Why do you buy books?

libraries are great but i'm lazy and i'd rather have a library in my home. plus, no late fees. and if i don't finish it i don't have to bring it back and renew it and then bring it home again. i never know what i'll be in the mood for. but really, i just hate having a due date hanging over my head. it reminds me of school too much.

i don't even really like borrowing books from people. i pretty much only buy books from thrift stores. 10 books for 3 or 4 bucks isn't that big a deal. plus i love browsing the shelves and i love finding cool stuff that i didn't even know i wanted. and when i die, they will all go back to the thrift store after my family picks through them.

Because there aren't any libraries that keep up with me, in having enough books that interest me. I tried this when I first moved to London, and it wasn't all that long before I'd read everything I fancied in the library. And, as above, I like buying books, and having lots of them around me.

I love the smell of new books.

I had the same thought, today!

I love the smell of used books, too.

as you can see, leeeee, you are dealing with very sick people.

i have no decent library *sniff*

My thought was the one at the top, of the thread, not the others.

If I own a book, I'm more likely to remember what was in the book.

Because the bookstore will probably have a copy, and my library probably won't.

And if the library actually has a copy...because I like instant gratification. If I buy the book, I don't have to wait until the three or four people who have placed holds at the library to finish it first.

Because dusty, falling apart copies make me sneeze.

Because I prefer paperback to hard cover (easier to handle, especially for someone who prefers to read in bed).

I both buy books and utilize my library. In general, something I might read again or which my husband will read also I buy. I checkout new genre fiction from the library. I buy lots of non-fiction. I like owning books, I like rereading passages in many books. I like sharing my books with family and friends. I read in the bathtub a great deal, so paperback used copies of travel books and mysteries are good for that. We buy lots of poetry and reference books. Also, I buy books simply because I can. I'm acquisitive in that way. I enjoy seeing them row upon row, knowing I've read some, knowing others are still waiting to be explored. I buy books because I know I will want to read a particular one someday and will I be able to find or even remember what that one was when someday comes? If it's on my shelves I will.

I use my library and very rarely buy books. When I have the funds I buy second-hand books that I either a) want to keep and refer to indefinitely or b) think that the library won't be able to get. I occasionally buy new poetry books too, although both my local libraries do ok at contemporary poetry, considering.

If I'm given a new novel as a gift there's a very high chance that it will be in a charity shop before the year is out. Having merely ok, one-read, middle-brow books cluttering up my shelves just depresses me.

I'm lazy and i'd rather have a library in my home... i never know what i'll be in the mood for... i pretty much only buy books from thrift stores. 10 books for 3 or 4 bucks isn't that big a deal...Because there aren't any libraries that keep up with me... I like buying books, and having lots of them around me...Because the bookstore will probably have a copy, and my library probably won't...Because I prefer paperback to hard cover (easier to handle, especially for someone who prefers to read in bed)... I like rereading passages in many books... I buy books simply because I can... I enjoy seeing them row upon row, knowing I've read some, knowing others are still waiting to be explored... I buy books because I know I will want to read a particular one someday and will I be able to find or even remember what that one was when someday comes? If it's on my shelves I will.
Yeah that's it.

Libraries? God, no! I have to possess the books until they possess me.

I'm not letting my Wife the Librarian near this thread.

I hate you for suggesting going to That Place.

I buy three classes of books.

The first is straight reference books. I buy them so I can refer to them at need.

The next class is literature or non-fiction that goes into my 'permanent' library. These are the books I love, that inspire me, that contain important ideas, and that have a lasting claim on my attention. These consist of about 150 books I'd never dream of selling and maybe 200 more I'm very attached to. I own them because it gives me profound satisfaction.

The last class of book consists of stuff I buy cheap, keep around to make sure I always have something interesting to read, no matter what mood I'm in. These stick around for a while until I read them or they go stale. When I've read them or given up, I sell them or give them away. I generally have about 60 or 80 of these around. I buy them because I can't always be arsed to get to the library, the library's purchasing policy is centered around serving tastes that are different from mine, and I can afford it.

