’ll have a long lifetime of reading, knockonwood, so I don’t mind hoarding, plus my friends love to borrow my books without due dates (as long as they give them back in the condition I loaned them out).
on March 17th, 2010 at 9:08 pmI loved reading everyones answers! Houses in SF generally are too small for me to keep every book I’ve read so I pass them on. Saying that, my TBR pile is massive. Somehow I can justify that
on March 17th, 2010 at 10:25 pmHere’s the thing I find interesting: I was reading The Great Libraries a few weeks ago, and Socrates actually says the exact same thing that this guy does (!). In one passage quoted in the book, he makes fun of one wealthy scholar because he thinks owning books (or scrolls, as they would have in those days) means he owns the knowledge in them as well. Socrates says he’d be better to learn the knowledge and throw out the book, and for that reason he was a complete anti-bibliophile. He hated the idea of collecting books!
I do love looking at my bookshelves full of books, although I could (and should) probably get rid of some of them to make room for the ones piled on my floor. I don’t think I collect books for knowledge, though–I only keep the ones I feel I have a personal connection to. More for memories than anything else. I also think they serve as a sort of security blanket, too.
on March 18th, 2010 at 12:59 amHm. I think they key phrase for me is “whether the book still interests them or not.” I definitely hoard books, but once they’re read I only keep them if I think I’ll want to read them again someday.
on March 18th, 2010 at 6:35 amI’m attached to my books but I have no feeling that owning the books means I own some kind of wisdom or knowledge. I like owning my books so I can refer to them again. I do reread books and I also go back to books looking for favorite sections or quotations.
I like having books to lend to (very special) friends. I don’t generally save mysteries or books I didn’t enjoy (neither of which I ever go back to again).
I own quite a lot of nonfiction, and I do like have a good reference collection. I don’t want to check online for everything — especially because I don’t keep a computer up and running 24/7.
I don’t think I fall into either category.
on March 20th, 2010 at 7:55 amI can’t imagine a house without a lot of books; it wouldn’t be home. Having said that, I’m a hoarder painfully becoming a purger. Now the only books I keep are nonfiction that I use for research, books written by friends, classics, and coffee table books about places we’ve been, Scotland for instance.
on March 20th, 2010 at 8:32 amBooks occupy a place that is different from any other thing, or even, persons in my life. And, I won’t watch “Hoarders” for fear of seeing some element of me laid out on tv said the person who upon her mom’s death found herself going through her mom’s 20+ year old pay stubs found under the bed. (Is being a pack rat inherited?) And, when at 17, when I left for college I took everything of mine including my prom dress (full length, formal; worn only once) and all the books I had from high school — I still have the books, but not the dress.
Books (and magazines) offer me comfort; they are about the potentiality of knowledge and information but not “equivalent to owning the knowledge in the book.” I barely recall what I read earlier today so I have no illusions about what it means “to read” and can only dream of having the capacity for eidetic imagery.
If I have a sudden urge to read, I don’t have to go to the store to find something I’d be willing to buy.
on March 22nd, 2010 at 3:05 pmI’m definitely a book hoarder! I have hundreds and hundreds of books, and there are at least one to two hundred that I haven’t read, largely because they were books I got for free when a friend moved. But one day I will read them! And I will keep buying bookshelves as my collection grows. One day there will be a library in my house.
on March 22nd, 2010 at 6:36 pmOMG! I am totally the kind of person to hold onto books – for exactly the reasons listed in the article. Circumstances, though, have forced me to scale back over and over – too many moves, etc. I always tap into that knowledge about myself when it’s time to clear out some books. I will always hang on to some titles, but these days I’m much better about passing on the opportunity to enjoy a great book! I can’t wait to meander through all the comments and see what everyone else had to say!
on March 23rd, 2010 at 11:29 amI’m a book hoarder. I have close to 7000 books at the moment. I have a library set up in my basement and everything is shelved alphabetically by title and author. I also keep a spreadsheet in Excel so I don’t accidentally duplicate something I already own. There are many books I re-read over time. There are whole sections of books that are for reference that I refer back to constantly. Magazines, on the other hand, I read and then recycle. I was hoarding them and did a big purge.
on March 24th, 2010 at 12:54 pmChrisbookarama, you might be surprised. Many organizers also love books, and understand the many reasons a person might want to keep them.
I’m an organizer, and many of my clients have a huge number of books. If that’s not causing them any problems – or if it’s just not an area they want to tackle – we leave it alone. I do suggest that if a person values his or her books, then it’s a good idea to store them properly.
Myself: I’m more of a purger as the years go by, but I still have LOTS of books – and lots of bookshelves.
on March 24th, 2010 at 12:57 pmIt depends on the book. Lots of times I judge a book by its cover. So if the cover doesn’t interest me I’ll gladly give it up. I do have a lot of books in my TBR pile that I won’t give up, yet! However, I share my books with my mom, by mailing boxes of books to her. Not sure of the exact count of books I own, as their not all in the house at the same time.
on March 27th, 2010 at 3:42 pm[...] At Maw Books, Natasha discusses the two types of book owners (basically those who do and don’t derive part of their satisfaction from actually owning the book). Which type are you? [...]
on August 25th, 2010 at 7:27 am