Well, I have the money to buy books, and it seems a bit more supportive of authors I like to buy books and help them pay for groceries and such. Most public libraries have kind of lame SF/F selections anyhow. At least that's true here in Maine, anyway.

Besides, I like books. They are shiny.

i haven't been to a library in so long, but after clearing out a few hundred books from my collection that I realized I did not ever plan on reading again or even loaning out to people, I started to think it might be a good idea.

I only buy books I can't find at the university library (mostly sf and more recent stuff).

I write down the title of everything I read and plan to buy some of my favourites later on in life, though.

I hate the smell of library books

I was talking to some of my fellow library students and quite a few of them said they don't use their own library! and they don't like library books because of the thought of other people's germs on them!

Why the hell do they want to become librarians then?

There is a horrible attitude amongst the middle classes that libraries are a terribly Good Thing and if anyone tries to close one they are up in arms, but *use* them? Oh no.

It's a compulsion for me. I can borrow a book from the library and read it, but if I like it, then I usually go and purchase a copy for myself. It sounds trite, but I see books as my friends; I like overflowing bookcases and knowing just where something esoteric can be found on one of my shelves.

And I like knowing that I am well stocked on stuff that I haven't read just in case all of the bookstores in the world disappear overnight - at least I'll survive for a couple years with what I've accumulated.

More seriously, though, my family didn't have much money when I was growing-up and about the only thing my parents were more than willing to spend money on, for we kids, was books. Maybe now that I'm adult and financially stable I'm seeking some sort of security or proof that I don't have to worry about being poor. Or maybe not.

I'm not much of a collector of other things (except for kitchen gadgets, but those are essential and therefore don't count as being excessive), but when it comes to books it's a mania.

When I go into a bookstore I get a feeling akin to walking into a casino - there's this disembodiment that takes over and I lose awareness of people and other things - I just see the rows and piles and stacks of books and pretty soon my arms are filled and I end-up at the check-out stand not because I'm finished browsing but because I can't carry any more. Scary.

I like to own books, it's the only thing I really buy and go shopping for. I don't have many clothes for instance, and I don't care. But I love to turn around and see my books, and being able to pick up a book as a suggestion for my husband or friends.
Plus, libraries here do not have stuff in original language and I don't read much in translation.

Much like Aimless, I have three catagories of books:

What I buy: Books, generally non-fiction, that I will use over and over again for reference, or just because the library does not have the most recent history book about x subject.

Fiction that I know I will keep and love forever (like my Homer/Fagles translation box set, for example), or that have received really good reviews. These books are well worn from me and being passed around to friends.

From the library: General fiction, what's popular right now, stuff I'm not sure is worth $14.00 in paperback. Comics because they are very expensive, and I haven't figured out my tastes yet. I read about half of my library haul each visit.
Fortunately, I work in a huge university library, so when I see someone is reading something on ILB that looks interesting, I can go over and look at it right away. I love the library, because I spent hours in my childhood there, for my parents did not have much money either.

It's funny you should bring up comics in this thread, because that's my analogous purchasing compulsion: I like to see it on my shelves, germs/condition -- but will I read these ever again to justify actually owning them?

I've lost my acquisitiveness over the years and regret having to buy books, but the local library system is very bad. I've gone so far as checking with the Memphis library, but that would involve a $20/year out-of-state membership charge and a 275-mile roundtrip every time I went. I'd trade 90% of what's on my shelves for the stuff on my wish list (the list that used to be "books I'd like to own" and is now "books I'd like to pass through my hands just long enough to read").

I buy books because they're here, in front of me, in my shop. I can't get away from the things, and I can't set a bad example by borrowing them and then bringing them back, because then all my volunteers would do that too and we would be sorely depleted. So I buy them and bring them back. It usually costs about the same as renting a video, but I can keep them as long as I like. Result.

I haven't bought a new book in ages, though.

To have on hand those books that affected my thinking, my perceptions, my beliefs and/or way I live my life. Many of these books have sections in them that I re-read because they're so damn brilliant and good.

And with so many here, I adore the scent of old books. The feel of their pages. The look of their print and ink. It's a sensual experience.

I borrow library books more now, than in previous years, due to so many books I bought on the cheap being really terrible or just not a good fit for me. Those I gave away to library sales, friends or donated to shelters for battered women and children.

Also, I borrow a book if it's suppose to be the bomb in literary fiction. If it's brilliant and I happen to "get" it, I'll end up purchasing it to re-read. If I can't stand it, I can return it without feeling cheated.

Finally, it gives me a chance to expose my child (on a daily basis) to the variety, breadth and eclectic talents in the literary world, from the Greeks to Dickens to MFK Fisher.

My book-finishing rate is rather slow, so the thought of having a deadline looming on the horizon is kind of off-putting. Also libraries around here tend to not have very convenient hours. It seems worth the extra expense of buying for the convenience it provides. I'm rarely motivated by the desire to have a permanent addition to my library - usually reading a book once is enough for me.

I like both the library and the bookstore. Both my university and my county (I live in NJ, but I reckon that other states have the same system) allow you to order books from other libraries online and then they deliver it to your library for you to pickup in a few days.

Also, if you're really cheap and have a bit of time on your hands, you could go to Barnes and Noble and just read a book right there and then (I did that with Coetzee's Disgrace, which took about three hours).

This is why I buy books: From time to time, the library Wife the Librarian works in trashes old stock by selling it dirt-cheap. The other day, she brought home a six-volume book (a Norwegian reference) that she was able to buy for about $10. I searched for it on an antiquarian book website, and it turns out the book is worth more than $500.

I had a similar thing happen: a few years ago I bought a gorgeously produced book about the fashion designer Madeleine Vionnet for $75. The other day I was browsing on Amazon and Ebay and noticed it's now worth $700-900. Needless to say I immediately scooped it off the bookshelf and stored it in the upper reaches of a bedroom closet, safe from the hands of my little 2-year-old nephew and other assorted family members who visit my house often.

The library only has really tatty books. Though, I don't know why I buy books as I have far too many sitting around unread.

There ought to be a 12 step program for book hoarders like myself. I buy many more books than I will ever read. I love the feel and smell of books. I tend to buy remaindered books and hardly ever feel driven to acquire or read a book published in the past 12 months—except when my favorite author, David Lodge, publishes a new novel. I know I need a program to cure me of book hoarding because I have completely filled the office in my house and my cellar. There are also piles of books (and magazines) in other rooms too. It’s bad when one can not pass up a second or third copy of a classic when one comes across a reasonably good copy on sale for a quarter.

We don't need a recovery program, we need a lobby group to work towards protecting the rights of people like us.

Or an ILB trading program. We could be our own best library ever, I for one would have the motivation to finish cataloguing the old collection.

Ha, I am surely the most anal person here: all mine are in a database, except (techie digression) it barely qualifies, as it has just five fields and two tables - I had made a much more complex one for records, and had a printout setup for my albums (to avoid buying them more than once, and so on) so kind of copied and simplified that application for my books, so as to use a similar report printout. I could have just listed them in columns in Word or something - I don't make any use of it beyond that. I guess I imagined I might want to, somehow.

they make me so. so. happy

I fetishize my books. I like to touch them long after they're read. I like to know I have unread ones stockpiled, just in case. I like to feel their eyes staring from all around the room, cancelling out the horrible stares of the real people on the streets -- I'm like a nuclear holocaust survivor, lining my cavelike studio apartment with radiation shields in the form of bookshelves. My books are my tinfoil hat.

PS Mr. Jaggers -- David Lodge is coming to Chicago next week!

Ann,
Thanks very much for the information. You don't, per chance, know if he is stopping in NYC.
All the best,
Jaggers

New York? -- I'm sorry, I don't know. He's here for the annual Humanities Fest -- I don't know if it's a tour. But I'll listen very hard to him for you...

Mr. Lodge gave a lovely lecture (on handling the passage of time in the novel -- time the events would need to take place were they real vs. time it takes to read about them) and a reading from his new novel -- which I couldn't buy because he had run out of copies! I'm drooling to get my paws on it; just the excerpt had the room in stitches. S'bout the many humiliations of Henry James.